[S]

Why don’t African Americans like cats? I have several black female friends who are visibly afraid of cats and jump when they come around. Did something happen historically in the African-American culture to cause this feeling?

User Detail :  

Name : S, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 30, City : Walker, State : GA, Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Barbara]

Hmmm, very interesting question. I am an African-American with two wonderful cats (Kiwi & Dew). I have noticed that black women don’t tend to feel comfortable around cats. I am always pleasantly surprised when a black woman tells me she loves cats. I try not to generalize, but it might be a class thing. The more educated black women seem to like or be indifferent about felines. At the risk of making a sweeping and false statement, chances are that when you hear stories about ‘cat women’ (solitary women living with dozens and dozens of cats) none of them (the women, that is) are gonna be black.

User Detail :  

Name : Barbara, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 44, City : Atlanta, State : GA, Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Vincent-B24841]

I don’t know if there’s any historical background, but I like cats very much, as does much of my family. I think everyone has their quirks about the pets they choose to be around.

User Detail :  

Name : Vincent-B24841, Gender : M, Race : Black/African American, Age : 27, City : Chicago, State : IL, Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

[Mandi]

Funny, I’m the only black person I know who doesn’t like cats. All my suitemates adore them, as do several others in the house; the rest are just indifferent. I’ve never had a real fondness for animals in general, but I don’t like cats particularly because they scratch and don’t seem friendly. But that still won’t answer your question about why your colleagues don’t like cats, so I suggest you ask them. P.S. I’m really curious to know what historical event you think could have possibly happened to make a whole race of people dislike an animal.

User Detail :  

Name : Mandi, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 21, City : Boston, State : MA, Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Holly]

I love cats and have a white kitty with gray markings and she is adored. I have many black friends that love cats, and I have some white friends that don’t. Nevertheless, I will agree with you that it seems that a lot of African Americans don’t like cats. When I was small I was the only one in my family who liked cats, but I begged for one; my father got me one when I was eight. From what I gather, the general consensus seems to be among those that don’t like cats (of all races) is that they think that cats are sneaky (which we’ll have to admit they are); some can’t stand the thought of a cat jumping on their kitchen table. My mother’s reason was that cats ‘suck the breath’ out of newborn baby’s mouths! (lol) This seems to be common among the older generation.

User Detail :  

Name : Holly, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Jehovahs Witness, Age : 28, City : Annapolis, State : MD, Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, 

[Jennifer R.]

I love cats! In fact, I love all animals. If there’s one demographic group that, in my experience, tends to dislike cats disproportionately, it’s men.

User Detail :  

Name : Jennifer R., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Humanist, Age : 29, City : Saint Paul, State : MN, Country : United States, Occupation : Writer/Student, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

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