Long stigmatized for bringing bad luck or having connections to the occult, black cats have found salvation in a Spanish town that has temporarily banned their adoption, to avoid potentially evil Halloween "rituals."
Any requests for adoption or fostering for cats will be rejected from October 1 to November 10 to prevent "the potential risk arising from superstitions, rituals or irresponsible uses," the animal welfare service of Terrassa, a city north of Barcelona, announced, the Telegraph reports.
The decision was taken "due to the arrival of the Halloween period and following the care criteria applied by various animal protection entities," added authorities in the city in the northeastern region of Catalonia.
Local newspaper Diari de Terrassa quoted animal welfare advisor Noel Duque as saying last week that adoption requests for black cats increase around Halloween "for ritual purposes" or "as decoration because 'it's okay'".
The city council "couldn't see the other side" when faced with "a grim subject," said Duque, who sits next to a red cat in his Facebook profile picture.
Animal welfare groups warn that cats can be injured, killed or used as props during Halloween rituals.
Exceptions will be "properly justified and assessed by the center's technical team, where there is a full guarantee of safety and a reliable history of the applicant," the animal welfare service said.
The normal adoption and guardianship process will resume after Halloween, he added, not ruling out a similar ban in the future.
Terrassa is home to more than 9,800 cats, according to municipal authorities. /Telegraph/
