To avoid any tricks, keep cats indoors on Halloween

The season of ghosts and goblins is upon us. This can be a fun, delightful time for those of us with small children who are still willing to dress in costume, but it can also be a time of terror for our feline friends, especially the black ones.

Halloween, seems to be a time when youngsters and teens (without good adult role models to follow) let their frustrations out on felines and abuse them. Please consider this an appeal to anyone who is a caretaker of an outside/inside, feline to keep it indoors.

The Buddy Foundation, has a strict policy of requiring our felines to remain indoors. We are also mindful of the fact that not all caretakers of felines agree with us. Even if you do not agree with our "inside only" policy for felines, please, keep your animal inside this trick-or-treat season. Imagine the horror you would feel if your feline did not come home for several days, came home injured or never came home again. Do not give pranksters the opportunity to harm your beloved pet.

If you have been feeding a black feline and have been toying with the idea of keeping it inside, now is the time to act and possibly save its life. Even if you are not caring for an outside feline, keep one out of harms way if you come across one. Confine any stray to a garage, spare bedroom or bathroom. This action will keep at least one more feline safe from harm.

Now that the outside felines are safe, we can focus on our own indoor cats who need to be safe from the dangers of Halloween.

The most obvious danger is indoor decorations. Why not just skip the elaborate decorations? Avoid decorative strands of lights, spider web-like cotton and any twine-like material. These are all items that will cause you to take an unexpected trip to the veterinarian if your animal ingests them.

Candy left unmonitored is another culprit. Candy should be kept in a cabinet that closes securely until the tricksters arrive. If there is a lull in traffic at the door, secure the candy away, candy left on the counter or by a door is an invitation to explore and ingest.

Lastly, an unusual amount of foot traffic and doorbell ringing will make any animal buddy anxious. Just to be safe, why not place your feline in a spare room that does not have access to the main entryway? Then you will be certain that your animal is safe and emotionally calm.

Featured felines:

Carmel, a spayed 8-month-old, female torby with white, found herself abandoned in a box in front of an animal hospital. She is sweet and affectionate with people, but merely tolerates other felines. She probably would prefer to be the only feline in the household.

Savannah, a 4- or 5-month-old kitten, does not look her age because she was the smallest in a litter of five. She is extremely outgoing and playful and is kid and canine tested She is one happy adjusted kitten.

Sherman, who has spots and stripes, is considered a tabby. He is 6 months old and is neutered. His markings strongly resemble an Egyptian Maui, even down to the classic broken necklace markings. Sherman, is a lover, he loves people, other felines and canines too.

Adoption events: From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 27 The Buddy Foundation will be at Advantage Chrysler Jeep, 77 Rand Road in Des Plaines. Also featured will be photos with Wanda the Witch. Bring the entire family in costume, including your pets. Our barbecue grill will provide the food. Also from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 27, Buddy will be at PetCo in the Mount Prospect Plaza, Rand and Central roads.

Visit Peche's Flower and Garden Center from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 28 for more adoptable animals and photos with Wanda the Witch. Come in costume.