that time of year

Just a friendly reminder that if you live with a pure black or pure white cat, you might want to keep her indoors for the next few days. I don't know if it's true that misguided individuals like to snatch such beasties for evil Halloweeny purposes, but why risk it? I was in the vet's waiting room once with a man who'd brought in his cat because someone had nabbed her and carved a symbol into her chest (probably as part of a gang initiation, he thought); he was a complete wreck. Tough-seeming guy, too. And that wasn't during the spooky season.

The San Francisco SPCA has nothing to say about that this year, but they do offer some helpful tips for getting your dog in the Halloween spirit, especially if the pup is not entirely comfortable with kids yet. I just like the idea that they're telling dog owners to dress up in cheap masks and limp around the house to acclimate the dog.

Oh, and the cat came out okay.

edit: I spoke too soon. The SFSPCA does have a few words on the vulnerability of ebony felines, as well as an interesting morsel about the evolutionary advantage of having a black coat.