Keep Your Black Cats Inside on Halloween

Halloween or All Hallows Eve is usually a fun time for everyone...unless you’re a black cat.  

Aug. 17 is National Black Cat Appreciation Day and comes a few months ahead of the holiday so closely associated with the animal. Since black cats are so heavily intertwined with Halloween it should be a positive thing but unfortunately, the lore runs a little too deep.  

The whole point of National Black Cat Appreciation Day is to actually eliminate those myths surrounding black cats, the National Day Calendar said.  

Since these (totally delightful) creatures have lore mixed with witches and are “bringers of misfortune” you often hear people mention them associated with Friday the 13th as well. This year, Friday the 13th, also falls in Oct. This is terrible news for black cats.  

To this day, black cats are considered bad luck and they are also less likely to be adopted.  

In even more horrifying news, some people use Halloween to torture black cats. In the animal-lover world, it's fairly common knowledge that on Halloween you keep your black kitty inside for this exact reason. Considering that they are just sweet creatures that would make awesome pets (unless you own a LOT of white furniture, and even then) it's horrifying to consider that this could happen in 2023.  

Right now, at the local St. George PAWS Adoption Center there are more than five black adoptable kitties. At RSQ Utah (also in St. George) there are nine adoptable black cats. So, there’s no shortage of adoptable black cats but there is a shortage of people who want them.  

To help fight the stigma, go out and adopt a black cat if you're able or share photos of black cats who need a home. If anything, they're good luck.

#makehalloweensafeforblackcats