Catalonian town bans black cat adoptions during Halloween

The Spanish town of Terrassa, in northeastern Catalonia, has temporarily banned the adoption of black cats from animal shelters to prevent potentially sinister “rituals” during Halloween.

The local animal welfare service said all requests to foster or adopt felines would be refused from October 6 to November 10 to prevent the cats from being harmed or used as props.

Deputy Mayor Noel Duque told broadcaster RTVE that requests to adopt black cats usually increase around Halloween.

While black cats are often associated with witchcraft and seen as bad luck in Western culture, many other cultures, including Japan and Egypt, view them as symbols of prosperity and fortune.

Terassa town council said there was no record of cruelty to black cats in the town, but incidents had occurred in other areas and the decision was taken following warnings from animal welfare groups.

“We’re trying to prevent people from adopting it because it’s trendy or because it’s impulsive. And in cases like this, which we know exist, to prevent any kind of terrible practice,” Duque said.

There are more than 9,800 cats in Terrassa, according to local officials, and the adoption center has about 100 cats, 12 of which are black.

The city council emphasized that the measure was “temporary and exceptional” and represented an extra measure for animal welfare, but did not rule out the possibility that the ban could be repeated in the future.

Exceptions during the ban period will be evaluated by the adoption center on a case-by-case basis, and regular foster care requests will continue after Halloween.