Called a Witch [Archive]

libracats

01-22-2002, 10:58 PM

I volunteer for a Cat Rescue organization. I help out every Sat. and Sun. at Cat adoption, interviewing potential new cat owners.This past Sun. I adopted a beautiful black 10 month old female cat to a lovely new cat owner. She was 19 years old(very mature for her age). She said she had never had a cat before because her parents hated cats!( The family had grown up with Dogs.) I asked her why she wanted a cat and she said " I have always loved Cats". She was living with her brother,who she said liked Dogs better than cats but had said it was OK with him if she got a cat. So she went home smiling from ear to ear with her new kitty. Well, here's the story. Her brother called her mother as soon as she got home and said "She brought home a BLACK one". She returned the Cat to us saying her Mother had called her a WITCH. for adopting a Black cat!!!! I feel so sorry for this girl. She would have made such a great cat mom. But I Know that it just wasnt meant to be for her right now.
I needed to share this, thanks for listening.

zippy-kat

01-22-2002, 11:14 PM

Oh my goodness! Wow...even now some people still believe the fables/stereotypes/old wives tales/etc etc still hold true!

That *REALLY* shocks:eek: (& angers:mad: ) me!! I feel so sorry for the girl!

It is good that the cat came back to your rescue organization. Had the owner tried to keep it, there's no telling what her brother/mother/father may have done to it in the future (esp. around Halloween).

How do you reach people like the mother/brother and educate them to see past their ignorance?! It seems as though they definetly aren't open to different opinions....

:( :( :(

I hope the kitty finds a loving fur-ever home soon!

libracats

01-22-2002, 11:31 PM

Heres a picture of the kitty. Her name is Glory.
http://kobie.petfinder.org/CA207.531398.jpg
You can see her and others at http://web1.petfinder.org/pet.cgi?action=1&pet.Shelterid=CA207&preview=1

thelmalu99

01-23-2002, 12:24 AM

Oh, Libra...
I just can't express my sadness!
Glory is such a beautiful cat, and I just can't understand why these people feel the way that they do. :( I'm just glad that this young lady knew to take Glory back to you. As Zippy said, who knows what they might have done to this sweet kitty in their ignorance...:( :(
I'm so sorry...I don't know what else to say, I'm in tears right now.
I just want to say that I so admire people like you that work so hard to help these poor animals that so desperately need someone to love them and give them a good home.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo,
Thelma, Elvis,
Danny and Yertle

Former User

01-23-2002, 01:38 AM

oh my...am I a witch now because of Casper? :D :D :D :D
Ok...gonna put a spell on everyone so they would take very good care of their furkids!

Pam

01-23-2002, 06:16 AM

Gosh for every heartwarming story that we read on Cat of the Day and here at Pet Talk, sadly it seems to be that there must be an equally horrible story. :( Glory is a precious little one (look at those eyes!) and I am so sorry things didn't work out for her. I hope that somewhere out there is a wonderful loving human who will give her the happy home she deserves.

By the way, libracats, I love your Avatar!

Gio

01-23-2002, 07:12 AM

I've been also labelled a witch more than once. I love black cats, in my life I've had three, Titti and Gigio at the same time and Prema is also black. I had people who refused to come to our house when they discovered we had black cats ( :mad: good riddance, their loss is my gain).

My sister also has a black cat and my mother loves them too. Does it mean we are a family of witches??? :D :D :D . I wish, I would teach these ignorant people a lesson!

I feel for the girl, I realise how lucky I am to have parents who love pets and therefore they never deprived me of a pet when my sisters and I were growing up. When he was younger my dad said he did not want any children, only cats. Well èart of his wish came true, plenty of cats but he also got 3 daughters in the bargain :D

Glory is beautiful I hope she will find a loving home soon. She looks a bit like mine...

lynnestankard

01-23-2002, 10:38 AM

Oooooohhh I'm soooo mad!!! How do these awful people live with themselves.:confused:
Here in England black cats are considered LUCKY .
I'm so please 'cos we have two all-black furbabies and one black and white furbaby.
So I'm a witch too I take it.:D :D :D :D
GOOD!!!

NoahsMommy

01-23-2002, 10:42 AM

Libracats, I thank God you are here giving so much love to these sweet kitties, for if it were not for you, who knows what would have happened to Glory. If I didn't have my 2 bunnies, I would add Glory to my house hold in a second! (Hmmm....how to find bunnies a new home...hee hee, just kidding!)

I love black cats too! Our downstairs neighbor has three black cats, two are indoor/outdoor so I get to see them all the time. They are the most beautiful, elegant creatures I have ever seen.

Even though she is only 19, she needs to realize that people treat you only how you allow them to. Very sad that at her age, she is still jumping when mommy says so. :rolleyes:

lynnestankard

01-23-2002, 10:44 AM

jennifert

01-23-2002, 11:06 AM

How sad!! Glory is beautiful! And the look on his face, he looks so confused...:(
I love black animals, all types...horses, dogs, cats...I've grown up with all black animals. The first pet I ever knew was my grandmother's black cat, originally named Blackie! And I rode a black horse named Midnight Warrior for 10 yrs. I never ever thought or remember thinking that there was anything wrong with black animals despite all the hoopla...And I scare easy!
I do feel very sorry for this girl however if at 19, she is still afraid to make her own decisions! I can understand taking your mother's advice into consideration but... She should join this board and we'll give her the confidence to stand her ground! If she adopted an all white cat, would they think she was an angel????

Edwina's Secretary

01-23-2002, 12:58 PM

I am terribly sad for the young woman. She did the right thing. Why expose a cat, whose only crime is to have been born with the wrong color fur, to people such as her mother and brother who are ignorant and backwards enough to believe in witches? "She was smiling from ear to ear." Imagine how she felt -- not only did she have to give back the cat she deeply wanted -- for its own good -- but she also have to face the reality of her family's prejudices and narrowed-mindedness.

AmberLee

01-23-2002, 03:39 PM

It's hard to believe these sorts of attitudes still exist. :eek: :confused:

It's probably best that the girl brought the cat back so it wouldn't be exposed to the brother and mother's attitudes, but !!!! sigh. No words to express it.

Niina -- LOVED your post. {{{Niina and Casper}}} for bringing a smile to my day.

Blessings on you!

tatsxxx11

01-23-2002, 05:47 PM

I am so sickened and sad!!!:( To think that this sweet young woman was willing to give this needy, vulnerable beauty a home, only to be manipulated by an intimidating, ignorant parent is appalling. This deserving baby had a forever home, and now back to the shelter!!! Oh, what must have been going through her sweet little head. Just look at that gorgeous face and those pleading eyes. Thank goodness you are there Libracats to give her love and support until the right family comes along. Just heartbreaking, and totally incomprehensible!:confused: I will say a prayer tonight that Glory will soon find a loving home, FOREVER!! Oh gosh, now I'm crying....Bless you little Glory.

yorkster

01-24-2002, 04:54 PM

What??? I can't believe there are still people out there that think like that! :mad: :confused:

In the 'dark ages' many cats were killed/burned because of those beliefs, and what resulted was a plague (black plague?) that wiped-out a large portion of the population, due to the rodent population getting so far out of control. Don't these people know any history? :confused:

They way they think, it must mean that my entire family are witches since we had two black cats while growing-up (even my Mom, who was a Deacon in the church, AND the church secretary!)

michelene

01-24-2002, 06:00 PM

As Zippy-Kat said, the bright side of this event is that Glory is back in a safe place and can be adopted out to a good forever home. I will keep the intention of finding Glory's best forever home in my prayers.

As for the young lady who was unsuccessful in adopting Glory, she has uncovered some family prejudices she must deal with if she is to adopt any pet, especially a cat. Eradicating the negative misconceptions held by family members who lack positive experiences with pets takes a long time. Sometimes it takes many years of living happily with a pet before other family members can even accept that the pet is a permanent part of our life.

In my case, it also required a spouse who loved the animals and fully supported the decision to adopt. I had to be very stubborn every time my parents would insist that the cats were the cause of all my health problems and I should get rid of them. Yes, I have allergic asthma and I am allergic to cats, but I would rather take the asthma and allergy medications every day than give up the companionship of my Buster and the other three cats.

NoahsMommy

01-24-2002, 06:02 PM

Me too Michelene! My babies are totally worth the allergy and asthma medicine I take!! :)

tuxluvr

01-24-2002, 07:07 PM

Originally posted by yorkster
What??? I can't believe there are still people out there that think like that! :mad: :confused:

In the 'dark ages' many cats were killed/burned because of those beliefs, and what resulted was a plague (black plague?) that wiped-out a large portion of the population, due to the rodent population getting so far out of control. Don't these people know any history? :confused:

Amen, Yorkster!! Ignorance has always been its own reward (or punishment)

And Glory looks so much like Casper I did a double take!! What a beautiful face!

When Ritz curls up in "tucked mode" she looks like an all black cat.

wayne0214

01-24-2002, 07:33 PM

I have 4 black cats, all males and two are large for their age. There is one I named Shadow. He is a huge cat for being only 7 months old. Since I havn't weighed him in a while, I'd say he is approaching at least 12 lbs. All of my black cats, including Jumper, are all very affectionate. I suppose I'm a "male witch" also! 'Sorry to hear of a woman with a 14th-century mentality. I don't worry about the daughter eventually being on her own, however, and owning some (black) cats, in due time.:)

The boubonic plague was brought from the East, through the fleas on rats that boarded ships. Many black cats were killed because of religious superstition before the disease struck Europe. The worst of the plague outbtreak was in the year 1364.

...........wayne

yorkster

01-24-2002, 09:31 PM

Originally posted by wayne0214
I have 4 black cats, all males and two are large for their age. There is one I named Shadow. He is a huge cat for being only 7 months old. Since I havn't weighed him in a while, I'd say he is approaching at least 12 lbs. All of my black cats, including Jumper, are all very affectionate. I suppose I'm a "male witch" also! 'Sorry to hear of a woman with a 14th-century mentality. I don't worry about the daughter eventually being on her own, however, and owning some (black) cats, in due time.:)

The boubonic plague was brought from the East, through the fleas on rats that boarded ships. Many black cats were killed because of religious superstition before the disease struck Europe. The worst of the plague outbtreak was in the year 1364.

...........wayne

Wayne, that would make you a warlock! :D :D ;) ha-ha.....

yorkster

01-24-2002, 09:32 PM

Originally posted by Casper_Kitty
oh my...am I a witch now because of Casper? :D :D :D :D
Ok...gonna put a spell on everyone so they would take very good care of their furkids!

good one Casper and kitty! that's a great idea.........:D :D :cool:

libracats

01-25-2002, 06:23 PM

Wow everyone, Thanks for all the replies. I posted this and then got off the computer.:rolleyes: I,too, love black kitties. I have one, Vienna, and a few B&W's as well. I was just so outraged by this incident I had to share. We will find a place for Glory. In the mean time, she does live in someones home and is not caged. But I'm sure it was a bit tramatizing for her.
lynnestankard, I had heard that black cats were concidered lucky in England. You guys sure have the right idea:) :)