Hey Hey and a Big G'Day toya,

Please Help Monochrome Moggies on National Black Cat Day, Thursday, 30^th October 2014. Yes the day before nasty Halloween.

For some Halloween can be a little scary,
For others such as those with black fur,
It can be extremely life threatening and dangerous.

The real danger period for black furred animals starts mid September and this is when most animal shelters have to pull black furred animals off the adoption lists until after Halloween passes. Why? Because extremely stupid humans from many countries harbor malicious and stupidly inane superstitions about black cats (along with other black furred animals) and hunt, torture and kill them during the month of October.

This is not religion specific or an anti-religious issue.
It is simply Stupid People from many cultures following stupid old world mythology.

STIGMA AND SUPERSTITION

Pity the black dog or cat when it comes to pet adoption as they have an additional challenge ahead of them which is known as 'Black Dog/Cat Syndrome’ and unknown to them there are many myths, superstitions and stigmas surrounding them.

Did you know that a black cat crossing your path from right to left is bad luck;
But from left to right is said to be good luck?
 
Were you aware that according to ancient folklore,
The apparitions of black dogs were believed to be the unquiet ghosts of wicked souls?

Did you also know that even now in modern times,
Black dogs and cats are the last to be adopted?

And did you know that according to statistics,
They are the last to be adopted and the first to be euthanized.

HOW BLACK CATS CAME TO HALLOWEEN

Black cats are a classic Halloween symbol;
But how did their special place in Halloween come to be?

Black cats have long served as objects of superstition and in Medieval France and Spain, black cats were considered bringers of bad luck and curses to any human they came near along with being associated with witchcraft. Many Medieval Germans believed themselves to be cursed if a black cat crossed their path from left to right. Black cats however, have also served as symbols of good luck in numerous cultures. In the British Islands, black cats are often believed to bring affluence to any house they occupied, in Japan they are also considered to bring good luck and in Ancient Egypt, black cats were worshipped as sacred.

So how did black cats come to represent bad luck and spookiness in America?

It all started with the Pilgrims in the Plymouth colony.

The Puritan Pilgrims distrusted anything associated with witches and sorcery, including black cats. They actively persecuted black cats ad it became a practice to burn black cats on Shrove Tuesday to protect the home from fire. After the anti-witch zeal had subsided in the colonies, black cats had been thoroughly cemented in popular legend right alongside witches. Decorators use them as a Halloween symbol, both alongside witches and independently, to add a frightful, unnerving ambience to their front steps, their green eyes spooking trick-or-treaters.

In addition to the stigma attached to them in folklore, Hollywood also positions them in an evil light. They are cast as companions to villains or symbolise impending doom. In the mental health arena, depression is commonly referred to as the Black Dog. To combat negative stigmas and to draw more positive attention to these animals, shelter workers will do such things as accessorise black cats and dogs with bright collars and bandanas and many shelters reduce their rates around Halloween to entice people to adopt darker hued animals.

Some even offer black cat adoption for free.

However, free black cat adoption around Halloween has experienced some serious backlash as pets being adopted for the purpose of Halloween can sometimes be done with ill-intent. Black cats have reportedly been tortured or used in ritualistic killings around the holiday. Also some owners have been known to use them as ‘living decorations’

 before abandoning them after the Halloween period. Due to this, in many countries animal welfare organisations simply stop the adoption process in an attempt to prevent cruelty to black cats and other black furred animals.

A stigma is just a stigma and a pet in need of a home is a pet in need of a home.

Superstition only has power if it’s given to it and the only thing superstition does is potentially cost these animals their lives. By adopting a black cat, you may rescue an animal who may otherwise not have found a loving owner. So why not help debunk the myth and welcome a black cat or dog into your home this Halloween? It may not bring you luck or prosperity, but it will surely give you unconditional love.

The Photos For This Entry

Not being much of a Halloween person (in fact the only Halloween thing about me are my Helloween (German Metal Band) albums). Each year I let the festival pass by without thought and maybe a month later it comes to mind. This year though I am here with a British couple who seem to celebrate it more than most I have known in the past so I simply joined in a few things they had thought up. The best was the apple bobbing and the kids went absolutely ape and got along swimmingly (thanks for those lines Audrey). The one I stayed well away from was ‘kids and candy’, thankfully there were no tears but there were many who continually returned to the office wanting more and more and more which nearly ended in tears.

THE SKIPPING: The skipping shots I added in simply because I love skipping photos. They look like extremely happy Buzz Lightyears. It seems that it is impossible to skip and not jump for joy at the same time, maybe instead of distributing arms throughout the world governments should simply distribute skipping ropes.

HHHmmm, but that won’t work will it! There would be those who would want all the skipping ropes which would then leave millions upon millions ropeless…argh what do you do?

Beers N Noodles toya…..shane
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The soundtrack to this entry was by none other than HELLOWEEN!
The album was ‘Pink Bubbles Go Ape’
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