Black Cats and Halloween: Protect Your Cat This Fall!

Halloween is the time of year when images of ghosts and goblins, monsters and witches, skeletons and black cats greet us to represent the upcoming holiday. Most of these creatures are imaginary, dreamed up by an advertising executive at some point in time with the intent to frighten the uninitiated every October. Children are the number one targets for this advertising. The scary images that greet you when you walk into any retail establishment are meant to represent the evil that supposedly lurks around every corner this time of year. All of these characters are understandable in a fun sort of way for an adult... all but the image of the black cat.

How did the black cat become a symbol of scariness? Cats of all colors have long been associated with witchcraft, but only the black cat is associated with evil. It was believed in the Middle Ages that witches used black cats as their "familiars", which were creatures who could communicate with the spirit world. Familiars were said to help the witches whenever they cast spells. So strong was this belief that for many years, it was said that the only way to stop an evil spell was for a person to shoot a black cat with a silver bullet.

Legends abound about black cats bringing bad luck. In England, it is considered to be good luck if a black cat crosses your path, the exact opposite of the superstition in America.

Egyptian households gave their black house cats a place of honor in the home, which was supposed to guarantee prosperity. King Charles I of England owned a black cat that he considered to be his good luck charm. He thought so much of the cat that he ordered guards to watch over his pet round the clock to insure its safety. When the cat died, the King publicly stated that his luck was no more, and the very next day, the king was arrested and later executed for treason.

Long ago in old England's fishing villages, the fisherman believe that black cats were so lucky that their wives would pay enormous prices for the animals to keep as pets at home, believing in the tradition that this luck would bring their husbands home safely from the sea. Sailors also kept black cats on board their ships for luck.

It is thought that the Pilgrims started the superstition that lives on in America today. They were deeply religious, and did not trust anything that they thought was associated with evil. Suddenly, all black cats were considered demonic. Any person caught with a black cat would be punished or killed

All of these myths concerning black cats being unlucky have merely fueled the mistreatment of these innocent animals. Halloween is the time of year when the belief that black cats are evil brings harm and even death to many cats. People have been known to use black cats in sacrificial rituals on this fall holiday. Because of this, most animal shelters will not adopt out a black cat during the month of October, as there are so many cruel and sadistic people who want to torture them. There are even people who try to adopt a black cat just for the holiday, for use as a living decoration, and then bring it back to the shelter after Halloween, claiming that the animal did not fit into their lifestyle. This is also cruel, as an animal deserves a permanent home instead of being bounced around from place to place like a stuffed toy.

If you are the owner of a black cat, take precautions this Halloween. Keep your cat indoors for the month of October so as to minimize the chance that someone with cruel intentions will not steal him or her. When trick or treaters come to your door, make sure your cat, no matter what color, is in a safe spot in your home to minimize the stress of having his normal routine disrupted.

Black cats should not be considered an object of fear and evil. They are just like any other cats, sweet and gentle creatures who want nothing more than to be treated with kindness.