THE RSPCA’s Bryn Y Maen Animal Centre in Colwyn Bay currently has 26 animals in their care that are black, white or a mixture of both.

Many of them are what the animal welfare charity considers a “long stay” animal where they have sadly been in care for far too long - some of them more than a year.

Rehoming has slowed down in general at RSPCA centres due to the cost of living crisis.

But RSPCA Cymru has appealed to anyone looking to take on a pet - and is certain they can provide the time, space, money and care - to consider adopting one over buying.

Centre manager Vicky Williams said: “We have a large number of animals looking for homes - and 26 of them are black, white or a mixture of both - which is nearly half of all of our animals.

“We have three dogs, 11 rabbits and 12 cats all looking for loving homes.

“We don’t know why we have got a lot more black and white animals at the moment, but they don’t look the same to us, each one of them stand out and we hope they will for our potential adopters.”

Sid, a one-year-old dwarf male rabbit, is looking for a home with a perfect female companion.

He transferred from another RSPCA centre and has been in the charity’s care for 323 days.

Sid is a shy little rabbit but centre staff feel that was given a chance he would become an amazing addition to the right family.

Two-year-old Clicker has been in RSPCA care for 200 days.

Clicker is quite an independent rabbit who prefers being provided with food and treats and lots to do, and will happily occupy himself.

He does also enjoy a fuss on his terms, especially a relaxing head stroke.

Valentina has been at RSPCA Bryn Y Maen for a massive 401 days.

She loves exploring, munching on some greens and getting up to mischief. Valentina was found as a stray on Valentine’s Day and unfortunately so far hasn’t found her perfect match.

Bruce and Ezra are two white bunnies who have been transferred from another centre. They have sadly had 612 days in RSPCA care in total.

The duo are inseparable and spend their days lounging and hopping around together. Bruce and Ezra were born into the RSPCA’s care, and almost a year later, despite being lovable lads, they have unfortunately still not had any interest.

Simon came into RSPCA care due to welfare concerns. The three-year-old loves to be around people and is a very friendly and confident boy.

He loves toys and enjoys a good variety, he likes to dig into a toy box and pick out which toy he wants for the day. He has sadly been at the centre for 241 days.

Horace has been at RSPCA Bryn Y Maen for 397 days. Horace has come on leaps and bounds at the centre and has grown in confidence around regular handlers and cattery staff members.

Another cat who has been in RSPCA care for over a year is Felicity. She came into the care of the Upper Colwyn Bay centre with poor skin health which is thought to have come from an allergy.

She has since been on a course of medication to help her fur re-grow, which worked tremendously and she was off all medication for a period of time.

But the centre found it best to restart her medication to keep her skin and fur in tip-top condition.

Felicity is an approachable and friendly cat.

It has been previously said that the higher numbers of black, or black and white cats ending, up in rescue centres and their longer length of stay could be in part due to myths around black cats.

Vicky added: “Other cats, such as tabbies, have distinctive markings making them look more attractive to some.

“We think black cats are just beautiful - but would urge people to look beyond their perceptions of what an animal looks like.

“Their fur colour makes no difference to how much affection they have to give.

“If you are looking to bring a new pet into your home, please consider adopting from our rescue centre and take a look at some of our wonderful black and white pets!”