Adopted Cats Who Support The Rescue Community - Part 5 (Meet Smoky, a Black Cat That RULES!)

Hello everyone, this is Lexy checking in with another fab interview in our series. Today you're meeting a beautiful black cat named Smoky. Smoky is about eight years old and just moved to sunny Florida. She is an advo-cat for black cat adoption, a philan“purr”ist, and holds a marvelous ball every year.  

Good morning, Smoky, and thank you for joining me today.  You look lovely, as always.  I thought I would interview you this morning since I’m a black and white kitty.  Lola and I know your rescue story because you’re one of the stars of our book, but could you share how you adopted your parents for our readers, and about how old you were? 
Thank mew Lexy. I am delighted to be here.  If mew want to know my “in depth” story, then please go get a copy of Lola:  Diary of a Rescued Cat and turn to page 146!

I don’t know all the details, because I was only about a year old. I had a family. I had a pink leather collar and I had been spayed. One day I took a car ride and when the car stopped, I was let out of the car and then they drove away! They just left me there. I was all by myself and very scared. It was November and it was cold. I’m not sure how long I was living outside, fending for myself. My best guess is at least a week. There were some nice people in the neighborhood that let me sleep in their garage, some even gave me milk, but I hit the jackpot when I met my daddy and meowmy. It was Thanksgiving night and they gave me smoked turkey! Most cats don’t like smoked turkey, but when mew are hungry, mew eat it. Since my parents were new to the neighborhood, they didn’t know if I had a family or not because I was wearing a collar. It took a few days for them to learn what happened to me and officially adopt me.
How long have you been in your forever home? 
I have been in my furrever home since the Monday after Thanksgiving, 2007.

What’s the best thing about having a forever home? 
I am alive, well cared for and loved. Most black cats don’t make it. I am one of the LUCKY ones.

We know you don’t have any siblings, so how is life as an only kitty? 
Let me tell mew. I have a great life. I am a princess. I get lots of attention and I don’t have to share my toys or food with anyone. I am a “Daddy’s Girl”, so being the one and only cat in the house suits me just fine.

You’re a busy kitty on Facebook! You have your regular Smoky page and also Black Cats RULE! Tell us the story behind BCR. 
If mew have ever tried to find me, Smoky, on Facebook, mew get lots of interesting results. There are lots of pages related to the Smoky Mountains, then mew will find the Mexican singer Smoky, the American singer Smoky Robinson and how to apply “smoky” eyeliner. MOL! (Editor's note: We got the "smoky" eyeliner many times when looking for Smoky's page!) 

In order to find my “Smoky” page on Facebook, mew have to type Smoky Black Cats RULE. My secretary thought it would be easier to create a new page, so that is how my Black Cats RULE! page came to be. There are few Black Cats RULE! pages on Facebook, mew can find mine by typing Black Cats RULE Society.

Accept no substitutions. I am the “official” Black Cats RULE! advo“cat” and philan“purr”ist. The Black Cats RULE! Charity Challenge, photo contests and advocacy work is all done on my Black Cats RULE! page. I consider this my primary page, even though I have more fans on my Smoky page.

We think it’s fantastic that you raise awareness for black cats.  Even though I’m not a pure black cat, I was passed up by lots of people in the shelter.  Why do you think black cats are the last to be adopted? 
The sad fact is that negative stereotypes associated with black cats still exist today. Many shelters consider black cats “unadoptable” because of the color of their fur. While there are no hard statistics, there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that supports the common belief that black cats are the last to be adopted and the first to be euthanized. Black cats can wait up to four times longer to get adopted as their lighter colored fur friends.

Love knows no color. Adopt a black cat.

You have done some wonderful fundraising events! Can you tell us about some of them and how you came up with the ideas? 
Oh, thank mew so much. I’ve been involved in fundraising since 2012. I could give mew lots of examples, but two of my “signature” events are the Black Cats RULE! Charity Challenge and the Black Cat Ball.

The Black Cats RULE! Charity Challenge was created to help cat related non-profit charities increase their social media presence, introduce them to new followers and compete for a cash prize. $3,125 has been given to 18 charities over the past three years. 1st place winners include: Saving Southern Kitties (2014), Meow Stories (2013) and Homeward Bound Cat Rescue (2012). The winner of the Black Cats RULE! Charity Challenge becomes the featured charity for the proceeds of my Black Cat Ball. They also get showcased throughout the year.

The Black Cat Ball is an annual event in October. It is a lot of fun. I work hard to shatter the stigma associated with black cats and Halloween. Black cats have a reputation for being “mean”, “evil” and “scary”. Black cats are gentle, kind and very affectionate. Black cats are lucky in many cultures.

The Black Cat Ball is a virtual fundraising event and auction held in Prince Pan Pan’s Royal Art Gallery. When mew make a donation, mew are automatically entered in the giveaway. Mew get one ticket for every dollar donated. The prize is super pawsome. Last year we gave away a black diamond necklace. The designing talents of Prince Pippin and Abigail Rose von Kerbykins (of the Prince Pan Pan’s Royal Art Gallery Gift Shop) create one of a kind costumes for everypawty who donates. All are welcome to attend the ball, a donation and costume are not required. There are also lots of great items in the auction. This has become one of “the” social events of the year.

We love the ball! And we love donating to the auction. How do you choose the causes you raise money for?
I prefer to work with non profit charities, recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501 (c)(3) organization. I have supported all sorts of missions, including:  rescue, spay & neuter, low cost clinic, conservation, medical research, therapy, trap-neuter-return and more.

Can you tell us some of the shelters/rescues/causes you have helped to date and about how much in total you have raised? 
$15,000 from events that I have been the organizer (Black Cats RULE! Charity Challenge, photo contest, Black Cat Ball, AmazeCats “Next Top Cat”, etc.) plus proceeds from the sale of Black Cats RULE! merchandise in my Zazzle store. My goal is to be at $20,000 by year end.

I support so many organizations by donating auction items and shipping fees. I don’t keep track of the total amount raised for those, but a conservative estimate is $15,000 to $25,000 per year. One event alone raised over $100,000. This was not a virtual event, but a live/real black tie gala. It is difficult to quantify. I am just happy to help.

There are too many to name all the beneficiaries, but here are a few: 
Abandoned Angels Cat Rescue (Galloway, OH); Black Cat Rescue (Boston, MA); Cat Depot (Sarasota, FL); Forever Home Feline Ranch (Rochester, IL); Fuzzy Hearts Animal Rescue (Fairfield Bay, AR); The Grannie Project (Southeastern, PA); Kenosha Forgotten Friends (Kenosha, WI); Penn Vet (Pennsylvania, PA); Tenth Life Cat Rescue (St. Louis, MO), plus the charities I already mentioned.

All of this cannot be done alone. The Black Cat Ball, for instance, is a lot of work. This event is such a success because of the time and talent donated by Prince Pan Pan, Prince Pippin and Abigail von Kerbykins. It is also important to recognize the contribution of the auction item donors and the auction item winners. The kitty community on Facebook works especially well together. We help each other and support one another.

How can people support black cat rescue and adoption? 
Every local rescue group or feral cat colony has a black cat in need. If mew are considering adoption, please remember the black cat. Help educate others about black cats.

Do you have anything in closing you would like to say or share? 
In addition to fundraising, I am equally proud of my advocacy work. Black Cat Appreciation Day is August 17th and “Black Friday” (the Friday after Thanksgiving; November 27th) is a very busy day for many local rescue groups. Mark these days on your calendar and get involved.

Thank you, Smoky, for a fantastic interview.  We are so grateful to have a friend like you. 
Thank mew, Lexy, for including me in mewr interview series. It is an honor and privilege to participate. I would like to end our interview with one very important messageBlack Cats RULE!

We hope you enjoyed meeting our friend, Smoky.  We're still working on bringing you more interviews and hopefully we'll have another one in the near future. 
Lexy

If you missed Part 1, you can meet Zoe Blue here. 
If you missed Part 2, you can meet Shiloh here. 
If you missed Part 3, you can meet Miss Dixie here. 
If you missed Part 4, you can meet Prince Pan Pan here.