Halloween, black cats, and good luck

Halloween is here and it’s time for trick or treating. Watson can hardly wait to run to the door to greet the ghosts and ghouls who come for candy. Last year Superman, Wonder Woman and their Super Kids surprised us with a magic trick before we gave them a treat. It was great!

One symbol of Halloween that has consistently gotten a bad rap is the black cat. It seems to have started in Europe during the Middle Ages when cats and single women were associated with witchcraft. Cats weren’t witches but conspirators. The “witch” usually owned land or something others wanted and labeling her was a way to obtain her property.

In many cultures black cats are considered good luck and are prized for their sleek shiny coats. There is no specific breed of black cat, but there are more male than female born. Many black cats have intense golden eyes because of high melanin pigment content. Perhaps the unusual eye color and shiny black fur made them a target for the “witch” hunters.

In Ancient Egypt cats were worshiped as sacred, and they symbolized Bastet, the cat goddess of protection. Cats were mummified and buried with their masters. Today many cultures revere black cats and prize them as a symbol of good luck.

In Ireland, England and Scotland, if a black cat crosses your path you are blessed and fortunate. The Japanese have Fortune Cats which are statues of cats with a raised paw. They are meant to bring good luck and wealth.

My favorite is the French belief that if you release a black cat at a crossroads containing five intersecting roads and follow the cat he will lead you to a treasure. I think the greatest treasure is owning a black cat. Have a purrfect Halloween!

IN NEED OF

Folks to receive our CAPS newsletter. If you would like to receive the newsletter, please call 775-423-7500 and provide us with your email or home mailing address.

Dog walkers; we desperately need volunteers to walk and socialize our dogs. Call 775-423-7500 for details.

Aluminum cans; if you have cans to pick up, give us a call (775-423-7500), and we will come get them.

SHOUT OUT TO

Everyone who attended out Murder Mystery Dinner. You have made the difference in our shelter for the coming year. Your support means the world to us! All of the folks who donated their time, resources and energy to make our Murder Mystery possible. You are the heart and soul of CAPS!

COME SEE US

CAPS will be at Walmart on Nov. 3 with the Kissin’ Booth and a puckered-up pooch. Come by to get your pooch smooch. We have colorful caps and shirts, so be sure to check out the new merchandise after you have loved on our pup.

DON’T FORGET

October Pet Holiday: Black Cat Month.

To register in the AmazonSmile program, a website operated by Amazon. Customers enjoy same selection of products, low prices and shopping features as on Amazon.com. The only difference is that, when you shop on AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5 percent of the price of eligible purchases to the charitable organization selected by you.

Flower Tree Nursery will again be raffling a 20-gallon blue spruce on Dec. 15, and the winner doesn’t have to be present to win. The raffle tickets are available at Flower Tree, and they are $1 for one ticket and $5 for six tickets.

CONTACT CAPS

CAPS’ mailing address is P.O. Box 5128, Fallon, NV 89407. CAPS’ phone number is 775-423-7500. CAPS’ email address is caps@cccomm.net. Please visit the CAPS website (www.capsnevada.com) and Facebook page (Churchill Animal Protection Society). Be sure to “Like” CAPS on Facebook because we are really likeable.

CAPS is open to the public on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Kathleen Williams-Miller is a CAPS volunteer. Contact me, jkwmil@outlook.com.