As Halloween approaches, most are getting ready to dress up and celebrate the holiday. As we enjoy ourselves, it is important to be conscientious about the issues that Halloween brings.
The amount of animal abuse rises during the time surrounding the holiday, black cats being the main focal point of that violence. Black cats go hand-in-hand with Halloween as they are thought to be a form that witches take and related to witchcraft in general. They were often burned at the stake during the Salem Witch Trials. In the United States, this outdated awful notation has still carried on to this day. Some superstitious people believe that black cats bring bad luck, especially around Halloween. This seems like harmless conspiracy theories but black cats are actually in significant danger during this time. They are put through unfair treatment in countless ways.
A lot of pet adoption places refuse to adopt out their black cats because of a cycle that tends to be a theme before Halloween and into November. People will adopt black cats to have their presence around for a Halloween party and then dump them at a shelter or just in the middle of nowhere. It is traumatic for the animals to experience this treatment year after year which is what led shelters to stop giving them out.
Even though dumping them seems cruel enough, some people take it far enough to physically hurt black cats. Reports of them being scalped, burned, hanged, and other despicable acts arise in October. Unfortunately some people actually believe black cats are evil.
Shelters already take precautions in October by refusing to adopt out black cats, but it is important that any black cat owners keep them inside through October and especially on Halloween. Although it seems shocking that anyone would hurt an animal over superstitions, it is known to happen. Therefore, it is better to be safe than sorry and keep cats inside.
By: Mary McElfresh