halloween and cats

When we think of Halloween there are endless images that come to mind. Witches crossing the full moon on a broomstick; vampires in search of a guttural feast and pumpkins carved with caricatures that scare or make you smile. There are werewolves, demons, and goblins that lurk in the shadows beyond the light. All topped off with the age-old practice of dressing up and painting your face. So how did the aristocratic cat get involved in such a pagan ritual? I’m sure if you ask her she would deny any responsibility for a voluntary association.

Cats have been associated with myth since they first came in from the cold to live with people around 5,000 years ago. The mystery of their exquisite senses such as their eyes, exceptional hunting instincts, independence, and apparent aloofness have contributed to the various myths that have originated in different cultures throughout history. The early Egyptians gifted them as gods and the medieval Church burned them alive, believing they were the incarnation of Satan. They were considered as “familiar” of witches, that is, close companions who watched over and protected a witch. Both a symbol of good luck or bad luck, depending on the culture you’re visiting, the cat’s behavior evokes the extremes of human nature.

So is it any wonder that cats, especially black cats, are a major icon of Halloween?

Halloween is a celebration of birth in pagan mythology. It was believed that the ‘souls of the dead’ would rise from their graves to visit the living during the Celtic festival ‘Samhain’.

Halloween ghosts, goblins, graveyard effluvium, witches, black cats, bats, haunted houses, scary skeletons, ghouls, and scary stories originated from the Samhain (pronounced SOW-ehn) festival, which means “end of summer.” It was celebrated by the Celtic people of Ireland to prepare for the coming winter. During the festival of Samhain, the “souls of the dead” visited the homes of the Celts and on the eve of Samhain tricks were played on humans in the fading sunlight that heralded shorter days of winter. Supposedly, there were ghosts, goblins, black cats, and witches flying around because the barriers between the natural and the supernatural were broken down during Samhain. The dead kept the secrets of the future and people consulted with them, asking for guidance.

The Samhain Festival influenced the Christian celebration called “All Saints”, also called “All Hallow’s”. All Hallow’s was celebrated on November 1 and was established in 700-800 AD by the Catholic Church. The night before “All Hallow’s” (October 31) was called “All Hallow’s Eve”. The name was eventually shortened to All Hallow’en and then just Halloween.

The first American settlers from England brought rituals, superstitions, and beliefs in ghosts and witches to the US. In the 19th century, immigrants from the UK came to the US and brought their Halloween traditions with them. The Germans brought their stories of witchcraft and the Haitians and Africans brought the voodoo beliefs about black cats, fire and witchcraft. The holiday gradually became a non-religious holiday in the US in the late 19th century.

Today, Halloween has evolved from the souls of the homes of the dead visiting “Trick-or-Treaters” dressed as ghosts, witches, black cats and ghouls and begging for candy… Sharing victim.

Some black cat superstitions:

• Depending on where you come from, a black cat that crosses your path can mean good luck… or bad luck.
• There is a medieval belief that black cats are witches in disguise, or witch familiars, creatures that assist in witchcraft.
• Fishermen’s wives would keep black cats to protect their husbands at sea.
• When a sailor walked along the pier, a cat that went before him brought good luck. If the cat crossed his path, his luck would be bad.
• The cats were kept on the ships for good luck.
• If the ship’s cat approached a sailor, good luck would follow. If the cat came close but then strayed, bad luck would befall him.
• A cat thrown overboard was a harbinger of a storm and very bad luck.
• A black cat sneezing near a bride was the harbinger of a happy marriage.
• The druids thought that black cats were humans punished for wrongdoing.
• Finally, some believed that black cats could fly on broomsticks. Obviously, none of them had seen a witch, yet. The truth is, cats, black or not, are not supernatural and bring no special luck…unless they choose to live with you. Being loving and loyal creatures, their choice would make you very lucky.

October 16 is National Wildcat Day.

Everyone has seen them. In alleyways, in the back of restaurants, often running, close to the ground, at dusk or dawn. In rural areas they may inhabit barns or hedges at the edge of a yard. Some 70 million feral cats roam the fringes of society in the US alone. Human sensibilities suggest they live a difficult life battered by the forces of nature in a continuous and all-consuming search for food, safety, and shelter. It’s not a life most people would choose to live. But then, in today’s societies, most people have lost the tools to truly survive in the wild without the social structures to provide them. The cats accept their fate without complaint, but face a complication exasperated by their wild life. Feral cats are cats that are not and have never been domesticated. They live in environments that exert natural procreation and population controls. These controls do not exist in feral cat environments. The result is a feral cat population that has literally exploded. This boom in feral cat numbers causes problems for both feral cats and people:

• For cats, there are issues related to cats’ basic instincts for territoriality, hunting habits, their solitary nature, and mating and sexual urges.
• For people, feral cats can have a negative impact on environments where cats are new members. The reduction in the number of rats and other rodents may be welcome, but the impact on the birds, squirrels, and other welcome critters that frequent your backyard may not be appreciated. The feral cat situation is a problem best solved with the intervention of human ingenuity. There are those who advocate a draconian/medieval response by tracking down and killing feral cats. Fortunately, such a solution is not favored by the majority of those who have a respect for life in all its forms. What is needed is an approach that anyone can take. Trap, sterilize, and release programs are just one such approach. Feral cats are captured, neutered, and then returned to the environment from which they came. So ready!! Populations are naturally reduced and mating rituals are eliminated, allowing the cat to live a more stress-free life. What is required for the success of TNR programs is that people participate. Participation is easy because it does not require a commitment to ethical values. It takes time and effort. But, even the endeavor can be easier when implemented by a neighborhood of friends or could become a class project for students.

In celebration of our homeless cat friends, National Feral Cat Day has been designated as October 16. The following is taken from allies of stray cats, an organization dedicated to alleviating the problems associated with feral cat populations. A visit to their site is a good start to become aware not only of feral cat problems, but also how each of us can contribute to their solution.

“On October 16, National Feral Cat Day (NFCD), Alley Cat Allies will launch a campaign to change policies that kill feral cats and kittens. This year, along with newly developed materials to help you introduce the public to the feral cats, begin to shed light on the archaic and entrenched animal control systems across our country, systems that fail to protect the lives of stray and feral cats.

Our message is bolder than in the past because the time has come to lift people up, help public officials uncover the facts about cats, and start changing animal control policies.

Alley Cat Allies implores you to take action: talk to your public officials, ask questions, engage residents in questioning animal control policies, and discuss how animal control practices are harming or helping cats in your area. .

Bringing the facts to the public’s attention is our charge for the 2007 NFCD.”