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Black cats are lucky - but not if their owners like taking selfies, say the RSPCA.

They say the popular trend of people taking pictures of themselves with their pets is leading to a rise in unwanted black moggies and they're urging pet lovers not to judge their cats by their colour.

Officials are worried pet owners are dumping the animals simply because they don't photograph well because of their darker features.

That's why they believe a whopping 70 per cent of more than one thousand cats currently in RSPCA care at their 16 national animal centres are black.

(Image: SWNS)

A spokesman said: "In UK folklore, black cats symbolise good luck, yet sadly in reality they are not so lucky.

"There are a number of reasons for this, ranging from the fact that black cats are harder to tell apart than cats with more distinctive markings and the fact that black animals tend not to photograph as well.

"We really are puzzled as to why this still happens but we would urge people to never judge a cat by its colour but instead look at its personality first.

"There is a national problem with rehoming cats of this colour and at any one time around 70 per cent of the cats in our care will be either black or black and white."

(Image: SWNS)

The Millwood Cat Rescue Centre in Edwalton, Notts., has been running for 20 years but has taken in nine black kittens in the last couple of weeks .Founder Ronnie McMillen, 71, said: "We have had a lot of black cats in this year - people don't like black at the moment.

"Others look at the black cats and then just say 'Oh, have you got anything else?' I think black cats are beautiful and photograph fine."

Animal lover Gabriella Fletcher, 20, from Stourbridge, West Mids., owns 16-year-old black cat Susie and regularly poses for selfies with her pet.

She said: "I like to upload them to Facebook, but it is hard to get a good picture as you can't really see how beautiful Susie is. It's very sad that people feel the need to overlook them just because they are black. They are just as special as any other cat."