Pixie Dreams

Keep Cats Safe During Halloween Season


Long ago society feared cats, and many people believed a domesticated cat was actually a witch's "peculiar" — an associate of a person who practiced witchcraft.

With this excuse, hundreds of thousands of cats were trapped and killed to help rid the world of witchcraft.

Harking back to that stupidity, we still see people who use Halloween week as an excuse to hunt and injure cats. If you regularly allow your cats to spend time outdoors, this is an excellent time of year to keep them safely inside with you.

This is particularly true if your cat happens to be colored black.

Every year we see reports of cruelty visited on cats around the time of Halloween. And in recent years shelters have learned not to sell any black cats this time of year.

Perhaps people just want one to help decorate their home for Halloween? Whatever their purpose, most of these cats are returned to the shelters soon after the holiday. This is pretty much like seeking a kitten for the kids at the start of summer vacation and then abandoning it when the kids return to school in the fall. I often wonder what parents think they are teaching their children by such behavior.

As we have come to understand that some people will do this, shelters now tend to refuse to sell any black cats during the whole month. Failing access to black cats for their practices, those who seek cats for ritual or for sadistic practices will simply seek cats of any colors that can be found outdoors and torture them.

For these and other reasons, it is wise to keep your own cats indoors for the two weeks around Halloween, regardless of their color. To be really safe, cats should be kept securely inside an interior room where they will not be frightened by doorbells ringing and costumed children shouting and marching through the house. This way you can enjoy the holiday while knowing that kitty is safe and secure.

got this at Phantoms and Monsters mascot, Vinny