posted by fmoore on Nov 2
UPDATE: I know you were ready for today’s blog post on the controversial issue of neutering but in lieu of your cat’s safety on tomorrow, I had to interrupt the normal flow of information with this bulletin. PLUS, I saved, instead of published this post. So, it IS 2 days late but needed information nonetheless.
It is the cat superstition that precedes all cat superstitions: BLACK CATS ARE BAD LUCK! No more is this superstition taken to heart than during the Halloween Holiday.
Black may be an unlucky color all right…for a cat. Black cats have been associated with the forces of evil for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Humane societies warn that this myth has unfortunately cost many of them their lives.
Black cats are often the targets of those who want to practice Satanic-like rituals that include the torture and killing of animals. Such horrors are especially rampant around Halloween, human groups say, adding that the perpetrators aren’t especially picky. If a black cat isn’t available, any cat may serve their purposes in a pinch. So even if your cat usually chooses whether he’s in or out, keep him inside until this particular holiday has passed.
Black may be an unfortunate color for another reason: visibility. Thousands of cats are killed by cars every year and the difference between a hit, and a near miss, may be the driver’s ability to see the cat darting across the road before him. At night, patches of light-colored fur are a distinct advantage to a cat.
If a black cat crosses your path, are you likely to see this event as a sign of good or bad luck? Well, depends on where you live.
In the United States, a black cat is typically thought to bring bad luck, but in England, the exact opposite is true. Although Americans tend to think that a black cat is a bad omen, the Brits believe that seeing “the devil” in person is a sign they’ve been spared any bad luck. Either way, the superstitions that black cats have special powers for good or evil are nothing more than just that…superstitions.
So now that we have that all cleared up, Happy Halloween to you and YOUR cat.