You Might Have Some Trouble Adopting A Black Cat This Halloween
Black cats, overall, are the least popular cat when it comes time for adoption. Some people are superstitious against black cats. Some people fear stepping on them by mistake in the dark. A lot of people, who adopt cats mainly for their Instagrams, think black cats aren't photogenic—you can totally write a caption calling yours a fearsome demon from the void, but not everyone's into that sort of humor.
That means black cats end up hanging around shelters a lot longer than their ginger or tabby friends. A shelter will be happy if you come in and take a black cat off their hands, passing over all the other alternatives. There's one time of the year, though, when that's not true. In the days leading up to Halloween, a shelter might straight-up refuse to let you adopt a black cat.
One fear is that you're just grabbing a black cat as an accessory for this year's costume. That means come November 1, you're going to drop it on your porch and slam the door, or drive into the wilderness and leave the cat there. Animal shelters generally aren't looking to release cats to the streets.
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The other fear, which goes back decades, is that people around Halloween adopt black cats specifically to kill them as part of rituals. Likely, no one's ever actually done that, and this is totally misplaced fear still lingering from the Satanic Panic. But shelters definitely aren't look to release cats to sacrificial altars. If they wanted the cats to die, they'd do it themselves, hopefully humanely.
So, if you're looking to get a black cat this week, a shelter might turn you down. But there's always a chance you'll find one doing the exact opposite, leaning into the demand with a big box of black cats right by the door.
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For more catecdotes, see also:
Meet Quilty, The Leader Of Several Cat Shelter Jail Breaks
The 5 Most Annoying Pet Personalities
Keep Your Damn Cat Indoors (Before It Obliterates the Ecosystem)
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