National Black Cat Day 2026: Oct. 27 Origin and Dates Through 2030

National Black Cat Day 2026 was Tuesday, Oct. 27. Next year the day falls on Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2027.

National Black Cat Day is observed on Oct. 27, which falls on a Tuesday in 2026. Cats Protection, a charity in the United Kingdom (UK), says it launched the day on Oct. 27, 2011.

Where National Black Cat Day comes from

In a post published Oct. 27, 2020, Cats Protection wrote: “We launched this special day back on 27 October 2011.” The charity says thousands of people backed what it calls “the UK’s first ever Black Cat Awareness Day – as it was known then.”

The reason, according to the charity, was adoption time: “it took the black cats in our care a week longer on average to find a home than cats of other fur colours.” The day’s hashtag is #BlackCatDay.

What has changed since 2011?

These figures are Cats Protection’s own, as of its 2020 post:

Cats Protection figure	What the charity says
2019 gap	“In 2019 black cats took only two more days on average to find a home than cats of other colours.”
Time in care	“On average black cats now spend ten days less in our care before being rehomed than they did 10 years ago.”
Homes found since 2011	“Since 2011 our centres have found new homes for over 65,000 black and black-and-white cats.”

They describe the charity’s own centres, not shelters in the United States.

Is there a U.S. Black Cat Day?

In the U.S., Aug. 17 is called Black Cat Appreciation Day. Its origin is not documented by an official body, so this story does not give one. The two days are separate: the Oct. 27 day began with a UK charity, and the August date is a different observance.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) wrote on Feb. 6, 2025: “Despite some unfair and untrue superstitions, black cats are just as loving, friendly and wonderful pets as any other cat.”

What weekday is Black Cat Day in the next few years?

Oct. 27 moves one weekday later each year, and two in a leap year. The weekdays below are computed from the calendar; the U.S. August date is included for comparison.

Year	National Black Cat Day (Oct. 27)	Black Cat Appreciation Day (Aug. 17)
2026	Tuesday	Monday
2027	Wednesday	Tuesday
2028	Friday	Thursday
2029	Saturday	Friday
2030	Sunday	Saturday

How can you mark the day?

• Adopt a cat, or offer a temporary home to one, through a local shelter.
• Donate to a shelter or rescue near you.
• Share photos with #BlackCatDay.

Halloween is four days later, on Saturday, Oct. 31; see our Halloween 2026 trick-or-treating story for that date. Mark both on the October 2026 printable calendar, and put the U.S. day on the August calendar for 2027. The free printable checklist for the day lists the ways to help and the dates above.

For another October observance, see Intersex Awareness Day on Oct. 26.