Of Black Cats and Halloween

It seems that black cats are a no-no this time of year. As Halloween approaches many animal shelters across the country place a moratorium on the adoption of black cats for the fear that they will be used in pranks, or worse, in Satanic rituals.

The Humane Society, however, maintains that despite the good intentions this practice may not be helpful to the black felines at all. Black cats already get a bad rap. Their rate of adoption is below that of other types of cats. And with the difficulty in finding homes for the many black cats that occupy selters, animal activists say that even a temporary halt to adoptions increases the risk that more of the animals will have to be euthanized.

I remember growing up that the black cat was always a symbol used at Halloween, it's image placed on decorations that adorned doors and windows, and used in church socials, carnivals, and so forth. I also remember being told by friends, 'Just hope a black cat doesn't cross your path. It's bad luck.'

I never put much stock in such warnings.

I never saw any difference between black cats and white ones, or calico ones. Some even claim that black cats act differently than others. Probably so. The poor creatures probably sense the attitude and emotion displayed toward them by many misguided humans, and act accordingly.

Wouldn't you? If you were viewed as an object of evil, a symbol of bad luck, or the vessel with which to play dark jokes on people, don't you think you would act a bit differently?

If you are an animal lover, do yourself a favor. Go and adopt a black cat. It's the right thing to do.

But don't forget, you'll have to wait until after Halloween....