Well boys and girls, Halloween is right around the corner, and you all know what that means: Candy!
Yes, it’s the time of year when store shelves overflow with super-sized bags of goodies. Some will be given out to costumed tykes with eyes aglow and pumpkin baskets at the ready. Most will be imbibed by overweight suburbanites in front of the television watching a Medium mini-marathon.
It really doesn’t make a difference if it’s adults or kids are eating all the treats, the result will inevitably be the same pudgy tummies and sugar headaches. But it doesn’t really matter; it’s only one night (OK, week) of indulgence. A few harmless bonbons and lollipops won’t really kill you, but they may contain something that killed someone else.
Gelatin, for those not in the know, is the bane of the sweet-toothed vegetarian. It is, to quote a handy definition from PETA’s Caring Consumer web site, “protein obtained by boiling skin, tendons, ligaments and/or bones with water. From cows and pigs.” It can be found in nearly everything from yogurt to marshmallows, and of course gel candies.
Which brings me to the point; some candies may not cause you any real long-term harm, but that gelatin in them certainly caused some harm to a few (thousand) animals. So why don’t you do the pigs and cows a favor, especially if you still eat them otherwise, and lay off the gelatin laced candy.
Actually, why not go crazy and only eat vegan candy? It’s actually super easy, and cheaper than buying that jumbo bag of chocolates. Some of your favorite non-chocolate candies are probably already vegan and you don’t even know it. I’ve made it easy to find out by including some web addresses so you can check out what vegans really eat when they crave sweets (yep, we eat junk food too), and anything else for that matter.
The first address is a page specifically for Halloween candy; the other is an entire site dedicated to the foods that are vegan (often) unintentionally, which means you can buy them almost anywhere.
www.peta.org/feat/halloween01/
www.peta.org/accidentallyVegan/
Moving on to another Halloween related topic, I’d like to address something disturbing I noticed the last time I went to the animal shelter. Black cats are overtaking the cat room.
It’s bad enough when the room is packed normally but to see such a callous display of human stupidity is abominable.
Black cats occur in nature of course, but when the cat room is 50 percent black cats in the month leading up to Halloween, it is no feat of nature.
Human ignorance has impregnated the minds of too many Washington County residents. The idea of making a quick buck by breeding black cats to sell this time of year is not only pathetic but deadly.
Breeding cats any time is a bad idea, and breeding with the intention of selling the kittens as if they were little party favors is just wrong. A cat is a living, breathing creature capable of love, devotion and kindness not a present or a piece of holiday dcor.
And of course, when the money-making scheme doesn’t pan out and instead of a pocketful of cash, the house is full of mewing fur-balls with mouths to feed, off to the shelter.
Sadly, this is no quick fix. The shelter may take cats in, but they often don’t adopt them out. Euthanasia is the end for too many animals that never asked to be bred.
The only good idea when it comes to breeding an animal is to not do it.
My final bit of animal rights related Halloween advice is to keep your animals super safe in the coming days of festivities (and always!).
You should always keep cats indoors (even typically outside cats) for a few days before, during and after Halloween to avoid them becoming casualties of vicious pranks by sick creeps. Even if it means keeping them in the garage or a spare bedroom, this will help ensure their safety. An upset kitty is still better than one that has been tortured and killed.
If you plan to dress up Fido, please make sure he’s feeling it, too.
Many dogs love being dressed up and pampered, but just as many hate costumes and clothes and would rather eat broccoli than wear a sweater. Of course if Petunia adores her princess outfit, by all means deck her out, just please be sure to check for loose threads, beads and any other bits or pieces that may fall off (or get pulled off) and get eaten. This goes for cats as well, but fewer people are daring enough to dress Fluffy in a tutu.
If your animal companion is going out trick-or-treating with the family, be sure to adorn him with reflective tape the same way you would a child. Leashes are a must, as animals are more prone to freaking out around people in scary costumes or loud noises. If your dog or cat get skittish around strangers or commotion, it would be better to leave them at home and appreciate their cuteness after the candy gathering.
And I wouldn’t be a very good animal rights person if I didn’t include the age-old piece of candy and companion animal wisdom: do not let your dog or cat eat any of the spoils of Halloween. All candy can be dangerous to non-human animals, but chocolate is by far the worst.
Even a relatively small amount can cause serious injury or death.
So, in closing I say have a happy and healthy Halloween. Keep your animals safe and enjoy the (vegan) plunder All Hallows Eve has to offer.
Be sure to check out the cutest e-card ever at origin.www.peta2.com/ecard/halloween05/, and if you’re feeling extra generous and want to send me a feel-good message, drop me a bag of Swedish Fish at the East Tennessean office, they’re my favorite.
Questions or comments? Shoot me an e-mail to mohawktown@hotmail.com.

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