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| Oliver |
Today is Halloween and the bowl of chocolate sits on the table near the front door. Halloween is one of those holidays that I would completely miss except for the barrage of candy advertisements and horror films on TCM that overwhelms my senses. Being a good neighbor, I pass out the candy, oohing and aahing over the princesses, pirates and assorted cartoon characters that will cross my door way this evening.
My ambivalence towards this holiday has much to do with the impact trick or treating has on my family of cats. Frightened of the door bell, in mass they scramble and skid across the laminate floors, bolting down to the basement. This pattern of running downstairs is repeated until seven o’clock when I hand out the last piece of chocolate and turn off the lights. For some of my cats, the anxiety is so great that they hide for several days afterwards only emerging upstairs after bribes of their favorite food.
Cats, black cats in particular, are symbolic of Halloween. Associated with witchcraft, many cats have fallen victim to ritualistic cruelty and death. For their protection, many shelters prohibit the adoption of black cats during the month of October. Having three black cats in my home, I have seen little evidence of satanic behavior in them. For that matter, Mama, Gabriel and Oliver are first rate love kittens who take every opportunity to climb into my lap for cuddling. If kitty kisses are the work of the devil, I guess there won’t be a room for me in heaven. Hopefully there will be a sunny spot for me on the other side of the rainbow bridge.
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