You might have seen many black cat decorations or costumes recently, but did you now black cats have the lowest adoption rates? This photographer takes pictures of them to change that.

You might have read our story about the photographer, Casey Elise, who volunteered to take photos of blind cats to show their beauty. Well, the talented and selfless Casey found out that black cats have the lowest adoption rates and the highest euthanasia rates in most shelters – probably because of their scary connotations.

She noticed that when black cats were photographed to get advertised to be adopted, they didn’t look as desirable as their colourful friends because the lighting was wrong making it hard to see their features. So she decided to take matters into her own hands and take the photos herself. She took the photos of cats at West Los Angeles Animal Shelter, hoping that the new professional pictures will attract more potential adopters.

Casey used her professional camera and an external flash, as well as lightening their faces in the editing process. It wasn’t all about the lighting, however, the photo series tried to capture the unique personalities of all the kitties.

There are more black cats than most cats in general anyway, and because of the outdated and false accusations that they are bad luck or associated with witches, they do have a harder time being adopted. A lot of shelters also stop black cat adoptions around Halloween for their own safety, which is so sad. The colour of a cat’s fur in no way determines how patient or kind they will be, black cats can be some of the most loving and sweet pets you will own, it doesn’t seem fair that they could be held back from getting a loving home because of superstitions.

The amazing photos which Casey captured of these beautiful black cats perfectly illustrate how playful and cute black cats can really be. She started the ‘Black Cat Project’ which was a series of photos which aimed to shine a positive light on black cats, which is especially important around this time of year.

The project showed black cats of all ages with no costumes or special effects apart from some subtle lighting changes. Casey Elise photographed them with a simple background so all the attention is on the cat and the cat only. Elise even admitted that they were anything but menacing when she was photographing them, acting as a subtle reminder that everybody should look beyond a cat’s appearance.

Casey has a beautiful talent for finding the absolute genuine beauty in all cats. The cat lover has selflessly volunteered to take photos of cats who often find it a little harder to find forever homes whilst in shelters. Her Instagram looks like a cat-filled art gallery. You can also find out more about Casey and her work on her website here. Remember to spread the word about black cats, cat lovers.