10/19 Black cats

Cats are a part of everyday for us. Whether it be on your Instagram feed or the newest Buzzfeed article on 20 crazy cats, they've become an integral part of our current culture and for many of us, our constant companion. In my case, my own cat, Waffles, is always sleeping beside me as I try to finish homework at 2 in the morning. We adopted him as well as my last cat. Somedays I can't help thinking about my time volunteering with cats at the SPCA trying to find them great homes as well. There are always plenty of cats cycling through those doors, but you can't help but notice that certain cats seemed harder to adopt out then others. 

"Wow you guys have a lot of black cats!"
"Oh are they all black....do you have anything else?"
Or the worst one, the silent glance around before walking right back out the door.

Now with Halloween creeping closer the likelihood for adoption of black cats could drop even more. Some shelters often avoid adopting out fully black cats for fear they could be hurt and killed due to Halloween (x).  The shelter I volunteered for is promoting dogs for adoption this month rather then cats.

What's changed so much from the times of ancient Egypt where cats were treated like gods? They shared homes and tombs with their masters. In fact, it was even a crime to kill a cat, one punishable by death.

It goes back to the Middle Ages in Europe when cats, black cats in particular, earned their bad rep that precedes them today. The Church began to demonize cats, connecting them with the Devil and witchcraft (x). Now for black cats, this connection was particularly difficult as the color black itself is associated with fear, the unknown and the concept of evil (x). Regardless of color, cats were often killed during this time in large numbers. Times changed after awhile and cats have been heavily featured in artwork and literature. No matter how highly we view cats now they still can't seem to shake that notion that cats, mainly black cats now, are something to be weary of.

Halloween is when you can see that notion the most. Just look at the Halloween decorations in the stores. It's black cats galore. But they are all portrayed as eerie and creepy or next to a witch. While it's all in the spirit of the holiday, this seems to be what people see when they walk into the shelter and see those black cats eyeing them. It doesn't matter that these cats are some of the sweetest animals, people just can't get past the color of their fur.