Black cats have had a bad reputation for centuries and it’s completely bonkers. Here are just a few black kitties who have rightfully earned a place in feline history.
BOOK EXTRACT
BAMBINO was a loyal companion of Mark Twain. Their close bond brought the famous author great comfort after the death of his wife.
BLACKIE was onboard the ship that carried Winston Churchill, the British prime minister, to a secret World War Two meeting. After getting a cuddle from Sir Winston, he was renamed Churchill.
BLACKWALL was onboard the RRS Discovery when Robert Falcon Scott and his crew sailed to the Antarctic in the early 1900s. He kept up morale while the crew spent two winters stuck in ice.
CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT was shipped from America to Britain in 1941 to help the war effort. His mission: to “cross the path” of Hitler and bring him bad luck, (cats prefer to say he brought the Allies good luck).
EMPEROR UDA’S CAT was the first cat in Japanese history, with fur the colour of “deepest ink”.
GLADSTONE was Britain’s Chief Mouser to the Treasure, he made his first catch soon after moving into No. 11 Downing Street in 2016, earning high praise for being a “cold- blooded killer”.
GOOD LUCK had a very superstitious human, Charles I. When Good Luck died, the grief stricken English king wailed that his luck had run out. He was right.
Charles was arrested the next day and beheaded soon after.
HODGE was the furry companion of English dictionary author Dr Samuel Johnson. He now has his own “Talking Statue” outside the home they once shared in London.
HOMER was born without eyes and had been abandoned by his humans. His inspirational adoption story was told in the bestselling 2011 book, Homer’s Odyssey.
MACAK was the childhood companion of Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla. The static electricity generated by Macak’s fur inspired his human’s lifelong interest in electricity.
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