"Black Cat" is a song by American recording artist Janet Jackson, released as the fifth single from her fourth studio album, Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814. It was written by Jackson and produced by Jackson with Jellybean Johnson. In a departure from her standard of industrial-based dance-pop, "Black Cat" is a pastiche of hard rock and heavy metal with influences of punk, dance-rock, and glam metal. Its lyrics speak of substance abuse and gang violence. It was the final song recorded for the album, after Jackson composed its main riff when desiring a rock song to complete the record.
"Black Cat" was well received among critics, who praised Jackson's "maximum advantage" vocals and her seamless foray into the hard rock genre. It was a commercial success, reaching number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 as well as the top ten in the charts in South Africa, Canada, Norway, and Australia, among other countries. In the United Kingdom it was a top-twenty hit, peaking at number fifteen. It was certified gold in the United States and Australia.
A black cat is a domestic cat with black fur that may be a mixed or specific breed. The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) recognizes 22 cat breeds that can come with solid black coats. The Bombay breed is exclusively black. All-black fur pigmentation is slightly more prevalent in male cats than female cats. Their high melanin pigment content causes most black cats to have yellow (golden) eyes (irises).
Any cat whose fur is a single color, including black, is known as a "solid" or "self". A "solid black" cat may be coal black, grayish black, or brownish black. But in reality, black cats are not black. Their fur appears to be black in specific lighting, they are actually dark blue. Most solid-colored cats result from a recessive gene that suppresses the tabby pattern. Sometimes the tabby pattern is not completely suppressed; faint markings may appear in certain lights, even on a solid black cat. A cat having black fur with white roots is known as a "black smoke."
Black cats can also "rust" in sunlight, the coat turning a lighter brownish shade.
A black cat is a cat with black fur.
Black Cat(s) or The Black Cat(s) may also refer to:
Black Cat (Japanese: ブラックキャット, Hepburn: Burakku Kyatto) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kentaro Yabuki. It was originally serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine from July 2000 to June 2004, with the chapters collected into twenty tankōbon volumes by Shueisha. The story centers on a man named Train Heartnet who withdrew from an elite group of assassins called the Chronos Numbers to become a bounty hunter.
The series was adapted into a twenty-four episode anime series by Gonzo studio, which originally aired on Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) channel from October 2005 to March 2006. The manga was licensed for English-language publication in North America by Viz Media and by Madman Entertainment in Australasia. Funimation Entertainment licensed the anime for an English dub and North American broadcast on their own Funimation Channel, with Madman releasing it in Australasia and MVM Films in the United Kingdom.
In Japan, the Black Cat manga sold over 12 million copies, while in North America several volumes have been featured in weekly top ten lists of best-selling manga. The anime has also been popular in both Japan and North America. Manga and anime critics had praise for Black Cat's action, differing views on the artwork and characters, and mainly negative comments for its plot which has been criticized for having common shōnen manga elements.