Trick or treat! It’s that time of year! We are quickly approaching the highly-anticipated time of year known as Halloween. Along with this treasured holiday includes a bounty of traditions, not the least of which focuses on the legendary black cat. As we all know, black cats come with a history of superstitious folklore. Some say they are good luck. Others claim they are bad luck. Some people revere them while others may fear them. Bu, like it or not, they are an integral part of this spooky season.
This does bring a bit of concern, however, with respect to the safety of black cats during the season of witches, ghosts and jack-o-lanterns.
As cited by animalsheltering.org, legend has it that in days gone by, shelters suspended the adoption of black cats during this time of year. Why? Well, it was believed some folks would acquire black cats as a complement to their Halloween costume or perhaps use one to re-enact a scene from a horror movie. (Silly kids!) Worse yet, it was also believed certain people used black cats during this time of year as part of a satanic ritual. That is what supposedly sparked the idea of keeping black cats safe at this time of year by prohibiting the adoption of them. Sure, this is the month where pranks and hijinks run amok and you may hear a tall tale or two of a missing black cat or of one that has been harmed. However, is this really the case?
Do animal shelters put the brakes on the adoption of black cats at this time of year?
Online urban legend researchers have worked to set the record straight. While perhaps decades ago some shelters did prohibit the adoption of black cats during the month of October, this does not seem to be the case anymore. In fact, there seems to be a 180 degree shift from that, as many shelters promote the adoption of black (and orange!) cats at this time of year. Why? Because it is the perfect time to find a loving home for these feline friends.
There are no known organizations out there that are actively collecting data on black cats that go missing during the month of October, so citing in statistics in this regard is virtually impossible. Nevertheless, even if adoption of black cats was banned during October, would that really keep them safe? Further, are they really in danger?
Think about it…
Typically when someone is ready to adopt a cat, that person will sit down with an adoption counselor and provide numerous personal details in an effort to be qualified to adopt a cat. Would someone really subject that cat to cruelty when the cat can be traced directly back to them via a microchip? It just doesn’t make sense. It’s far easier to determine if someone is fit to adopt a cat based on information collected from a personal one-on-one interview (such as in a cat adoption) than to slap a broad spectrum policy to forbid the adoption of black cats during the month of October.
Do you know of any shelters that prohibit the adoption of black cats during October? Do they cite their reasons? We prefer top assume black cats enjoy the benefits of being adopted no matter the time of year. Folklore just tends to rear its head when Halloween is on the stage.
Written by Ann Butenas
An internationally-recognized author and writer, Ann began her professional writing career at age 12 and began speaking while in college. She has been published thousands of times over the past three decades in all media forms, was former editor and publisher of KC Metro Woman magazine, and has also hosted three talk radio shows in the Kansas City area.
