Famous black cats from movies and TV

Cats Protection finds loving homes for thousands of cats each year, but sadly some moggies often get overlooked by potential adopters.

Black cats can take 13% longer to be rehomed than cats of other colours, yet over 40% of the kitties taken in by our centres are black or black and white.

Some may believe that black cats are boring, but we disagree. You only have to look at the many monochrome moggies that have appeared on the big and small screen to see why.

Here’s our pick of our favourite famous black cats…

Salem (Sabrina The Teenage Witch)

Sabrina’s talking sidekick was always delivering witty one-liners and coming up with plans for world domination, but most remember him for his insatiable hunger and wonderful singing voice – something many cat owners may recognise in their own moggies! Although Salem hasn’t been on our screens for over a decade, he is about to return in Netflix’s upcoming Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, although we’re not yet sure if he has a speaking part!

Binx (Hocus Pocus)

Although he began the film as a human boy, Thackery Binx was soon transformed into an immortal black cat by the movie’s witchy main stars. Despite his family no longer recognising him, he still guarded their house every Halloween night, hissing at potential spooky intruders. Do you have your own black cat bodyguard?

Sylvester (Looney Tunes) 

Whenever Tweety Pie ‘tawt he taw a puddy tat’ it was usually tuxedo moggy Sylvester creeping up on him. The cunning bird often managed to outwit his feline assailant, causing Sylvester to exclaim his classic catchphrase ‘sufferin’ succotash’ – if he’d been chasing a fun fishing rod toy around, he wouldn’t have been left so disappointed!

Snowball II (The Simpsons)

Although the original Snowball was white, the somewhat unimaginative Simpson family decided to keep the snowy name for their second cat, even though she was black. Snowball II was really Lisa’s trusty feline friend but also got on quite well with the family dog, Santa’s Little Helper – proof that sometimes cats and canines can be good friends.

Isis (Star Trek) 

There were actually a couple of black cat stars in Star Trek, and they both happened to be shapeshifters. The monochrome moggy called Isis could communicate telepathically when in her feline form, while the cat in episode ‘Catspaw’ switched between being a woman called Sylvia and a mysterious feline that Spock took a shine to. Of course, on Earth the only shapeshifting cats do is to try and fit in their favourite cardboard box.

Figaro (Pinocchio) 

First appearing as Mister Geppetto’s cheeky pet in Pinocchio, Figaro went on to star in many other Disney short films on the insistence of Walt Disney himself. Walt loved the little kitten so much, he even made him Minnie Mouse’s own pet moggy. If owning a black cat is good enough for Minnie, it’s certainly good enough for us!

To celebrate the beautiful black cat, get involved in National Black Cat Day on 27 October. You can download our colour chart to find out your own black cat’s true shade or find a monochrome moggy you can give a loving home.