ROCKPORT — My Facebook friends know me as the ‘Crazy Cat Lady’ and I admit, I’m a sucker for black and black-and-white tuxedo cats, as I own two. Every once in awhile I stop into P.A.W.S. Animal Adoption Center in Rockport and check in with Laura Stupca, the shelter manager, to find out which cat there absolutely needs a home now. She showed me two of their longer residents, Cleo, who is all black and Oreo, who is black and white.

Oreo, a male, is an owner-surrendered cat. In his case, his owners had to move and couldn’t take him with them. He is about 5-7 years old and instantly started purring the second I put my hands on him.

“He’s very loving and wants all of your attention,” said Stupca.

I asked her why shelters are always too full with cats of this coloring, and she said, “People sometimes are superstitious. Or they might think they’re just too boring a color. But I’ve had a lot of people tell me they have black and black-and-white cats and they’re the best cuddlers.”

Oreo came to P.A.W.S. at the end of May, and Stupca said she has seen that as their time at the shelter increases, the more likely they are to become “down in the dumps.”

“I’m not sure if he’s getting to that point yet, but he does lay around sometimes,” said Stupca. “Still, he’s very social and fine with the other cats.”

Speaking of down in the dumps, pretty Cleo sat there on the window sill watching me. “Cleo came to us in 2011,” said Stupca. “Once again, a moving situation where they had to give her up. She’s 7. And Miss Cleo’s favorite activity is to eat, because that’s one of her only sources of comfort. She’s a great cat. I think all she wants out of life is a window to look out of, a soft bed to sleep in at night and somebody to love her. I think she’d do best with a house that was quieter, more laid back, maybe not with a lot of little kids or dogs running around. She’s been here so long, she doesn’t really even leave this room any more. She was one of the original cats in this room, meaning all of the other cats that were put in this room with her have been adopted and she’s the only one left.”

Until the end of September, P.A.W.S. will waive the regular adoption fee on any black cat or tuxedo (black and white) cat, but would like to request a donation in its place. All the cats are healthy and up on their shots.

Now here’s the kicker: I hate seeing an animal get so used to its confined space that it starts to get depressed. I will personally offer up a donation of $50 to P.A.W.S. for the adoption of Cleo and/or Oreo—those two specifically. Just go in and fill out the paperwork to adopt one. Or stop in before Oct. 1 and check out all the rest of the wonderful black and tuxedo cats looking for a forever home.

Bonus: See the small kitten gallery below. (They are not part of this September offer, but they’re so stinkin’ cute they’ll make your day.)

To find out more about Cleo or Oreo, click the highlighted links or visit pawsadoption.org

Crazy Cat Lady Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com