Pasadena Humane Society makes Friday the 13th lucky for black cats

Friday the 13 can be a lucky day, at least for black cats.

That’s the hope of the Pasadena Humane Society & SPCA, which kicked off a promotion that offers ebony felines for $13, starting this Friday the 13th.

“We realized that black cats and kittens move along the slowest,” adoptions supervisor Kevin McManus said. “The cats have great personalities but they just sit and wait. So we wanted to do something to jump-start their adoptions.”

The discounted fee -- usually $70 -- will be offered on the 13th of every month and includes spay or neuter surgery, a microchip, the first set of vaccinations and initial health exams.

By combining the number 13 and black cats, both of which have negative connotations, the organization hopes to turn superstition on its head and entice potential adopters who are often hesitant to take home coal-colored cats, McManus said.

Despite posting signs on kennels listing “black cat-tributes,” such as how the creatures are associated with prosperity and luck in Scotland, the organization finds many people still can’t shake the notion of a black cat as a bad omen or a witch’s familiar.

About one-third of the organization’s 144 cats are black, with ages ranging from 2 months to 12 years. The promotion also applies to cats whose fur is partially black.

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-- Corina Knoll

Photo: A black cat available for adoption in a promotion tied to Friday the 13th. Credit: Pasadena Humane Society & ASPCA