Is My Wife Paranoid About Our Black Cat and Halloween?

segelkatt · Feb 9, 2016

As long as there are mean and evil people are around we should keep our cats inside even if we don't live in an area where they could be eaten by predators or could be run over by cars.

As another person said, Wiccans (who do not practice witchcraft in the common sense) would never hurt a living thing.

Satanists and other creepy people are another matter and this is not the place to discuss that.

But regarding the torture and sacrifice of cats around Halloween: a few years ago when this was all in the papers and there were many reports of disemboweled cats a study was done by some scientists who reported that the disembowellng was most certainly be done by OWLS! not crazy people. Some of the cats were found hanging on fences where the owl most likely had tried to bring the dead cat home, it was too heavy and thus was either dropped or got stuck on the fence as the owl tried to clear it. To the owl the cat was just prey and if you don't think an owl could drag away a cat consider the size of them, some are really huge, particularly the Horned Owls. They hunt rabbits and other small to medium animals besides other birds, so a cat would be right there on their menu. Don't blame the owl, just keep your cat inside, always.

Margret · Feb 10, 2016

segelkatt said:
As long as there are mean and evil people are around we should keep our cats inside even if we don't live in an area where they could be eaten by predators or could be run over by cars.
As another person said, Wiccans (who do not practice witchcraft in the common sense) would never hurt a living thing.
Satanists and other creepy people are another matter and this is not the place to discuss that.

But regarding the torture and sacrifice of cats around Halloween: a few years ago when this was all in the papers and there were many reports of disemboweled cats a study was done by some scientists who reported that the disembowellng was most certainly be done by OWLS! not crazy people. Some of the cats were found hanging on fences where the owl most likely had tried to bring the dead cat home, it was too heavy and thus was either dropped or got stuck on the fence as the owl tried to clear it. To the owl the cat was just prey and if you don't think an owl could drag away a cat consider the size of them, some are really huge, particularly the Horned Owls. They hunt rabbits and other small to medium animals besides other birds, so a cat would be right there on their menu. Don't blame the owl, just keep your cat inside, always.

Of course, owls are predators, but you're correct; it's not just predators and humans we have to worry about. At this point our local coyote pack seems to be gone; I've heard (but been unable to verify) that they had a dysentery epidemic. As a result, there are rabbits all over the place around here, and when we go for walks Jasmine has made it very plain that she wants to chase them. Suppose she caught one. What do you think would happen? I think those powerful hind legs would disembowel her.

There are also diseases: feline herpes, FLV, the feline version of AIDS, other nasties, many fatal, that an indoor only cat is highly unlikely to get. Keeping your cat inside is just a good idea.

Margret

donutte · Feb 10, 2016

Back in 2002, I was working at this place where some dude was *bragging* to another coworker about how he abused some poor cat (for Halloween even he said!) and swung it around by its tail. I never found out for sure if he did anything worse but knowing this guy he probably did. But I went OFF on him. He threw some BS at me saying the cat was attacking his cousin. BS!!! That's not what he told the other guy and I know he was full of it.

I try very hard to keep ALL my cats out of site around Halloween because there are some sick jerks out there. Black cats are targeted but I think all cats are in danger that time of year. And as someone else mentioned, I'm less worried about the Satanists or whatever other "sacrificial group" someone thinks does this kind of thing. It's your run-of-the-mill, ordinary "person" that does this. Like the guy I worked with. He supposedly went to church every Sunday too.

Seriously, just thinking about the conversation, that happened almost 14 years ago, makes me so angry. That's the only time I ever want to get physically violent - when I hear people talking about how they abused an animal so flippantly, like it's something they do every day. And in reality, that wouldn't shock me if they did do it every day.

DreamerRose · Feb 10, 2016

I adopted my black cat a few days before Halloween from a shelter, but my age probably put any worries to rest. He never gets let out at any time, but certainly not around Halloween.

Margret · Feb 10, 2016

Donutte said:
Back in 2002, I was working at this place where some dude was *bragging* to another coworker about how he abused some poor cat (for Halloween even he said!) and swung it around by its tail. I never found out for sure if he did anything worse but knowing this guy he probably did. But I went OFF on him. He threw some BS at me saying the cat was attacking his cousin. BS!!! That's not what he told the other guy and I know he was full of it.

I try very hard to keep ALL my cats out of site around Halloween because there are some sick jerks out there. Black cats are targeted but I think all cats are in danger that time of year. And as someone else mentioned, I'm less worried about the Satanists or whatever other "sacrificial group" someone thinks does this kind of thing. It's your run-of-the-mill, ordinary "person" that does this. Like the guy I worked with. He supposedly went to church every Sunday too.

Seriously, just thinking about the conversation, that happened almost 14 years ago, makes me so angry. That's the only time I ever want to get physically violent - when I hear people talking about how they abused an animal so flippantly, like it's something they do every day. And in reality, that wouldn't shock me if they did do it every day.

Abusing animals is one of the warning signs that someone is, or will become, a child abuser, wife beater, rapist, or serial killer. You have excellent instincts.

I recently signed a petition to establish a national registry of animal abusers; I'll have to find the link and post it.

Margret

Margret · Feb 10, 2016

Margret said:
At this point our local coyote pack seems to be gone; I've heard (but been unable to verify) that they had a dysentery epidemic.

I hate it when I do that. Not dysentery, distemper.

Margret

donutte · Feb 10, 2016

Margret said:
Abusing animals is one of the warning signs that someone is, or will become, a child abuser, wife beater, rapist, or serial killer. You have excellent instincts.

I recently signed a petition to establish a national registry of animal abusers; I'll have to find the link and post it.

Margret

Thank you! That's a petition I can stand behind.

Margret · Feb 10, 2016

Donutte said:
Thank you! That's a petition I can stand behind.

Here it is, a petition to establish a national registry of animal abusers: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/449/889/340/

Should we be starting a new thread for this?

Margret

supercatlover · Feb 10, 2016

I have a tuxedo will people still think it's bad luck?

IMG_20160209_180607.jpg

supercatlover
Feb 10, 2016

donutte · Feb 10, 2016

SuperCatLover said:
I have a tuxedo will people still think it's bad luck?

IMG_20160209_180607.jpg

supercatlover

Feb 10, 2016

It's less about what people think in terms of bad luck (which is absurd), but more about people using that as an excuse to abuse animals. They use it to justify their actions. I doubt anyone that hurts animals even thinks about them giving them bad luck, but rather they get some perverse pleasure from what they do. It just sickens me.

There are some people that legitimately (albeit irrationally usually) fear black cats, or even all cats (ailurophobia), but those people just want to avoid them, they don't wish them harm. I know someone with ailurophobia that I work with - she can't even see pictures of cats without getting scared, and black cats, forget it. And of course, I'm always showing my cat pictures like people show pictures of their kids. So I have to remember not to do that too much when she's around.

I have two black cats, two tuxedos and a dilute calico. I try to keep all of them out of the window around Halloween. None of them go out thankfully, but if they did I'd keep them in around that time.

Btw, your kitty is absolutely adorable.

hatchytt · Feb 10, 2016

We got our black kitten because Rune's mother, (Panamanian and very superstitious), was about to throw her back out on the street from whence she came, calling her "mala suerte". The woman had abused black cats before. We're glad that we saved her.

segelkatt · Feb 10, 2016

Margret said:
Of course, owls are predators, but you're correct; it's not just predators and humans we have to worry about. At this point our local coyote pack seems to be gone; I've heard (but been unable to verify) that they had a dysentery epidemic. As a result, there are rabbits all over the place around here, and when we go for walks Jasmine has made it very plain that she wants to chase them. Suppose she caught one. What do you think would happen? I think those powerful hind legs would disembowel her.

There are also diseases: feline herpes, FLV, the feline version of AIDS, other nasties, many fatal, that an indoor only cat is highly unlikely to get. Keeping your cat inside is just a good idea.

Margret

Where I live there are coyotes also, during the summer when they are not hunting or mating I can hear them almost every night going through the golf course, howling. (Coyotes will NOT make a sound when they are hunting so a howling coyote is harmless, it's calling others to come play, it's when they are quiet that they are dangerous). They have become very bold and have attacked little old ladies walking heir little yappy dogs at dusk, sometimes making the old ladies fall down while they take off with the dog in their mouths. One was even so bold as to crash through the screen door of a screened-in patio and snatching a cat that was sleeping on a chair in the sun. Yes, it was in broad daylight. The picture of the smashed-in screen door was all over the newspapers. So you can imagine what would happen to an indoor-outdoor cat, they don't live very long here as the coyotes have eaten all the bunnies that used to be abundant and they are now looking for something else to eat. Nevertheless, there are still stupid people around who will feed these wild animals because "they are starving" (it is also against the law here to feed wild animals but these people don't care).

segelkatt · Feb 10, 2016

Margret · Feb 10, 2016

SuperCatLover said:
I have a tuxedo will people still think it's bad luck?

IMG_20160209_180607.jpg

supercatlover

Feb 10, 2016

Halloween is just an excuse people use for abusing cats. Given a choice, these jerks will probably choose a pure black cat over a tuxedo, but all cats are in danger outside, all the time. Halloween merely increases the danger.

If you check out earlier messages in this thread, you'll find out that cats have been considered to be the "familiars" of evil witches since the middle ages. At that time it was dangerous to even pet a cat; if someone saw you you could have been burned at the stake as a witch. It is believed that the lack of enough cats to keep the rats under control was one of the reasons the black death killed so many people.

For many people, these old superstitions have hung on, and they apply to all cats, not just black ones. The only reason people think of black cats at Halloween is the popular image of the black witch and her black cat riding their black broom across the face of the full moon, and anyone who thinks about it for five seconds will realize that the cat is only black because it's backlit by the moon.

Your cat is always safer indoors. This goes doubly at Halloween.

Margret

Margret · Feb 10, 2016

Hatchytt said:
We got our black kitten because Rune's mother, (Panamanian and very superstitious), was about to throw her back out on the street from whence she came, calling her "mala suerte". The woman had abused black cats before. We're glad that we saved her.

Have you read Homer's Odyssey, by Gwen Cooper? Among other things she talks about the date that she brought home who backed Homer into a corner and hissed at him, because Homer had come up to greet the guest. (Yes, Homer is black.) Gwen informed the date that Homer was the one who lived there, and the date was no longer welcome in Homer's home.

I have my own superstitions, but any superstition that causes someone to abuse an animal goes well beyond the harmless notions people have about knocking on wood or stepping on cracks or breaking mirrors, and anyone who has a superstition that causes them to do evil things should be getting treatment.

Margret

Margret · Feb 10, 2016

segelkatt said:
Where I live there are coyotes also, during the summer when they are not hunting or mating I can hear them almost every night going through the golf course, howling. (Coyotes will NOT make a sound when they are hunting so a howling coyote is harmless, it's calling others to come play, it's when they are quiet that they are dangerous). They have become very bold and have attacked little old ladies walking heir little yappy dogs at dusk, sometimes making the old ladies fall down while they take off with the dog in their mouths. One was even so bold as to crash through the screen door of a screened-in patio and snatching a cat that was sleeping on a chair in the sun. Yes, it was in broad daylight. The picture of the smashed-in screen door was all over the newspapers. So you can imagine what would happen to an indoor-outdoor cat, they don't live very long here as the coyotes have eaten all the bunnies that used to be abundant and they are now looking for something else to eat. Nevertheless, there are still stupid people around who will feed these wild animals because "they are starving" (it is also against the law here to feed wild animals but these people don't care).

Wild animals are harmed by being made dependent on human handouts, and the predators become more dangerous.

Four years ago, when the house guests from hell turned my Floppy into an indoor-outdoor cat, coyotes were making the news in our neighborhood for jumping privacy fences to get at small pets in back yards.

Margret

Willowy · Feb 11, 2016

Animal sacrifice is somewhat frowned upon in most forms of modern Satanism, and even when it occurs it's supposed to be a meat animal whose body will be used, and of course legally owned and humanely slaughtered and all that. Although of course there will always be wacky people who make up their own form of whatever they want to do and call it something else. Or some kid who heard somewhere that somebody sacrifices cats and they want to rebel and make a statement. But I don't think actual Satanists are a threat.

It's bored, cruel teenagers/young fools, who just want to get a thrill. Or simply a really nasty kind of person who gets pleasure out of being cruel. Although animal predators and cars are the biggest threat.

Kat0121 · Feb 11, 2016

Willowy said:
Animal sacrifice is somewhat frowned upon in most forms of modern Satanism, and even when it occurs it's supposed to be a meat animal whose body will be used, and of course legally owned and humanely slaughtered and all that. Although of course there will always be wacky people who make up their own form of whatever they want to do and call it something else. Or some kid who heard somewhere that somebody sacrifices cats and they want to rebel and make a statement. But I don't think actual Satanists are a threat.

It's bored, cruel teenagers/young fools, who just want to get a thrill. Or simply a really nasty kind of person who gets pleasure out of being cruel. Although animal predators and cars are the biggest threat.

The Church of Satan does NOT condone killing animals unless being attacked or for food. Their 11 rules for the earth specifically state this. Unfortunately, some people choose to interpret things in a way that will justify anything that they do and say. Isn't that right, Westboro Baptist Church?

True Satanism is (for the most part ) highly misunderstood and Hollywood has a lot to do with that.

http://www.churchofsatan.com/eleven-rules-of-earth.php

stewball · Feb 11, 2016

Margret said:
Here it is, a petition to establish a national registry of animal abusers: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/449/889/340/

Should we be starting a new thread for this?

Margret

I just filled the petition in. Not just for Americans. It's for the world all.those of you outside USA.

Is My Wife Paranoid About Our Black Cat and Halloween?

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