By Rylen McGuire, Editor
Halloween has a lot of imagery attached to it, like pumpkins, ghosts, witches, spiders, and one that might seem out of place — black cats. You see black cats in a lot of Halloween-centered media, like Binx in Hocus Pocus or Salem in Sabrina the Teenage Witch. One of the most popular Halloween costumes is a black cat as well, as the costume is easy to make and easy to recognize.
There are some countries and cultures that view black cats as a symbol of good luck. In ancient Egypt, cats’ association with the Goddess of protection, Bastet, led cats to be honored. Japan also views black cats as a good omen, with some believing that they ward off sickness and help women be more successful in romance. Cats are also well loved in ancient Hindu religion, believed to be a symbol for fertility.
Despite this, black cats are more often seen as a symbol of bad luck, originating in folklore from the Americas and Europe, with the stigma dating back to the fourteenth century. Supposedly, black cats were often used in witch practices and rituals, which was seen as one of the biggest threats during that time. Britannica states that, “The association of black cats with witches (and bad luck) may stem from Western demonology, in which they were often depicted as familiars of witches.” A familiar is an assistant to a witch, usually depicted as small animals or imps, the most common being toads, dogs, and specifically black cats. Due to witches being seen as evil, these alleged familiars were seen as evil too.
The superstition around crossing paths with black cats is similar to many other Western myths; walking under a ladder, opening an umbrella indoors, and Friday the thirteenth are other common, harmless stigmas. Black cats, however, could be in danger. Around Halloween, it’s rumored that black cats are adopted to be harmed or sacrificed by cults or demonic worshipper groups, to the point where some shelters restrict the adoption of black cats on Halloween or during the whole month of October. I remember growing up, my mom would tell me stories of these poor cats being harmed during the Halloween season, which made me fearful of accidentally letting my cat outside during this time. My childhood cat wasn’t even black — yet it still scared me to think that people could hurt an animal like that.
Thankfully, many shelters and researchers debunk these claims. The founder of the animal protection organization Alley Cat Allies, Becky Robinson, claims that there are no statistics or proof that black cats are in danger during Halloween. She speaks more on this in an interview with USA Today by author Jordan Mendoza in 2021. Robinson actually tells Mendoza that shelters use the popularity of black cats around Halloween to push adoption of them.
“Halloween is a marketing season for black cats,” she said. “A lot of animal shelters actually use this time of year to promote black cats for adoption,” Robinson tells USA Today. Additionally, Alley Cat Allies’ website states that “black cats are in no more danger on Halloween than any other time of the year.”
Unfortunately, even if the claims of black cats being purposely harmed during October have been debunked, the superstition still runs rampant in Western society today. Because of this, it actually leads many people to steer away from adopting a black cat, or just any cat in general.
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, cats die more than any other animal at shelters. Approximately 920,000 shelter animals are euthanized per year, with more than half, roughly 530,000, being cats. Becky Robinson claims that, “That misguided superstition of black cats being unlucky means it takes more effort to get black cats adopted.”
All animals deserve a home, and you can help! Most methods of getting more cats into loving homes starts in the shelter, so volunteering or working at a shelter is one of the best ways. According to Best Friends Animal Society, shelters partnering with pet supply stores or other organizations in a community to do an off-site adoption event is also a great way to get more possible adoptions.
Of course, the best method is adopting a cat yourself. If you’d like to adopt a cat or plan to, always make sure to do plenty of research on how to take care of them, and make sure you’re in the right place to sufficiently take care of one. If you don’t care to have a house cat, Best Friends Animal Society provides a working cat program. These working cats are usually not fans of much human interaction, but can help around a farm, a warehouse, even breweries and bodegas. Many people in East Tennessee live on farms, so this could be a great way to give a cat a home and get some help around your barn! Feral Felines of East Tennessee states that barn cats are great to keep rodents away from feed, and all you need for them is food, water, and safe shelter. The number for Feral Felines of East Tennessee is 865-919-2287.
National Black Cat Day is celebrated on October 27, so don’t forget to give them a little extra love. Happy Halloween!
