'If my cat loves anything more than treats and chin scratches, it's attempting insurance fraud': Void cat owners share their funniest near-misses raising a cat you can't actually see in the dark.

Ayala Sorotsky • Writer and Editor

Jul 26, 2026 2:15 PM EDT

Raising a black cat is daily cuteness and nightly hazards.

There's nothing in the entirety of common experiences shared by cat parents worldwide more relatable to me than the actual risk of raising a black-furred cat. Not because they're extra spicy in their behavior or something - the voids are actually known to be very sweet, and they borderline the orange cats' silliness from time to time - but because they're literally so hard to spot in the dark. I'm serious. When night descends, there's a 50-50 chance I'm going to bump into my cat, with varying degrees of potential unintentional force. That's a pawblem.

My black cat is named Cassie. I named her like this when she was a wee month-old kitten after Cassandra Pentaghast from the Dragon Age games. The character is a fierce warrior with strong sword swings and an even stronger conviction. She also has black hair… and that's where the similarities between the fantasy character and my cat end. My Cassie is a silly baby, at best. She sleeps on the office table as I write these very lines, and I only know it's her and not a pile of black shirts because she got up from my lap to reach there.

This is a serious(ly funny) problem all pawrents of the voids share. How do we know we're not about to step right on our beloved black-floofed babies in the middle of the night? We don't. We just don't, and somehow our cats are still surprised. For example, Cassie was aghast when I grabbed her from the closet early in the morning, when the room was still dark, because I wanted to wear a simple black t-shirt. Little did I know she was sleeping right on my shirts' shelf like it's a queen-size bed.

Black cats are magic, for sure. But mainly invisibility magic - especially when it's nighttime.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to start your Caturday with the funniest felines on the internet!

01

via Reddit
02

via Reddit
03

via Briam-Cute from Pixabay

A symmetrical face close-up of a black cat with green eyes, behind it a black background.
_{Model representation and image does not depict characters from the story}
04

via runningskirtsnmanis
05

via Ludna
06

via misstamilee
07

via trialbytrailer
08

via bongbabyhousevn from Pixabay

Black cat sits in front of a dark background, blending in; the clearest features are its yellow eyes.
_{Model representation and image does not depict characters from the story}
09

via KozimaPain
10

via Reddit
11

via hedderw
12

via Ludna
13

via @ales-munt

Face close-up of a black kitten with bright green eyes.
_{Model representation and image does not depict characters from the story}
14

via Ancient_Ad1700
If there's something that's shared amongst all cats, it's that “I'm walking right in front of your legs” activity, completely regardless of whether we're about to step on them or not. But when it's a black cat who does that, at night, when you're going to the bathroom - it becomes an immediate house hazard and potential “angry cat syndrome” starting until the next morning.
15

via Reddit
16

via ShotgunCledus
17

via Cdestria
18

via deepspacedave

A black cat on an even darker black background, looking at something off-frame.
_{Model representation and image does not depict characters from the story}
19

via BananafestDestiny
20

via crimsonrhodelia
21

via dromaeovet
22

via mrsristretto
23

via pixelshot

Black cat lies down on a grey rug, looking up.
_{Model representation and image does not depict characters from the story}
24

via espressoandfriction | RemarkableStruggle9
25

via Reddit
26

via Dachusblot
27

via sara_bear_8888
28

via Claudia Wollesen from Pixabay

Black cat with yellow eyes on a dark grey background, professional photograph.
_{Model representation and image does not depict characters from the story}
29

via Ice_And_Slice
30

via bellDor
31

via cbelt3