ASHEVILLE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – For centuries, black cats have been a Halloween mascot. At animal shelters nationwide, the fate of those animals is often bleak. Dating back to medieval times, black cats have been stuck with a stigma full of superstitions, so their adoption rates are low, while the euthanasia rates are high. “Black cats and I just have some sort of kinship together,” says Hannah Soboleski, who has no fear. “We are letting people know that black cats are important, that they need love, and that they deserve homes just like anybody else.” She’s the executive director of Binx’s Home for Black Cats in Asheville, which is named after her favorite feline. “The only bad luck that black cats are, are sometimes for themselves,” Soboleski told Queen City News. “They end up in shelters, and they end up on the wrong side of the euthanasia list.” She’s fought to change the narrative about them in the past four years. The rescuers had quite good luck with their mission, saving way more than nine lives. “We have found homes for almost a thousand black cats during that time,” said Soboleski. She explained how personal trauma spurred her to defend defenseless animals. Surprisingly, her passion for black cats was sparked in part by a special gray cat named Church. When Soboleski escaped domestic violence, she says, Church was her beacon. “The night that I got away from my abuser, [Church] actually was outside with me, and he started walking down the road,” she recalled. “I was trying to figure out what to do and I grabbed my keys and grabbed my stuff and I was walking with him and we left.” “I just started following [Church],” she added. “And I was able to get a ride to the emergency room and get away.” “A lot of people that are running away from abuse and bad situations are not able to take their animals with them,” said Soboleski. “I was lucky in that, not only was I able to take my cat with me, but my cat led me away.” Church died about a year later. Soboleski eventually founded Binx’s in 2020. “I think that [starting the rescue] had to do with the fact that I had a cat that helped me get away from that situation, so I always just wanted to give back,” she explains. Last year, she opened the House of Black Cat Magic, a kitty café and magic supply store that operates in partnership with the rescue. Hannah says supporting black cats isn’t just a Halloween-time project. As she learned firsthand, in the worst of times a pet of any color can be a lifesaver.    “I think a lot of rescue people, we’ve been through a lot,” she says. “And we needed rescuing at a time that maybe we didn’t get it. So, we want to give back to our pets and animals that were there for us.” That’s why she feels lucky to cross paths with black cats and raise awareness. Ever since Helene hit the mountains, Binx’s Home has distributed free pet supplies to the community. They’ve set up a Hurricane Helene Supplies list on Amazon for those who would like to help pets and people in WNC affected by the storm.