He’s mysterious and a little aloof—the human equivalent of slipping out a window just as you’re about to ask him where he’s going. He hates most people but you, and being his chosen person feels like holding the only key to a locked, glittering world you’ll never fully understand. Meet the black cat boyfriend.

It’s a tale as old as rom-coms: the black cat boyfriend is the so-called ‘bad boy’ who’s only good for his girl. This summer’s internet crush of choice, he’s the guy who’s hard to read, slow to warm up, and somehow even hotter because of it.

In recent years, the golden retriever boyfriend has been the reigning definition of ‘goals’. Guys proudly slap it on their dating app bios to signal their doting, puppy-like devotion, and girls lap it up—looking for someone who’ll happily heel at their feet. He’s the sunshine boy you can’t help but fall for, showering you with flowers, grand declarations, and even the occasional over-the-intercom love confession, à la John Tucker Must Die.

For years, most internet boyfriends have fit the golden retriever mould—all doe eyes, waggy-tail energy, and not much else beneath the surface. Sure, they’re sweet, but they’re also a little… one-note. The black cat boyfriend, on the other hand, has layers. Mystery. Edge. A whole private world you only get glimpses of. So maybe it’s time the golden boys hung up their collars and let the black cat slink into the spotlight.

On screen, the black cat boyfriend almost always steals the show (and the girl). Think Patrick Verona versus Joey Donner in 10 Things I Hate About You, Chuck Bass versus Nate Archibald in Gossip Girl, or brothers Conrad and Jeremiah Fisher in The Summer I Turned Pretty. Every pairing is a textbook case of black cat versus golden retriever energy.

The black cat boyfriend is the darker, deeper alternative to the golden retriever. His love isn’t sweet and sunny, it’s obsessive, magnetic, and a little dangerous. He’s the complicated one with the furrowed brow, intense and self-contained. He might act like he can’t stand you, but that’s just his twisted little way of showing he’s hopelessly into you.

I probably knew I was a black cat boyfriend girl the moment I picked Team Edward over Team Jacob in Twilight. There’s something about the way the black cat steps into the protector role, wordlessly shielding you from whatever’s coming. Maybe it’s fending off a pack of creepy guys and speeding off into the night like Cullen, or maybe it’s something smaller, like catching your elbow when you trip—the age-old, silent signal of love.

As Vishakha Punjabi put it in ELLE, the quiet love of a black cat boyfriend (paired with his intoxicating protectiveness over your heart) is a “paradox we can’t resist: danger wrapped around devotion.”

Take Conrad Fisher from TSITP. He’s the antithesis of his golden retriever brother, Jeremiah. Conrad isn’t dangerous, but he is troubled—the kind of boy who feels everything deeply and locks it away, waiting for Belly to find the key. The problem? She’s in her golden retriever boyfriend era… for now.

Still, Conrad remembers Belly’s birthday, bakes her a cake, and, at this point in the series, is even willing to step aside so his brother can marry the girl.

Then there’s Felix from Lena Dunham’s new Netflix show Too Much. He doesn’t win Jess over with grand declarations or rooftop serenades. Instead, it’s the quiet acts of care. He looks after her dog when she accidentally sets herself on fire, acts as her human alarm clock so she can sleep with the curtains closed, and loves her even when she insists on wearing her nighties.

As Dylan Kickham put it in Elite Daily: “It’s the very fact that Felix and Conrad can’t effortlessly give themselves over to a relationship that makes each act of service a million times more meaningful, each subtle grin more heartwarming than a full-toothed smile, each stolen glance charged with overwhelming electricity. You can see how hard the black cat boy is trying; it’s not easy or natural for him to always be the snuggly, carefree companion, which makes it truly special when he is.”

But the fact that grand, outward romance doesn’t come naturally to the black cat boyfriend can be a sticking point. You have to drag their feelings out of them, and emotional honesty isn’t exactly their default setting. At their worst, they could vanish without a trace, with nothing but a cryptic goodbye in a forest, New Moon-style.

A lack of communication (or constant miscommunication) is a major red flag. Just look at Connell Waldron in Normal People. The entire show revolves around his and Marianne’s inability to talk things through. Though to be fair, they’re both black cats, so maybe that’s just something they need to work on… together?

Going back to Too Much, Felix isn’t perfect either, even if his story ends on a happy note. He bails on Jess at a wedding and lies about being sober. As one user confessed on X: “As soon as I saw Felix’s messy car on Too Much, I knew I would be down bad for him. Lots of cans on the ground? Unfortunately, my type.” It’s that “unfortunately” that says it all. These black cats disguised as indie soft boys can be just as dangerous as someone who wears their heart on their sleeve.

as soon as i saw felix’s messy car on TOO MUCH i knew i would be down bad for him. lots of cans on the ground? unfortunately my type

— sarah gorman🍉 (@thesarahgorman) July 12, 2025

Part of the pull might be the idea that you can “fix” the brooding, broken soul of a black cat boyfriend. But unless he’s willing to actually do the work, he’ll probably stay avoidant, elusive, and wrapped up in his dark energy.

And the more we romanticise emotionally unavailable men as cute black cats, the more heartbreak we invite. The constant push and pull of their moods can be exhausting, and yet, somehow, intoxicating. Unfortunately.

Even though recent years have been ruled by a craving for doting golden boys, the pull of an intense, slow-burning romance isn’t going anywhere this summer. Whether it’s thanks to the Fisher brothers in TSITP or a long-standing cultural crush on moody men (like my own soft spot for Edward Cullen), the black cat boyfriend is purring at the cat flap, emotional baggage in tow. Just try not to end up as his scratching post.