Happy Halloween

Whiskey as Lon Chaney in Phantom of the Opera, 1925

Once a pagan holiday celebrating the end of harvest, Halloween was also believed to be a day when spirits could leap into our realm and walk amongst the living.

But that was a really long time ago, and today ghouls, goblins, zombies and, for some odd reason if you are an adult, slutty nurses and fornicating farm girls take to the streets or house party to consume tasty treats, which for  adults often means plenty of alcohol.

What better way to bridge the connection between spirits and the physical world than with Fireball laced breath and a stagger in your step. After all, "I love you man," is the customary way to greet a specter. 

Boris redoing the skeletons I put on the fence

 
While you are deciding what costume to wear, what candy to dole out to little trick-or-treaters or whether or not to disable your doorbell, there is a furry member of your family that needs to creep its way into your thoughts. If you are lucky enough to share your life with a cat or a few of them, they need to be kept indoors especially at night for the days surrounding Halloween.

Black cats are often more at risk during Halloween because of folklore that has them in cahoots with the occult and all things evil. They are associated with bringing bad luck and being a witch's familiar. During the Salem witch trails, cats were often tortured and killed along with humans deemed to be practicing witchcraft.

Because humans can really be evil, many shelters will not allow black cats to be adopted during the month of October for fear people will harm the animal or simply get rid of it after the Halloween decorations come down.

Boris and the short-lived Halloween tree

But, fear not oh great lover of cats, you can still have Halloween fun with your favorite bundle of fur. Cats are interior decorators at heart. They love decorations, they just don't like where humans put them, so they will rearrange or remove or break stuff they don't approve of.


Remember all that candy you bought to pass out to kids, the extra 5 bags just in case this is the year a ton of little firefighters, princesses and devils appear on your doorstep, cats don't want it. Even better, they won't judge you as you shove that fifth Reese's peanut butter cup into your mouth the second it turns dark. They're bite size, right?

Step aside, this one needs CPR

If you do decide to go out for the evening and come home with Frankenstein green makeup smeared in places it shouldn't be all over your lusty librarian costume, your cats will still welcome you with purrs and head butts. Don't view that look of disdain as judgement for that night's behavior, it is at the bottom of a very long list.

Remember this is our holiday, not theirs. Please keep them indoors. They might be frightened by people coming and going, chased by people who think filming a scared animal would make a funny youtube video, or could even be in danger from increased vehicle traffic.

 

Whiskey exhibiting his typical enthusiasm

Now that October is coming to an end, black cats in shelters all over need loving homes. They are not bad luck or any of the other dark things associated with them. They are a CAT, and it doesn't get much better than that.

In the words of Groucho Marx, "A black cat crossing your path signifies that the animal is going somewhere."

Happy Halloween from all of us at Cat Noir CC.

Every Color Deserves a Forever Home

For daily pictures follow us at www.facebook.com/CatNoirCC We are also on Twitter and Instagram