What Does It Mean to Be a Black Cat Girlfriend?

In typical attention-loving fashion, “ golden retriever boyfriends ” have been making the rounds online for a few years now. But more recently, the GRBF’s darker, more mysterious counterpart has crept into the spotlight. Enter: the “black cat girlfriend.”

Originating from the same cultural wellspring that gave us the golden retriever boyfriend (TikTok, obviously), the black cat girlfriend is what she sounds like, “a partner who mirrors the classic personality traits we often associate with black cats: mysterious, independent, and selectively affectionate,” explains relationship coach Amie Leadingham .

But don’t let the seemingly standoffish vibes fool you. There’s much more to the black cat girlfriend archetype than her withdrawn, slightly witchy exterior lets on (and that’s part o