In Defense Of Black Cats During Halloween

By Emily Carney

Black cats are frequently maligned for their perceived status as being “bad luck” to people. Each year during this time, I come across many Halloween scenes in party stores depicting these feline creatures in graveyards, slinking around, bringing much fear to trick or treaters and leaving little turds filled with bad vibes strewn around neighborhood yards (not sure about the last part, but cats definitely are fans of frequent BMs). But enough of that . . . because it’s all conjecture. Here’s why black cats are the most gorgeous, loving, wonderful cats to own.

I’ve owned a black cat named Felix for the last eight years. He is 100 percent gorgeous and has a luxurious, velvety ebony coat. He smells like fresh, clean fur and Fancy Feast, opposed to most dogs I’ve had, who smelled like straight-up cat poop (I had a pug, Buster, as a kid who LOVED TO EAT POOP, but that’s a story for another time).

We got Felix as a little eight-week-old kitten. He spent his first night sleeping between us; he then discovered he could jump and hop, so we didn’t sleep for a few weeks. But we fell in love with his little silly face. I discovered he liked to sleep in my hair. He still does this, eight years later.

He’s also perhaps the sweetest cat I’ve ever known, even though I’m sure he prefers the lap of my husband versus mine (Steve is the human who first met him, so he worships Steve, and hilariously so). Felix acts like a dog most of the time and follows me everywhere in my apartment. He’s also a fan of butt rubs (Huh? Why?), and enjoys snuggling up to us during his naps, which happen most of the time.

Felix is also really goofy, a total, unadulterated goober. He has a built-in alarm function, which means he will wake us up every morning at the same time (approximately 6 a.m.) because he’s hungry. He will bat at my face and meow incessantly until I get up to go to the kitchen. He has memorized the location of all cat treats in the house. He is incredibly low maintenance, only requiring fresh food, cat litter, and lots of naps every day.

So there are plenty of reasons to adopt and love a black kitty. Felix is the first “pet” I’ve owned and he’s been wonderful. He’s especially great company when I’ve had the flu or if I’m feeling miserable about life. He provides great warmth when I’m chilled to the bone with a fever or if I am thinking about quitting work. He seems to know if I’m feeling upset or lonely, providing lots of purrs and lifting his butt up to be brushed (WHY DO THEY DO THIS? Seriously, can someone tell me why cats are obsessed with their butts and putting them in people’s faces?).

At any rate, there are usually plenty of black cats to adopt at pet adoption centers. This fact actually makes me pretty sad. They should be finding permanent homes. There are people who adopt black cats for Halloween only, and then return them. This is an extremely cruel practice. There are also worse, more unmentionable things that evil people do to black cats during Halloween.

So here’s a pro tip: If you own a black cat, keep him or her inside during this time of the month. In addition, if you need a feline buddy, keep these little guys in mind&mash;you won’t be disappointed.

Felix says, “THANK YOU!”