The cat expert, Layla Morgan Wilde, happens to be my wife and we both feel that these cats have gotten a bad rap, associated as they are with the dark side; witch’s familiars (as if there’s anything wrong with that) and all that other stuff that feeds into primal fears and prejudices. Currently, in the United States, black cats are 50% less likely to be adopted in a shelter setting.
Layla, founder of catwisdom101.com wants to make a difference and has taken to Kickstarter to raise funds for a book, Black Cats Tell All, that will highlight just how adorable, inspirational and downright adoptable they are.
Here are Layla’s thoughts on all this:
It’s time for a brand new perspective. Black cat lives matter and to judge a cat simply on the basis of the color of their fur is flat out discrimination. The world is always full of fear or ignorance of something or someone different. We fear what we don’t or don’t want to understand. That mysterious unknown somehow gets twisted and embedded culturally, generation after generation. That’s just how myths are created, like the superstition that all black cats are evil. Black cat lives do matter and it’s time to stop the prejudice.
This collection of 22 positive, black cat stories, which is a first of its kind, will be narrated by the felines themselves and among those telling tales will be Cole; of Cole and Marmalade fame. This feline duo, which was made famous by Chris Poole on YouTube (88 +million YouTube hits) has joined with Layla to further this non-profit educational effort.
Other notable supporters of the effort will include Gwen Cooper, New York Times, bestselling author of Homer’s Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned About Love and Life With a Blind Wonder Cat. Cooper has written a glowing, book blurb for Black Cats Tell All.
Perks for supporters include an autographed collectible, which is donated by Francesco Marciuliano, writer of the New York Times bestseller, I Could Pee On This: And Other Poems by Cats. Scott Metzger, who is a syndicated cartoonist, has also created some art work to be given out as perks.
Passionate about her goal to rebrand all black cats, Layla sees the publication of the book as the first step in a comprehensive outreach effort to convince potential adopters to try and look beyond the prejudice and misconceptions and consider providing a black cat with a forever home.
Layla, who lived her childhood out in Canada, has been doing good things for felines since she founded the Toronto-based, non-profit, Annex Cat Rescue in 1997, and has continued her advocacy on behalf of this furry community since she arrived in New York in 2001; including a memorable appearance – with one-eyed cat Odin – on a 2011 Daily Show segment, “Sophie’s Choice,” which also featured renown cat celebrity/hipster Jackson Galaxy.
You may consider pledging to this non-profit 501(c)3 tax-deductible effort. Black cats everywhere will be appreciative.
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