The Spanish city council of Terrassa has temporarily suspended both adoptions and fostering of black cats at the municipal Domestic Animal Care Centre (CAAD) between October 1 and November 10.
The move is in effort to protect them from possible acts of cruelty linked to superstition and Halloween rituals.
The measure, announced on October 6 by the councillor for animal welfare, Noel Duque Alarcón, follows concerns raised by several animal protection associations.
According to Duque, the decision is “a strictly preventive and temporary action” designed to safeguard the welfare of animals that are still, even today, the victims of centuries-old myths.
“There is an underworld we cannot deny, but at least we can warn [people],” he stated, emphasising that the ban is not discriminatory but purely protective in nature.
The council explained that, in the days leading up to Halloween, shelters often saw a spike in requests for black cats — many of them, staff suspect, made for dubious reasons.
“These patterns make us suspect that not all potential adopters have a genuine intention to care for the animals,” Duque said in a social-media video. “In Terrassa, if you want to adopt a black cat, you’ll have to wait until after Halloween.”
Although the local police have not reported any confirmed cases of ritual abuse involving cats, rabbits, or other small animals in Catalonia during recent All Saints’ Days, incidents in other parts of Spain have prompted caution.
In October last year, for instance, the remains of a ram were found following an alleged satanic act near Madrid. Such cases, though rare, reinforce concerns among animal welfare groups.
The CAAD Terrassa currently houses more than 100 cats, including around a dozen black ones. Staff insist that adoptions must always be responsible and lasting, with every applicant undergoing strict checks.
“It’s ironic,” remarked one of the centre’s veterinarians. “For most of the year, no one wants a black cat because of the superstition that they bring bad luck — then, suddenly, they become highly sought after for all the wrong reasons.”
Animal welfare organisations across Catalonia support the council’s measure.
Carme Parrot, president of Progat de Terrassa, called it “a sad but necessary precaution.” Her group manages some 1,000 stray cats across the city.
“It’s madness that black cats are still stigmatised — sometimes feared, sometimes fetishised — but rarely treated simply as the beautiful, loving animals they are,” she said.
Likewise, Claudia Matheja, head of the Lliga Protectora d’Animals de Sabadell, confirmed that her shelter also withholds black cat adoptions every October.
“If someone wants a black cat, we reserve it for after Halloween. It’s the safest option,” she explained.
Once the precautionary period ends on November 10, Terrassa’s adoption procedures will return to normal.
The council plans to review the effectiveness of the measure and decide whether it should become an annual safeguard.
