Why You Can't Adopt a Black Cat for Halloween
(And Why You Need to Keep Your Black Cat Inside on Halloween.)
How traumatic and inhumane for a kitty to be adopted, or kidnapped, just to add to the spookiness of Halloween, and then to be abandoned (or returned to the shelter as a "problem") after Halloween.
Halloween can be dangerous to real black cats.
The threat of danger to black cats on Halloween is no joke. Mischievous teens, and those with even darker motives will pick up a black cat on the street if the shelter won't cooperate. This opens the door to potential cruelty, stupid pranks, ritual abuse, or just use as part of "spooky" Halloween décor.
Palm Beach Animal Care Ban on Black Cat Adoptions
Karen Buchan of Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control believes that black cats may be adopted for use in satanic sacrificial rituals. The shelter forbids their adoption during the last days of October, and also on any Friday that falls on the 13th. An email instructed employees and volunteers that any black cat adopted in October on the 28th or after cannot be released until November 1, to prevent ritual abuse.
Indianapolis Humane Society Makes Black Cat Adoption Difficult
A spokesman at the Indianapolis Humane Society reports that their adoption process is a deterrent to adoptions for the wrong reasons. This shelter requires filling out an application, sitting down with a counselor to talk about the pet, and paying a $95 fee for kittens, or $75 for older cats. Usually there is a wait for the animal to be ready to go home, and for all the paperwork to go through. Kind of expensive for "spooky decor" or even more sinister reasons. In fact, this shelter finds that black cats and black dogs are the most difficult to place of all animals.
Do People Still Think Black Cats Are Evil?
Apparently, the whole Halloween-black cat connection got started back when it was believed that witches could "shapeshift" themselves into black cats. Or, that a cat could be possessed of a familiar spirit to aid the witch in incantations and spells. Regardless of what witches may or may not do with black cats, non-witches enjoy their black kitties and want to protect them.
Keep Your Black Kitty Inside on Halloween
Cats who are free to roam are in jeopardy for lots of reasons, including traffic accidents, catching diseases from animals in the wild, and even becoming prey to coyotes or other predators. But black cats especially are endangered, and especially on Halloween.
Indy Animal Shelter
Palm Beach Animal Shelter
Black Cats and Halloween
Published by Linda Louise Johnson
Linda Louise Johnson is an animal lover, crafter and hobbyist, graphic art afficionado and veteran writer. Her work has been featured on Associated Content, Yahoo! News, and eHow as well as in Poetry Garden,... View profile
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- The Stigma Associated with Black Cats
- History of the Black Cat
- Black Cats and Halloween: Protect Your Cat This Fall!
- Black Cats, Superstition and Halloween From a Previous Black-Cat Owner
- Halloween: A Dangerous Time for Black Cats
- How to Help Black Cats in Animal Shelters Get Adopted
- Halloween and Black Cats: Adoptions of Black Cats Down
- A Palm Beach animal shelter forbids the adoption of black cats at Halloween or any Friday the 13th.
- Animal shelters have reported increases in black cat adoptions in October.
- An Indianapolis Animal Shelter's lengthy adoption process weeds out suspicious adoptions.
50 Comments
Post a CommentMy black cat disappeared during the week before Halloween.
Poor kitties:)
I've heard of this before, shelters refusing to adopt out black cats around Halloween. Some people are just cruel.
I'm reading this late, but I'm glad that you wrote the article so others can understand the dilemma black cats face at Halloween. I've volunteered at shelters and it's difficult around Halloween for the reasons you mention.
Wow. That is appalling. Thanks for bringing this to our attention, Linda. I'm relieved so many shelters are aware & trying to protect these beautiful animals.
fantastic ♥ thanks for sharing
I love cats of all colors, so the protection of black cats is a cause I fully support.
Wow, that is really strange. I had black cats, but I didn't get them for Halloween. I just loved them.
My neighbor has 4 black kittens she wants to get rid of. Several folks showed up on Halloween. She wouldn't give them away. Told them if they were serious, they could come back tomorrow. As of today, not one has come back to claim one of those kittens. You have to wonder.
Oh, my, I NEVER would have thought this was an issue. Great article.