萬聖節臨近 黑貓倍受冷落

Halloween is a bad time of year for black cats, with their long-standing connections with witches, hubble-bubble and evil.

Reports of deliberate cruelty to black cats rise especially in the weeks around Halloween in Britain, the RSPCA animal charity said on Wednesday.

But it seems that not only do people treat black cats badly in October -- they shun them for the rest of the year too.

Black cats at animal shelters take longer than others to find homes, probably because of all the superstitions surrounding them, the charity said.

"Unfortunately, black cats often do spend longer in our rehoming centres than others as they are frequently overlooked by potential owners," said shelter manager Beverly Leavy.

"But their fur color makes no difference to how much love they have to give," she added. "The cats are ready to make wonderful pets."

The image problem varies from country to country and often involves black cats crossing people's paths.

Historians differ about the origins of the superstitions.

Some point to the ancient Celts, some to folklore tales that liken cats to snakes and cast them as the constant companions of witches, others to a Medieval belief that they caused the black plague in Europe.

The view that they bring bad luck has also woven its way into art and popular culture.

American writer of macabre tales, Edgar Alan Poe, published a short story "The Black Cat" in 1843 and in the late 19th century a shady cabaret called Le Chat Noir welcomed guests in the Bohemian Montmartre district of Paris.

The RSPCA is appealing for potential owners to come forward for the black cats in its shelters. They can be found on .

對於黑貓來說，萬聖節是一年中最“悲慘”的日子。一直以來，人們都將它們與巫婆、喧鬧以及邪惡聯繫在一起。

英國皇家防止虐待動物協會（RSPCA）於本週三稱，在臨近萬聖節的前幾周，英國故意虐待黑貓的案例數出現上升。

但似乎人們不僅在十月份虐待黑貓，其它時候也是避之不及。

該慈善機構稱，動物收容所裏的黑貓等待領養的時間比其它貓都要長，這或許是因爲那些與之相關的迷信說法。

收容所經理貝弗莉•利維說：“不幸的是，黑貓往往在我們的收養中心待得時間更久，它們常被潛在的收養者們忽視。”

她說：“但它們皮毛的顏色和它們給予人們的愛的多少沒有關係。它們可以成爲很好的寵物。”

各國有關黑貓的迷信說法各不相同，但一般都有忌諱看見黑貓從自己面前走過這一說。

歷史學家對這些迷信說法的起源看法各異。

有些人認爲這源於古凱爾特人，有些人則認爲這與把黑貓比作蛇，總將黑貓與巫婆扯在一起的民間傳說有關，還有一些人認爲這源於中世紀時期的一種有關黑貓在歐洲引發鼠疫的說法。

黑貓會帶來厄運的說法在藝術和流行文化中也有所體現。

美國驚悚小說家埃德加•愛倫•坡曾於1843年發表了一本名爲《黑貓》的短篇小說。19世紀晚期，一家名爲Le Chat Noir（法語，黑貓）的隱祕歌舞表演場所在法國巴黎具有波希米亞風格的蒙馬特區開業。

英國皇家防止虐待動物協會正呼籲潛在的收養者們主動領養收容所的黑貓。具體信息可登陸網站查詢。

Vocabulary:

hubble-bubble: an uproar; a hubbub（騷亂，吵鬧）

shun：to keep away from (a place, person, object, etc.), from motives of dislike, caution, etc.; take pains to avoid（避開）

folklore：the traditional beliefs, legends, customs, etc., of a people; lore of a people（民間傳說）

black plague：鼠疫

macabre：gruesome and horrifying; ghastly; horrible（恐怖的，令人毛骨悚然的）

cabaret：a restaurant providing food, drink, music, a dance floor, and often a floor show（有音樂、歌舞表演的酒店）