Black cats aren't just for Halloween, a Spanish city says. Terrassa, the third-largest city in Catalonia, has temporarily banned the adoption of black cats in an effort to protect the animals from being used as props or in rituals during Halloween, EuroNews reports. The city council says the suspension will last through the end of the month. "We have been alerted by organizations and members of the public that some people want to adopt a black cat to use it for ritual purposes," says deputy mayor Noel Duque. "We have had to issue an instruction to stop the adoption and fostering of black cats on Halloween."
"We try to prevent people from adopting because it's trendy or impulsive," Duque says, per the BBC. "And in cases like these, which we know exist, to prevent any macabre practice." Anyone wishing to adopt a black cat in Terrassa will have to wait until after Halloween and provide proof that they'll care for the animal. Animal protection groups say requests for black cats tend to rise at this time of year, with some people seeking them as party props or for use in supposed witchcraft rituals. It's an echo of a superstition that stretches back to medieval times, when black cats were linked to witchcraft and bad luck.
Even today, the animals are still seen by some as omens of misfortune in Spain and elsewhere, though they have long been considered lucky in places including Japan and parts of the UK. Attitudes in Europe, however, are changing. In medieval times in Ypres, Belgium, black cats were hurled from a belfry on "Cat Wednesday" in the second week of Lent. The town now celebrates cats of all colors with the annual Kattenstoet parade and festival, the New York Times reports.
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