The Spanish town of Terrassa in north-eastern Catalonia has temporarily banned the adoption of black cats from animal shelters to prevent potentially sinister 'rituals' during Halloween.
All requests for the fostering or adoption of the felines will be denied from October 6 to November 10 to protect them from being hurt or used as props, said the local animal welfare service.
Deputy Mayor Noel Duque told broadcaster RTVE that adoption requests for 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, see them as symbols of prosperity and fortune.
Terrassa's city council stated that there has been no record of cruelty towards black cats in the town; however, there have been incidents in other areas, prompting the decision after warnings from animal welfare groups.
'We try to prevent people from adopting because it's trendy or impulsively. And in cases like these, which we know exist, to prevent any macabre practices,' Duque said.
Terrassa is home to more than 9,800 cats, with the town's adoption centre housing around 100 felines, including 12 black cats, as reported by the Catalan News Agency.
The city council emphasized that the measure is 'temporary and exceptional,' representing an extra precaution for animal welfare, yet it does not rule out the possibility of repeating the ban in the future.
Exceptions during the ban period will be assessed individually by the adoption centre, with normal fostering requests resuming after Halloween.
