Black Cats Prowl on Halloween

Greetings everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Halloween is represented by many different icons that we've come to know and love. Some of these icons include witches, ghosts, pumpkins, and black cats. The black cat is mostly noted for being a bringer of bad luck. It is also known for being rather adorable.

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Because of their stigma, people tend to treat these cats differently. For starters, they aren’t adopted as much. In movies like Hocus Pocus and horror films, there are black cats everywhere. When people see them interacting with the villains, they automatically associate the creature as evil. This way of thinking is entitled ‘Black Cat Syndrome’. To help black cats find a new home, shelters offer some days where people can adopt them at a cheaper rate, or make it a two for one deal.  

Speaking of adoption, there is a new trend surrounding these particular felines. Around this time of the year, black cats are adopted tremendously. For the cats being taken to a home with a loving family, it’s fantastic.  They’re finally out of the shelter and are able to begin a new life  - or so it seems. No sooner Halloween is over, they are returned to the shelter with the reason of “it didn't work out.” Not only does it diminish the cat’s hope for a new life, it gives them trust issues for the future. People have taken up this horrible habit because they believe having a real black cat for Halloween would be the cat's pajamas. Instead of buying black cat décor, they opt for one at an animal shelter. They take the creature home to fit the Halloween scene and return it no sooner the holiday is finished.

However, there are those who go to the extremes when it comes to black cats. Due to their negative connotation of evil, people will go out of their way to torture these poor animals. Some are sacrificed while others are just tormented because of their stigma. To avoid this and adopting black cats for Halloween, shelters have created various methods for protecting them. They will scrutinize the family, inform them of how to keep their black cat safe around this time of the year, and even postpone adopting black cats for the month of October, if not earlier.

It’s a shame, honestly. In the past these beautiful animals were seen as royalty to the Egyptians, luck to the Scottish, and protection to the sailors. While some are lucky to belong to a loving family, others face the torment of man.  Why anyone would want to harm these adorable creatures is beyond me.

At one point in my life, I was fortunate to own a black cat named Kitty. She came crawling to our door on Halloween and we couldn’t turn her down, not with the possible idea of her being tortured. She lived for a long time as a happy, healthy feline who loved her cat treats. 

May everyone enjoy this Halloween, including your pets. Keep them safe and give them a few suitable treats.