Why you may not be able to adopt a black cat until after Halloween

NEW YORK (WABC) -- With Halloween a week away, there is concern at animal shelters. Workers are seeing an increase in people who want to adopt black cats. They are worried that they are doing it for the wrong reasons.

While the Humane Society wants to get the animals adopted, if you ask for a black cat specifically, you will have to wait until November.

"When people come in for a black cat, you have to ask why? Why not this lovely white cat?" said Anne-Marie Karash of the Humane Society of New York.

Karash says the close to Halloween they get, the more calls for black cats come in.

"People have called up asking for cats to take to Halloween parties, and they will think 'I'll just bring it tomorrow', and it's like that library book that went missing years ago," adds Karash, "we can't do that - animals shouldn't be live props for anyone."

Too many times people take black cats to the Halloween Parade in the Village, where the cats get spooked, and will scratch people.

"Whoever said black cats are bad luck? The only one that is bad luck is the one that is adopted for Halloween," says Karash.

Shelters like the Humane Society will not give you a pet to match your costume.