12 Black Cats Who Finally Got Picked at the Shelter, From a Kitten Who Waited Half His Life to One Who Reached Through the Bars

Animals
10/22/2026
12 Black Cats Who Finally Got Picked at the Shelter, From a Kitten Who Waited Half His Life to One Who Reached Through the Bars

When I volunteered at an animal shelter in high school, the last cage in the row usually held a black cat, and its card always showed the most days. People said black cats looked bad in photos, and I never believed it. These 12 black cats waited longer than they should have at the shelter, until someone finally looked twice.

1. A 6-month-old kitten spent half his life at the shelter before he picked a lap

“We went to a shelter on Saturday, and there was a little void who just adored my spouse — So we took him home. Meet Ash!”

Apparently he had been at the shelter for a few months and nobody wanted him[.] [He’s] only 6 months old, that’s half his life!

We saw him on the website and fell in love when we met him! The stigma around black cats is unfortunately real. But that means we get to enjoy this little cuddle bug and give him his best life

All he did was cuddle with my spouse and nap in his arms when we were at the shelter, Ash really knew who he wanted to come home with

He’s been nothing but a cuddle bug. He’s even chill with the dog... until he barks

I also may have been a little late to work this morning because I went to check on him in his little area of the house, and he was already wide awake wanting attention. Melted my heart!

2. Nobody seemed to want the tailless kitten, so she went home with Mikasa’s new owner

Nobody seemed to want the tailless black kitten, and asleep in her round bed she looked so sweet that she went home. Mikasa has changed a lot since then. These days she crosses the living room in one blurry leap, and her owner sleeps with one eye open.

“Mikasa has changed a lot since adopting her she’s fine but I sleep with an eye open.”

3. A kitten was returned to the shelter for being “too needy,” and his new family loves it

“Toblerone was returned to the shelter for being ‘too needy’, but we love his neediness.”

He was returned when he was only a few months old. Still a kitten. Of course he’s “needy,” he’s just a baby!!

It’s been 2.5 years since my dad and I adopted him and we love him more every day! His brother Archer also adores him and they are often found cuddling or fighting for a spot on my dad’s lap.

Even this morning he was yelling at me to pick him up and snuggle him. “Needy” is a personality trait of his but I love it!

He’ll let you hold him like a baby, he hasn’t met a person he didn’t like.

From the author:

At the shelter where I volunteered, returns came back through the side door with a folded note: moving, allergies, “not a good fit.” I read every one of those notes, and I never believed most of them. The cats who came back were usually the ones who had picked their person too fast and too hard. Toblerone, I suspect, just picked again.

4. He reached through the cage bars and kneaded a stranger’s palm

“I Fell in Love at the Shelter”

The Saturday before Thanksgiving, my roommate and I went out to run errands and I ended up essentially impulse-adopting this boy. I suggested we go look at the animals in the shelter to de-stress and upon meeting this cat it was all over.

When I approached his cage and put up my hand for him to sniff, he stuck his paw out between the bars and started making biscuits on my palm. I then realized that I would be going home with a new cat that day.

My new void’s name is Cosmo (as given by the shelter), but I’ve figured out that he responds best to Momo! He is the most affectionate cat I’ve ever met. He constantly wants attention and pets. I am so happy to have found him!!

I knew if I left him there, I’d be heartbroken and regret it for a long time. So taking him home was the only choice. But he’s gotta be the last cat I get for now

[Photographing a black cat?] I’m definitely going to have to play around with it!! He does blend into his surroundings quite well.

5. Half a year at the shelter: a bald, frightened cat everyone passed over turned into a “noisy cuddler”

“My sweet girl. No one wanted to adopt her because she stress-groomed herself half bald, was dangerously underweight, and was so scared of everything she needed to be carted around in her bed to meet new people. Say hi to Minerva, Mini for short.”

I ended up at the shelter because I had just moved to a new town, was all alone, and really just had nothing else to do. I asked about the big yellow eyes hiding out all by herself, and they placed this bony, bald, five-pound lump of fright buried in a mountain of blankets in my lap. After a few minutes of waiting for something to happen, I reached a hand in to say hi, and a few minutes later the whole meeting room turned into a purr factory.

When I told the shelter workers I wanted her, the lady I was working with let out an excited “really?!” Because she had been there for half a year, getting passed up by everyone. She filled out, and follows me everywhere. She’s a noisy cuddler and I couldn’t be happier.

6. A 12-year-old void “adopted us against our will”

“Freshly adopted senior void”

12yo fine void specimen, adopted from a city shelter in NYC on Friday. Pretty sure he’s a cat but honestly not 100% sure at this point. Accepting comparative subjects or other hypotheses.

He busted out of the carrier like he owned the place!

We think he may have adopted us against our will. We kinda blacked out.

He is a chubby ball of pure love.

I think he might be light on wisdom BUT he is full of love and personality so we’re cool.

A very distinguished gentleman.

7. The shelter said they were “not a bonded pair.” Nine months later, they’re inseparable

“When we went to the shelter to adopt these two, they told us they were siblings but ‘not a bonded pair.’ Nine months in, we laugh about this every day because they are virtually inseparable.”

Pretty quickly we could recognize their distinct personalities and meows, and one is slightly bigger now.

I’m not entirely sure, my understanding is that it means they are “codependent” on some level, but I don’t know how they measure that... I suppose through just monitoring their behavior?

These days like this, though it was much harder when they were both tiny!

8. Nobody wanted him because he was black and older, until one family did

In the shelter he sat behind the bars of his cage, a grown black cat with green eyes, and nobody wanted him. Now he stretches across a bed on a blue blanket and looks straight at the camera, as if he has always lived there.

“Nobody wanted him because he’s a black cat and he’s older.”

From the author:

My job at the shelter was mostly litter boxes and adoption photos. The black cats were the hardest to photograph: under the fluorescent lights they came out as a dark shape with two yellow coins for eyes. I learned to shoot them by the window in the afternoon. It didn’t always work. The ones who went home rarely needed a good picture anyway.

9. She planned to foster a mama cat and her six black kittens. She kept four of them

“1 year ago I took in a mama and her voidlings to ‘foster’”

A year ago I took in a mama kitty with her 6 babies. I had only planned to keep the mama and one kitten. [We] ended up keeping 3 of the kittens while the other 3 were adopted. I had one resident void at the time.

It’s extremely chaotic but I love my little coven. They all have their own big personalities but I’m very fortunate that they are all cuddle bugs and, all things considered, very well behaved (they actually mind when I tell them no). Happy gotcha day to my little coven.

I was looking at a post I did on this sub a year ago and I left a comment that said, “I plan on keeping one, MAYBE two” hahahaha.

While having this many is .. a lot.. I am so glad I was able to keep so many of them together. Two of the siblings are bonded.

10. A feral black cat took 18 months of work. Now she won’t leave the lap

“I got a WFH job three months ago. Since then, our feral void is never alone. Today I went for a three hour walk. This is the result upon my return.”

She was my first cat. And, despite all my rational beliefs, she felt like destiny. This girl appeared in our garden every day for some time.

I fell completely in love. 18 months of work, hard hard work, and now she sleeps on the couch every night. She knows we can hear her if she cries. She no longer goes further than our back garden when she chooses to go out at all.

Judging by the enormous affection that followed, I think she was just very relieved I came back. She sat on my knees for a long time as I read and when I had to get up, she came right back when I sat down again. My heart.

She is now curled up on my lap while I read. I got up to pee and get a new book. She returned to the lap immediately.

From the author:

My grandmother has a rule that a stray who shows up on the porch three days in a row has chosen you. Shelter cats don’t get three days. They get one visit: a paw through the bars, a nap in the right arms, a stare from the back of the crate. The last cat here made her one visit count, and seven years later she still won’t let anyone close a door on her.

11. Frank was 16 when someone finally took him home, and his new sister is still sulking

“Adopted this 16 year old man yesterday!”

Meet Frank

He is such a sweet boy I don’t know how anyone could have passed over him! He’s got himself a new sister named Bean. So this place was meant for him. Frank and beans!!!!!

He really is so sweet for his age. If they didn’t tell me he was 16 i would not have guessed. He’s still got a lot of life in him

[A photo of Bean on top of Frank?] I def will when she stops sulking about her new brother.

I hope this post inspires someone to do the same! I really do have such a soft spot for all kids of cats but older black cats make my heart melt.

12. Seven years after the shelter, Lady Darkholme still won’t allow a closed door

“7 years ago today I met her at shelter and asked ‘do you wanna come home with me?’ and I have not gone to the bathroom alone ever since.”

Her name is Lady Darkholme. She is a Velcro kitty, and does not believe in government or privacy. She will use her whole 11 lbs body to open any door. Her best friend is her grandpa, who gives her all the treats. She also likes to supervise her human during lego building and cross-stitching sessions.

PS: the bathroom door in the house never closes properly. As you can see in the second photo, Lady pushed the door open all the way just to remind me “no closed door” policy in HER home.

You are right. There is a good chance toilet monsters would have gotten me by now if she was not there to protect me. Honestly, it does not feel right to go to toilet without her when I am out and about.

Cats who get picked last tend to act as if they did the picking. Seven years on, Lady still checks every closed door in her house, just to remind everyone who chose whom.

Have you ever adopted the pet everyone else walked past? Tell us in the comments.

Preview photo credit Tayasos / Reddit

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