Photo // Cienna King
JACK-O-CAT-ERN. The author’s cat, Loki, poses for his close-up this Black Cat Awareness Month.
By: Cienna King
Photographer & Staff-Writer
October is finally here, and if you’re like me, you are absolutely thrilled. The air is getting cooler, pumpkins are ripe for picking and Halloween is just around the corner. October is a very important month for other reasons though, especially for cat lovers. This month is Black Cat Awareness Month!
Black cats have been a Halloween staple in movies and media for years, and it’s not hard to see why. They’re dark, mysterious and often lurk around in the shadows. Some black cats, including my cat Loki (pictured) also have orange eyes, making them even more fit for the Halloween season. I, along with many other cat lovers, adore black cats and find them so cool. However, this isn’t the case for everybody.
The superstition that black cats are bad luck started all the way back in 16th-century Italy. Summed up, the superstition is that if a black cat crosses your path, you get cursed. Now, everybody that owns a black cat knows that this isn’t true. The most my black cat has cursed me with is a dead mouse in the living room. However, a lot of people to this day still believe that they’re cursed.
Unfortunately, due to this superstition, black cats are far less likely to be adopted than any other color cat, and are also more likely to be euthanized than cats of other colors.
It is also highly speculated that black cats are in danger during the month of October due superstition and other fringe beliefs. While there are always going to be horrible people in this world, people sacrificing black cats and abusing them during October and Halloween has been widely regarded as a myth.
There is no distinct evidence that suggests that black cats are at higher risk in October than any other month. Some animal shelters don’t allow people to adopt black cats during this month, but not specifically because people are sacrificing them – shelters worry that some people will adopt black cats during October to have them as a “decoration” or a “status symbol”, but start neglecting or abusing them come November.
All things considered, it is always important to keep your cats and pets safe whether there are myths about them or not. They are each their own unique creatures that deserve all the love and affection they can get, and black cats shouldn’t be treated any differently.