How I Met Vina — The Black Cat Who Changed Everything

We had always wanted a cat. For years, we hesitated.

Then, in 2020, a Facebook post stopped us mid-scroll. That was the moment we decided: we were going to adopt.

We didn't really know what kind of cat we were looking for. When we walked into that shelter in Southern California, we were surrounded by cute cats — every one of them deserving a home. And then there was Vina.

Vina was a black cat. And as anyone who has spent time around shelters knows, black cats are the most overlooked. They sit in their kennels longer. They get adopted last. Some never get adopted at all.

But Vina was something else. Extremely adorable. Drawn to people. The kind of cat that makes you stop and stay a little longer.

Vina in the shelter

She just didn't get along with the other cats.

Something about that hit me. I've always been a bit of an outlier in my own family — I know what it feels like to not quite fit into the community you were placed in. Looking at Vina, I saw something familiar. We decided pretty quickly: she was coming home with us.

The Drive Up I-5

We drove her back to our apartment in Northern California. I was emotional the whole way up I-5. I kept thinking about the fact that, from this moment on, this tiny cat's life was tied to mine. Forever.

A line from The Last of Us kept looping in my head — Ellie saying, "my fucking life matters now." That's exactly how it felt. Like something small and important had just shifted into place.

Becoming the Center of Our World

Vina came home and became our angel.

Vina always stick with me 

Our entire life started orbiting around her. We rarely travel far anymore. She's just that adorable, and that important. We didn't know a cat — especially a black cat — could change our lives this much.

She was about two years old when we adopted her. The shelter told us she had likely been a stray for a while before she was taken in. That's probably why she didn't do well with other cats — out on the streets, other cats were competition for food, and she had learned to fight for what she needed.

That part broke our hearts. And it still does.

A Promise

Vina is six now. Along the way, we adopted another black cat, Ricky.

And somewhere in there, this venture was born. Black Cat Closet isn't just about selling merch with cute black cat designs on it. It's about promoting black cats. Telling people how affectionate, how silly, how wonderful they actually are. Pushing back on the stupid old superstition that a black cat is bad luck.

Vina and her birthday cake (Her humen ate it)

We want fewer black cats sitting overlooked in shelters. We want fewer black cats out on the streets, learning to fight for scraps.

That's my promise to Vina.

And it's my promise to every black cat still waiting.