October is spooky month, which also makes it perfect for Black Cat Awareness Month! Since the Middle Ages, black cats have been commonly associated with things like witches, bad luck, or other negative superstitions. In the Middle Ages, this lead to these cats being treated harshly, and many times they would just get killed.
While things aren't that extreme for black cats in most cases these days, Debbie Jensen from the Happy Cat Sanctuary explains black cats still face some challenges today.
"Black cats usually stay in our centre for quite some time, a lot of people don't want to adopt black cats, because there's that mystery about black cats being bad luck. If we have them at the centre, sometimes they'll be there for 2,3,4 months before they get adopted, because people just don't want them, they're black. Last year we were overrun with black cats."
For comparison, Jensen said other cats will typically be there for 3-4 weeks, or sometimes just days. Right now, the shelter doesn't have any black cats but still hopes people come in to adopt other cats, since all cats deserve a loving home and the shelter is having difficulties taking care of all the cats they have.
While black cats not getting adopted is a common issue across all shelters, Jensen warns that you should keep your black cats inside during Halloween, as they could be in danger due to the superstitions around them.
"At Halloween time people go out there and look for black cats, and kids torture them, and if you have black cats you should have them in on Halloween night."
Jensen hopes people realize black cats are the same as all other cats, and the color of their fur doesn't make them any different.
"There's nothing different from a black cat then an ordinary cat. They're just an ordinary cat, it's just their fur is a different color. You don't see people shying away from black dogs because they're all black. It's just the superstition from history that witches had black cats and black cats are bad luck. It's just the brand they're stuck with."
If you're interested in adopting a cat, stop by the sanctuary in downtown Strathmore or visit Happy Cat Sanctuary. While there may not be any black cats now, there are many other cats ready to find a 'fur'ever home!
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