15 Black Cat Breeds for Good Luck 

Once you are lucky enough to fall in love with a black cat, you are drawn to every black cat that you see. My domestic shorthair cat, Onyx, was the sweetest. Occasionally, we’d put shiny jewelry on her fur when she was laying down because it looked like when you are at a jewelry store, and they show you how stunningly sparkly things look on a black velvet background.

Onnie had the softest coat and was the floppy kind of cat that would lay on your lap or wherever you put them and allow kisses and cuddles. I need another black kitty! There’s just something special about them.

There are 60.2 to 62 million pet cats in the US and 62 to 100 million feral cats. 18%, or 1 out of 5.5, are black. Ever since the domestication of cats, humans have enjoyed sharing their homes with felines. We have many interesting and surprising cat statistics and information.

Let’s take a look at some beautiful breeds that come in black coats. All but one of these breeds also come in a variety of other coat colors.

Most Popular Black Cat Breeds

Many cat breeds can have a black coat but also come in a variety of coat colors. There’s something exotic about an all-black cat and black pooches. I’m always surprised to see a black dog or cat that I didn’t know can have a black coat.

Here are 15 beautiful black cats that look sleek (like a little black dress) and have a mystique about them.

1. Persian

The precious Persian black cat has a sweet, calm, cuddly, and friendly personality. Persians don’t mind being alone. The Persian likes gentle children and pets.

They thrive in quiet households and may be frightened of babies. The Persian has been around since the 1500s, and a similar cat is seen in Egyptian hieroglyphs.

The Persian cat doesn’t need a lot of exercise, but they have to be brushed daily. Persian cats’ gorgeous long fur can mat or tangle into a horrifying mess, so they need regular grooming.

2. Sphynx

The silly Sphynx breed is a hairless breed that’s full of energy, very smart, loves to perform, acrobatic, wants attention, friendly, loyal, and affectionate. They will follow you around, participating in whatever you’re doing.

They love a warm lap. They are good with kids and other animals and love playing and climbing. This cat actually has fine, peach-like fur. They are very cute with their large ears.

The Sphynx was created in Ontario, Canada in 1966. A domestic shorthair cat gave birth to a hairless kitten. Baldness is genetic, so they bred the kitty with a Devon Rex to create a hairless breed.

3. Maine Coon

The magnificent Maine Coons’ personality characteristics are smart, affectionate, gentle, friendly, good with children and pets, easily trained, loyal, and having a high prey drive. They need daily brushing to prevent tangles and mats in their luxuriant black coats.

The Maine Coon cat enjoys fetch. The Maine coon is one of the large cat breeds and the US’s only native long-haired cat.

Cat historians believe that Maine coons are the result of long-haired cats brought ashore from early explorers’ ships mating with the local short-haired breeds.

4. British Shorthair

Beautiful British shorthairs, also known as British blues, have a soft coat. They are affectionate, playful, calm, very smart, and good with children and pets. British shorthairs, like most felines, enjoy climbing and playing with kitty toys.

British shorthairs are the oldest cat breed in Great Britain. It’s believed that breeders crossed shorthaired street cats with Russian Blues and Persians to create them.

The black British shorthair has black everywhere, including its paws and yellow eyes.

5. American Shorthair

The adorable American shorthair breed personality is sweet, attention seeking, independent, likes children and canines, might get in your lap if you’re lucky, and has a high prey drive. Their most common color is silver-gray.

Onyx’s sister, Marble, was the most gorgeous gray and black tabby American shorthair. I have pictures to prove it. There are five types of tabby cats.

Some believe that American shorthair cats are descendants from shorthairs that came from England in 1620 or even earlier.

6. Ragamuffin

The exquisite Ragamuffin breed has an affectionate, energetic, calm, playful, intelligent, and friendly personality. They are good with children. They have sweet, expressive eyes. These are gentle cats that love being in a lap and are known for being very easygoing, so they are great family cats.

Ragamuffins were bred from Ragdolls and also go limp when someone holds them (like Ragdolls). The difference between the two is that Ragdolls are color-pointed, while Ragamuffins come in every color and pattern combination.

7. Devon Rex

The darling Devon Rex breed personality is playful and energetic, loves to jump, and is good with children. Cat trees are fun for them. They will follow their humans from room to room. They are silly and will do whatever’s necessary to get attention from humans.

Devon Rexes like to keep busy and don’t like to be alone — so get two. Their large ears and expressive eyes are adorable.

Rather than brush their fragile fur, pet parents can rub them gently with a cloth. They don’t need much grooming. These cuties have big green eyes. The Devon Rex and Cornish Rex each have a curly soft coat, but if you breed them together, the kittens have straight fur.

8. Bombay

The mini panther Bombay is the only exclusively solid black cat breed, and they have copper colored eyes. Bombay cats are playful, curious, smart, independent, affectionate, sociable, needy, don’t like to be alone, and enjoy children and other pets.

They like mental stimuli, so puzzle toys are fun for them. Bombays are trainable and doglike. Like all cats, they love to scratch and enjoy a nice scratching post.

The Bombay cat was created by crossing Burmese cats with American shorthair cats. They always have yellow eyes, not like other cat breeds that sometimes have green eyes. The name Bombay cat is an homage to India’s black leopard.

9. Selkirk Rex

The sweet Selkirk Rex breed’s personality characteristics are playful, calm, affectionate, friendly, curious, happy, good with felines and children, likes pups, loyal, has a low prey drive, and okay when left alone. The Selkirk Rex cat likes laps. They enjoy toys and mental stimulus.

The Selkirk was bred from a curly little kitten from a shelter in 1987. She was bred with Persians, Exotic shorthairs, and British shorthairs. Many Rex cat breeds come in black coats, and their peach fuzz fur is very different from other breeds.

10. American Bobtail

The American bobtail is affectionate, very trainable, intelligent, sociable, loyal, bold, and likes cats, pooches, and children. These lap cats are so laid back that they are known as the Golden retrievers of cats.

They are famous for their little bobtails. In the 1960s, a bobtailed cat was adopted by a couple who allowed him to mate with their female cat, and their entire litter had bobtails.

This adorable cat breed has a tiny tail and wild markings.

11. Norwegian Forest Cat

The Norwegian forest cat has a thick coat that keeps them warm in Norway. They are vocal, like other animals, sociable, independent, love playing and climbing, enjoy interactive toys, and are good hunters.

In Norse mythology, they are magical and adored by the goddess Freya. They are the national cat of Norway. Wegies need to be brushed so their fur doesn’t devolve into a matted mess.

12. Exotic Shorthair

The Exotic Shorthair was created in the 1960s when breeders mated American Shorthairs with Persians. They have a Persian face and a shorter coat. The first Exotics were silver.

Exotic shorthair cuties are calm, attention-seeking, playful, like being in laps, quiet, and low maintenance, especially the males. You can have a fancy Persian face without needing to brush the coat constantly.

Exotics have a lovely thick coat that comes in a variety of colors.

13. Cornish Rex

Cutie pie Cornish Rex cats have a soft, curly, short coat, making them easy to groom, and they don’t shed much because Rexes have tufted hair. The Cornish Rex is loyal and sociable, likes children and other pets, and is playful, energetic, curious, and intelligent.

They like to be busy, so make sure you have fun toys around. They will perch on top of your refrigerator and other high objects.

In 1950, a curly kitten was born to a tortoiseshell cat. That kitten was eventually bred with his mother and produced two curly kittens.

14. Japanese Bobtail

The jovial Japanese bobtail breed is smart, very vocal, affectionate, sociable, bold, hyper, easygoing, charming, enjoys human attention, and is good with other cats, children, and canines.

Japanese bobtails make great pets but are rare. Their sleek black coat doesn’t shed much. Their tails are three inches long, covered in tufts of fur, and point to one side or are curled.

15. Manx

Manx cats are affectionate, social, easygoing, very smart, vocal, playful, energetic, and like children, cats, and dogs. The Manx cat loves to climb, so a cat tree with levels will make them very happy.

They were born on the Isle of Man in the 18th century. They have a smaller tail than the bobtail breeds. Being tail-less is caused by a genetic mutation. The Manx comes in various colors, including black.

Their double coat needs a daily brushing, and they need 30-60 minutes of playtime each day. They love interactive toys.

FAQs

How Rare Is a Pure Black Cat?

One estimate is that 18% of cats are completely black because many have some white on their face, paws, neck/chest (tuxedo), etc.

Are Black Cats Intelligent?

Studies have shown that black cats are very smart.

What Breed Is a Black Cat in the Uk?

The British shorthair

Final Thoughts 

There are plenty of lovely black cats out there in many breeds. Sadly, the ones that wind up in animal shelters spend a lot of time there, perhaps due to superstition that they are bad luck or an old association with witchcraft. Black doggies are also hard to adopt out, maybe because they look tough. It’s very sad and ridiculous that wonderful pets are overlooked because of their color.

When unveiling the most popular pets, dogs are first, and then cats. A black cat is just as fabulous as any other color kitty. Most of the cats in this article come in a variety of colors in addition to black.

Modern countries should take a cue from Ancient Egypt, where all cats were worshipped and sacred (some of us do worship our sacred pet kitties).

If you are looking for a fantastic pet or know someone who is, please go to (or tell them to go to) one of the local shelters or Petfinder and adopt a black one — or any cat or dog!