These photos of shelter cats may be adorable, but when you learn the full story behind them your heart will be broken. You'll probably notice that in the photos you see below, taken by photographer Casey Elise, you can only see black cats - this is because statically they have the lowest adoption rates and highest euthanasia rates.

Moved by this Elise felt compelled to create a photo series in which she tries to capture their emotion and personalities in the hope that people will want to adopt them. Elise visited the West Los Angeles animal shelter to take these photos. You can follow Elise and view more of her photography on Instagram and her website.