For a tenuous reason, Halloween and black cats are linked. The origins of today's Halloween are rather murky. We are not sure why we have Halloween today except there is one thing that is sure, it is a form of human entertainment. It's an excuse for a holiday, a break from the mundane and routine. The word Halloween means "Saints' evening". A million miles away from haunted houses, bonfires and watching horror films.
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| Jet black Bombay cat. Photo: Helmi Flick. With her permission. |
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| Bombay cat. In public domain. |
The link to watching horror films at this time is an indirect link to the horrors of the Dark Ages (around the 1200s) when cats were persecuted in Europe and when people believed in witches and their familiars namely their domestic cat companion. The cat was seen to be imbued with the devil and that unfortunate association has stuck right through to the 21st century in some parts of the world and in some people's minds.
That's why at Halloween in America, where it is practised widely, some animal shelters do not allow black cats to be adopted at this time. This is because they are concerned that the adopters are not bone fide with respect to the reasons why they want to adopt. They think that they may be involved in some gruesome activity to celebrate Halloween which results in the cat being harmed or killed.
Why black cats are linked to Halloween
However, looking at it from the other direction, you could argue that the fact that animal shelters prevent the adoption of a black cat at this time perpetuates black cat bias or prejudice which, incidentally, is another reason why unscrupulous people are encouraged to abuse black cats at this time.
Perhaps we should totally disconnect black cats from Halloween and treat them as any other domestic cat. The focus should be on the people adopting the cat. If there's any suspicion that they are not genuine they should be barred from adopting. Placing the focus on black cats and you succumb to the prejudice against them.
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