Cats have always been a part of my life. My mom and dad adopted their first cat together before I was even born, and we've pretty much always had cats since. Of course, along the way, we fell in love with my absolutely wonderful dog, Monty, who I wouldn't trade for the world, but cats have always held a special place in my heart. In fact, I have had great fortune in having two cats with black fur in my lifetime which has made me quite firm on a particular stance.

Black cats are NOT bad luck, and I am prepared to rant your ear off if you try to say otherwise. Seriously, whoever came up with that abhorrent superstition had things seriously backward.

I will admit: I have been known to throw spilled salt over my shoulder and to avoid opening an umbrella in the house, but the only thing my black fur babies brought me is pure love and memories I will always treasure.

Exhibit A is my sweet Licorice. We lost her a few years ago as a result of kidney failure, but she is by far one of the nicest cats I have ever met. She was known for her cute, little tail (she was a Manx), warm hugs, elegant purrs, happy chirps, and proud meows when she brought us toys she "caught" around the house.

Look me in the eyes and tell me this is a cat who would have caused you trouble when she was too busy having a grand ol' time rolling around in the sun.

Exhibit B is Berlioz, A.K.A. our little "Burly" boy. We adopted him last year after one of our pregnant foster cats gave birth to him and his siblings. Though he is definitely more mischievous than Licorice and he isn't too fond of cuddling at the moment (he takes after his older brother, Gandalf), one of my favorite memories with him was when I was sitting in my living room crying and he would not stop following me around and having me pet him until I felt better.

Look, I know I'm biased and I probably played the guilt card by showing you pictures of my cute cats (I've got more where that came from). These cats are mine and of course, my family and I are going to love them, but the superstition has people falsely believe that black cats aren't worth the effort.

Numerous volunteers at animal shelters recount their experiences with black cats and how they are often overlooked. Perhaps the worst outcome of this belief, some shelters make it their policy to not allow their black cats to be adopted on Halloween in the fear that they will be subject to cruelty by people "celebrating" the holiday. Let me say this right now: there is a special place in hell for people who do this (or hurt any innocent animals for that matter).

On a lighter note, the recent release of Marvel's "Black Panther" has boosted adoption rates of black cats as reported by Mother Nature Network. I could not be more thrilled by this, but pets shouldn't be adopted as part of a fad; they deserve your care and affection even after they're not cute, little babies anymore or the latest blockbuster comes out.

All I'm trying to say here is that you don't have to love black cats as much as I do but reconsider how much you're missing out on if you let silly superstitions heavily dictate your lives. Many black cats have crossed my path, and I honestly believe I'm a better person because of it. Next time you hear someone perpetuating this myth, just remember what your friend Abby told you.

P.S., if you're still not convinced, here's one more adorable picture for good luck.