by Suzyn Barron, President of Warwick Valley Humane Society
Did you know, October 27th is National Black Cat Day? Just four days before Halloween when black cats are either revered or feared. In certain countries around the world, black cats are respected and honored as in Egypt where they are venerated as goddesses. In Japan, France, and England, black cats are taken as a sign of good fortune and wealth. Scottish people believe that a black cat entering your door will bring success and money. While in America and some other countries, black cats are often associated with witchcraft, Halloween, and bad luck. Personally, I see black cats as any other color cats, but I do have a special place in my heart for big, fluffy black male cats who remind me of my dearly departed Mighty Joe Young. He came into shelter as a 5-week-old kitten with maggots. I watched him grow up in cage, laying across his shelf with his gorilla arm swinging arm until I couldn’t take it anymore and brought him home. He weighed in at 18 lbs. and was my lover boy. He had many difficult health issues throughout his life, nearly dying from liver failure, developing megacolon, going blind and finally cancer. His personality never changed throughout, and I would do it all again if I could have him back. So, I will celebrate his life on October 27th!
Black cats occur due to a dominant gene which also causes most of them to have yellow or amber eyes. These cats are the most common and actually have stronger immune systems. Which also makes them outnumber other cats in shelters and they tend to be the least adopted. Our shelter is currently caring for 28 black cats and kittens making up more than 1/3 of our homeless cats. In many shelters all black cat adoptions during October are held until November 1st to protect the safety of the cats.
But Halloween is not a safe holiday for any pet and precautions need to be taken ahead of time. Costumes for pets can be fun if they fit properly and do not impede movement or sight and only if the pet is comfortable both emotionally and physically while wearing it. Human costumes can be frightening to pets and cause them to run off, hide, shake, or act out. Unlike some humans who enjoy being scared out of their wits, most animals do not and may react inappropriately. Young trick or treaters are adorable, but your pets won’t see them that way. Consider putting your cat or dog in a room away from the door to prevent inadvertent escapes. Keep your candy handy but away from those pets because chocolate and some candies are extremely toxic to pets. Have fun and celebrate the 27th and the 31st but make sure our pets are always safe.
October is also Adopt a Dog Month. Meet Rufus, Paulie D, Snookie, Thunder, Kane, Bellissima, and others at wvhumane.org. Happy and harmless Halloween to all!
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