It’s all about the urban myth. Popular culture is dripping with them, especially around Halloween. Which is why animal shelters around the country are taking extra precautions. No black cat will cross your path this Halloween, if a northern Idaho animal shelter can help it. Like many shelters around the country, the Kootenai Humane Society in Coeur d’Alene is prohibiting black cat adoptions from now until November 2nd. The proactive measure is done to protect the animals that could be mistreated in Halloween pranks—or worse sacrificed.
According to the shelter’s executive director, the risk that a cat may be harmed is remote, but still the Humane Society is not willing to take any chances.
“It’s kind of an urban legend. But in the humane industry it’s pretty typical that shelters don’t do adoptions of black cats or white bunnies because of the whole satanic sacrificial thing,” the executive director said. “If we prevent one animal from getting hurt, then it serves its purpose.”
Currently, the Kootenai Humane Society houses 97 cats, and according to shelter employees, 28 of those felines are black.
Not surprisingly once word got out that the shelter was temporarily halting black feline adoptions animal rights groups shot back saying the practice does more to hurt animals than protect them.
“Black cats already suffer a stigma because of their color,” said Gail Buchwald, vice president of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals shelter in New York City. “Why penalize them any more by limiting the times when they can be adopted?” What’s more, Buchwald added, black cats tend to be adopted less often than other felines.
“Behaviorally, there’s no difference from the color of the cat. It’s tied into this whole mythology about the animal – don’t let it cross your path or some foreboding or foreshadowing of evil – and that’s an outdated superstition,” Buchwald said.
The Humane Society of the United States is also speaking out about the black cat ban. A director there told reporters that a good adoption process would tend to weed out those interested in adopting black cats for evil purposes. The comment goes along with the Humane Society’s official statement which reads: “There’s going to be incidents of weird abuse that happen no matter what. The remedy is not banning black cat adoptions.”
Where do you stand on the issue? Do you think that animal shelters should temporarily ban the adoption of black cats? My opinion: if someone wants the cat bad enough he or she will be willing to wait until after November 2nd to get it.
Related Article:
Great Reasons to Adopt a Black Cat (Or Dog)