Lifestyle Pets 6 Black Cats Who Revolutionized Feline Entertainment What would Sabrina the Teenage Witch be without Salem? By Kelli Bender Kelli Bender Kelli Bender is the Pets Editor at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2013. Her work has previously appeared on MTV, The Frisky, Vice, and Best Friends Magazine. People Editorial Guidelines Updated on August 17, 2017 04:46PM EDT Photo: George Lange/ABC via Getty It’s Black Cat Appreciation Day! Renowned for their storied history throughout the ages, black cats have made and continue to make big breaks in “The Biz.” These kitties are some of the earliest felines to grace the big screen and represent some of the most recognizable whiskered faces on TV. While all black cats are worthy of appreciation, respect and love, these famous kitties deserve special recognition for breaking down the belief that black cats can be part of superstitions and nothing more. So here’s to the rabble mousers, the litter shakers, the kibble quakers, the black cats out there making it happen in Hollywood and giving hope to all the dusky kittens in the world with big dreams and sharp tiny claws. The Black Cat The title character of this 1934 horror film, starring the infamously spooky pairing of Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff, is stuck playing a stereotype: The cat is treated as a fluffy henchman of a satanist and an overall symbol of evil. While the content of the film isn’t kind to the perception of these kitties, the cat’s acting shows that black cats make great pets and superb movie stars. Hocus Pocus via GIPHY Thackery Binx spends most of this Halloween favorite as a boy stuck in a cat’s body. The black feline in this flick does an excellent job of outwardly portraying that inward struggle. Sabrina the Teenage Witch Who better to help you through the double whammy of puberty and blossoming witch-hood than a sassy, independent, onyx-colored feline? Salem is the BFF we all want. Sailor Moon via GIPHY Black cats are also an ideal sidekick for burgeoning flaxen-haired guardians of the Earth with an interest in magical brooches. Luna is further proof that all black cats should be trusted and worshipped, not condemned. The Simpsons After a streak of bad luck with cats of several different colors, Lisa found a cat companion in Snowball V. Perhaps the least troublesome member of the Simpsons family, Snowball V isn’t a showboat, but a master of subtle slapstick humor. The Aristocats Everybody wants to be a cat. Scat Cat is the one who lays out that rock solid truism for us. If everyone had a choice of what kind of cat he or she could be, an effortlessly cool black cat trumpeter would probably be at the top of the list.