Black Cat October Blues

Shelters across the U.S. this October appear divided on the topic of black cat adoption. The SPCA in Los Angeles upheld their ban on black cat adoption until November 1. They say they "have found many people have ulterior motives when adopting black cats and it is a shame that ...superstitions about black cats have made them targets." However, the director of the Humane Society in Boulder Valley, Colorado says, "I've never in my 27 years ...heard about anything real happening to a black cat." And according to this article, an ASPCA spokesperson says, "data does not support the notion black cats are at terrible risk at Halloween."

In Canada, a Humane Society overturned a long-standing ban on black cat adoption and decided to promote black and orange pets for adoption the week before Halloween. In the United Kingdom, shelter workers consider Halloween a great opportunity to match black cats with new homes.

To ban black cats during October places yet another hurdle in the path of an animal with adoption rates already lower than most. But allowing black cat adoption during Halloween is considered by numerous shelters to be too great a risk. There may be no easy solution, but one thing remains constant - the number of adoptable black cats in shelters continues to rise.