Terrassa temporarily bans the adoption of black cats to protect them from possible rituals at Halloween

The City Council has decided to temporarily suspend their adoption at the Centro de Atención de Animales Domésticos (CAAD) until 1 November, a preventive measure intended to protect them from rituals, abuse or adoptions driven by superstitions.

The announcement was made by the Animal Welfare councillor, Noel Duque Alarcón, who explained on social media that the aim is “to protect the most vulnerable animals” and to remind people that adoption is not a symbolic act but a lifelong commitment.

The decision is based on experiences from previous years, when the municipal centre detected an unusual rise in applications focused on dark-furred cats in the days before Halloween. «They are patterns that raise suspicions: not every request reflects a genuine desire to adopt», Duque stressed.

Animal protection organisations welcome the measure. They have long warned about the dangers faced by black cats because of their unfair association with bad luck or legends of witches. Although there are no official figures, the groups agree that this time of year multiplies the risks of mistreatment and abandonment.

With this decision, Terrassa gets ahead of the calendar of fear and breaks superstition with empathy and common sense, protecting those who need it most: the felines that myth turned into a symbol.