Today is National Black Cat Day! Black cats are the most common domestic cats because genes that cause black colouration are dominant. As ubiquitous as they are, today’s national day of recognition was created in part to raise awareness about their low adoption rates. Some cultures have superstitions around black cats, and many shelters in North America believe this is why they have a harder time finding their forever home.

My husband and I were recently looking for a companion for our senior kitty, Minou. We were lucky to have visited the Toronto Humane Society where their staff took the time and attention to interview and match us with the right feline friend. After meeting several of their available kitties but not finding one who we were well-suited to adopt, we were told to come back to meet new cats in another week or two. On our way out, the staff member remembered a final candidate, “Oh! What about Higgs?” she said.

Now reader, if you don’t already know, my husband and I are trained, published, and otherwise certified physicists. Upon hearing the name “Higgs” I snapped my head around to face him, both of our eyes wide, and I whispered “like Peter Higgs!?”. Peter Higgs is the British physicist who theorized a field that gives particles mass. As with all fundamental fields in physics, the Higgs field has an associated particle – the Higgs Boson (said bo-zon). Elusive since the 1970s, it was observed for the first time at CERN in 2012 and resulted in Peter Higgs receiving the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics. It was a huge deal – even called the “God particle” by mainstream media.

When my husband and I walked up to the “kitty condo” housing Higgs, he was nowhere to be seen – the Humane Society’s version of an elusive particle. I checked his information card and sure enough, his full name was Higgs Boson. His little black face and bright green eyes popped out from under a blanket and we fell in love. How could we not take this little boson home!?

As of October 1 – the start of spooky season – we are thrilled to have adopted our very own majestic house panther! Having been through a lot as a rescue, Higgs is slowly but surely adjusting to his forever home with us and Minou.