OK, here's another one. How do you interpret it?

there is no color in the dark. no need for racism?

btw, I've never heard it, I don't think.

heh. Ben Franklin paraphrasing Francis Bacon?

-joe (did you hear the one about..) friday

"In the dark all cats are gray".

When a situation isn't clear. When the facts of an incident are not clear. So there can't be a fair judgement.

Yes, that is the proper content of the phrase in Alabama.

Case closed.

Or, cats are essentially, just cats.

looks don't matter...(and to some degree that somethings (and people) are fungible)

what matters are more substantial things..

i've heard it used about un attractive spouses.. who are valued for their wit, or wisdom, or character.. even if they are short on looks.. (what, someone said it about moi? yes!)

why keep a cat? if you want a mouser, do you care what it looks like? at night, when the cat is hard at work, its will be grey...

okay then, here's the joke I alluded to:

"You remember what Ben Franklin said about taking older mistresses?"
"In the dark, all cats are gray?"
"No, no. He said the main benefit is that they're so grateful!!"

-joe (please note link) friday

The saying can have something to do with a situation in which the lack of information or clarity (= light) obfuscates clear choices as in this article .