TOLEDO, Ohio — Black cats are notorious for the superstition surrounding them: bad luck is in store if one crosses your path.
But the Best Friends Animals Society, a national animal welfare organization advocating for no-kill policies at animal shelters, said Aug. 17 -- National Black Cat Appreciation Day -- is the purr-fect day to befriend one of the infamous felines.
Best Friends said cats remain the most at-risk animals in shelters being killed at twice the rate of dogs. Black cats are at an even worse disadvantage due to the negative perception of them.
The shelter shared how some cultures celebrate, and even worship, black cats.
"For some, a visit from a black cat can mean good luck, and for others it means prosperity or romance. In some parts of the world. black cats are even worshipped," the organization said in a press release on Tuesday.
Best Friends said adopting a cat actually saves two lives: the cat who finds a new owner, and a cat who needs to be taken into a shelter and can be put in the previously occupied space.
Other ways the organization said people can save cats' lives include "spaying or neutering their pets, fostering, volunteering, donating and supporting and advocating for community cats through trap-neuter-vaccinate-return (TNVR) and shelter-run TNVR programming."
RELATED: The harsh reality of 'backyard breeding': Toledo Humane Society brings in six purebred dogs
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