Halloween is Scary For Your Kitty Too!
by Annette Givens
Halloween is a scary time - filled with ghosts, goblins, ghouls and witches. But, in all seriousness, Halloween is an especially dangerous time for our cats. Sometimes people think that rescue workers are a little "touched in the head" when we start to outline the reasons why Halloween can be the most dangerous time of the year for your kitty. So, at the risk of sounding a little loony.... here goes =).
Halloween is the "high holy day" for satan worshippers. On Halloween, it is appropriate - and highly desirable - to sacrifice a live animal. Goats, chickens, and other farm animals may be used, but one of the "best" animals for this ceremony is a cat - especially black or white cats. Of course, other colors will do in a pinch, so no cat is exempt from the danger. Satanists may get these cats simply by purchasing them, or adopting them. But, well, why spend money when a simple trap set in their own backyard can yield a neighborhood treasure? Of course, some cats are even easier to catch. A plate of food left on a patio can make some cats your friend for life.
You may think this is all a little far-fetched, but keep in mind that a few years ago satanists went all the way to the supreme court to protect their rights to animal sacrifice as a matter of freedom of religion. While the law prohibits them from sacrificing animals that they don't own, it does not specifically prohibit them from sacrificing cats. Now, before you point out the "ownership" loophole, let's be realistic here. Do you honestly think this is going to stop these people from picking up a cat off the street? Even one with a tag on it? Even if caught, it's easy for them to claim that they were feeding the cat themselves, thought it was a stray, and thus claimed "ownership." These types of cases of ownership are almost impossible to prove one way or another. Police will almost never "waste their time" with them.
I know what you are thinking: "That stuff doesn't happen in MY neighborhood!" Hopefully, you are right. But realize that one of the largest groups of people that call themselves satanists are teenagers. Most of them are just experimenting and rebelling, and are not true satanists. However, these kids are the ones that are most likely to sacrifice neighborhood pets, instead of a legally purchased farm animal. They don't have the resources to purchase animals. Also, the types of kids that align with the satanist mentality are children that also have tendencies toward abuse of pets (sadly these kids often grow up to abuse humans as well). But, even if your neighbor's teenage son isn't going to turn into Jeffrey Dahmer, he may succumb to that age old peer pressure, and do things that he wouldn't normally do - like drink too much, get a tattoo and harm your pet.
So, what do you do to protect your pet? Well, there is only one foolproof solution: KEEP YOUR CAT INDOORS! Even if you only do it for the week before Halloween, please keep your cat inside. Of course, I advocate keeping your cat inside 100% of the time, and perhaps, after keeping him in for a week, you will decide to do just that. But, please do not let your kitty wander - especially at night - in the days before Halloween. Even if you don't think your cat would ever go to a stranger, there are cat traps available for rent to anyone with a $25 deposit. And even feral cats go into these traps, so your scaredy-cat is still at risk.
Finally, I want to mention another problem we have encountered at Halloween. Since cats are one of the symbols of Halloween, some people think that cats are a cute accessory to their Halloween party or costume. Black cats and calico cats seem to be these people's colors of choice. While the cats aren't really abused, the cat is treated as an object, and may not be properly cared for.
A rescuer I met a few years ago had no idea that this was a problem. She had a wonderful calico adopted two days before Halloween. The cat was returned the day after Halloween. The kitty came back to her scared, dirty, dehydrated and sick. Since the adopters never planned to keep the cat, they certainly didn't want to spend money on things like litterpans and food. They fed the cat milk and raw hamburger until the cat suffered from gastrointestinal distress. Although the poor kitty recovered, the rescuer, to this day, cannot forgive herself for allowing her foster cat to be exploited and neglected for those 3 days.
So, to wrap up - and at the risk of repeating myself - KEEP YOUR KITTY INSIDE! It's the safest place for your best friend!
by Annette Givens
Halloween is a scary time - filled with ghosts, goblins, ghouls and witches. But, in all seriousness, Halloween is an especially dangerous time for our cats. Sometimes people think that rescue workers are a little "touched in the head" when we start to outline the reasons why Halloween can be the most dangerous time of the year for your kitty. So, at the risk of sounding a little loony.... here goes =).
Halloween is the "high holy day" for satan worshippers. On Halloween, it is appropriate - and highly desirable - to sacrifice a live animal. Goats, chickens, and other farm animals may be used, but one of the "best" animals for this ceremony is a cat - especially black or white cats. Of course, other colors will do in a pinch, so no cat is exempt from the danger. Satanists may get these cats simply by purchasing them, or adopting them. But, well, why spend money when a simple trap set in their own backyard can yield a neighborhood treasure? Of course, some cats are even easier to catch. A plate of food left on a patio can make some cats your friend for life.
You may think this is all a little far-fetched, but keep in mind that a few years ago satanists went all the way to the supreme court to protect their rights to animal sacrifice as a matter of freedom of religion. While the law prohibits them from sacrificing animals that they don't own, it does not specifically prohibit them from sacrificing cats. Now, before you point out the "ownership" loophole, let's be realistic here. Do you honestly think this is going to stop these people from picking up a cat off the street? Even one with a tag on it? Even if caught, it's easy for them to claim that they were feeding the cat themselves, thought it was a stray, and thus claimed "ownership." These types of cases of ownership are almost impossible to prove one way or another. Police will almost never "waste their time" with them.
I know what you are thinking: "That stuff doesn't happen in MY neighborhood!" Hopefully, you are right. But realize that one of the largest groups of people that call themselves satanists are teenagers. Most of them are just experimenting and rebelling, and are not true satanists. However, these kids are the ones that are most likely to sacrifice neighborhood pets, instead of a legally purchased farm animal. They don't have the resources to purchase animals. Also, the types of kids that align with the satanist mentality are children that also have tendencies toward abuse of pets (sadly these kids often grow up to abuse humans as well). But, even if your neighbor's teenage son isn't going to turn into Jeffrey Dahmer, he may succumb to that age old peer pressure, and do things that he wouldn't normally do - like drink too much, get a tattoo and harm your pet.
So, what do you do to protect your pet? Well, there is only one foolproof solution: KEEP YOUR CAT INDOORS! Even if you only do it for the week before Halloween, please keep your cat inside. Of course, I advocate keeping your cat inside 100% of the time, and perhaps, after keeping him in for a week, you will decide to do just that. But, please do not let your kitty wander - especially at night - in the days before Halloween. Even if you don't think your cat would ever go to a stranger, there are cat traps available for rent to anyone with a $25 deposit. And even feral cats go into these traps, so your scaredy-cat is still at risk.
Finally, I want to mention another problem we have encountered at Halloween. Since cats are one of the symbols of Halloween, some people think that cats are a cute accessory to their Halloween party or costume. Black cats and calico cats seem to be these people's colors of choice. While the cats aren't really abused, the cat is treated as an object, and may not be properly cared for.
A rescuer I met a few years ago had no idea that this was a problem. She had a wonderful calico adopted two days before Halloween. The cat was returned the day after Halloween. The kitty came back to her scared, dirty, dehydrated and sick. Since the adopters never planned to keep the cat, they certainly didn't want to spend money on things like litterpans and food. They fed the cat milk and raw hamburger until the cat suffered from gastrointestinal distress. Although the poor kitty recovered, the rescuer, to this day, cannot forgive herself for allowing her foster cat to be exploited and neglected for those 3 days.
So, to wrap up - and at the risk of repeating myself - KEEP YOUR KITTY INSIDE! It's the safest place for your best friend!
