Spanish city bans black cat adoptions during Halloween

The city council of Terrassa in Spain has banned the adoption of black cats this month, to stop the animals being used and mistreated in Halloween rituals and to curb the spread of superstition during the spooky season.

The Spanish city council of Terrassa, near Barcelona, has decided to halt black cat adoptions until the end of October, to prevent them being used in rituals or celebrations linked to Halloween.

Local authorities say it's an unusual but necessary measure.

"We were warned by organisations and residents that some people want to adopt a black cat to use it for ritual purposes. We had to issue an order halting the adoption and keeping of black cats at Halloween," deputy mayor Noel Duque explained on social media. "In Terrassa, if you want to adopt a black cat, it will have to be after Halloween, and with proof that you'll care for and love them," he added.

Although it may look like a superstition from the past, animal welfare associations say there are more cases every year of people wanting black cats as party props or, worse, to use them in witchcraft rituals.

Witchcraft and bad luck

Terrassa's measure follows a number of other cities that already restrict the adoption of black cats and, to a lesser extent, white cats, in the weeks before 31 October.

While the former are still seen as a symbol of bad luck or dark forces, the latter are seen as representing purity and good luck — especially if you're a villain from the "James Bond" franchise. Both, however, share a common fate: they're victims of human superstition.

Since the Middle Ages, black cats have been linked to witchcraft, curses and bad luck. In Spain, cats are mentioned in the same breath as Friday the 13th, broken mirrors or ladders as omens to be avoided. But nowadays their notoriety continues to be dressed up as a festive tradition.

That's why animal welfare organisations are insistent: cats, whatever their colour, aren't charms or decorations — they're living creatures. And this Halloween, at least in Terrassa, they won't be part of any ritual.

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