Happy Howl-o-ween from your Howling at the Moon columnist.

Halloween is a time of black cats. Had I thought ahead, I would have put out a call for one to step up and be this issue's "Gazette Pet". If you have one, we can feature your cat at another time. More and more pet lovers are dressing their pets in costumes. The most popular seems to be the hot dog bun. Send me some pictures. I'll put them on display. Just send me an e-mail. Halloween is also a time of eerie and weird things happening. Let me share with you my "spooky" story.

It happened on a Halloween night, back in the 90s. It was a very warm night. We had finished handing out the candy and all the kids had left. Porch lights were shut off and the street was quiet at last. We were on a sugar high and not ready to go to bed. The night air was pleasant, so Dennis (my husband) and I decided to take a walk. Leaves were blowing and the street lights created a certain aura. As we were walking we noticed that we were being followed......By a kitten. My first inclination was to stop and pet it but Dennis stopped me. Once you do that, they follow you. But it already was. We kept walking without acknowledging it. It stayed with us. Absurdly, we (two grown adults) started running from it. We didn't want it to follow us home and get lost. It ran after us. Two blocks later we ran in the house and slammed the door. The next morning it was on our doorstep when we woke up. We named her Spooky since she came to us on Halloween night. She grew to be a beautiful kitty. She was a tortoise shell cat.

Two or three years later, on Halloween night, Spooky left us, never to return again. We think she slipped out the door as we were handing out treats. How odd is that? Get her on Halloween and lose her on Halloween. Spooky lived up to her name.

Please take heed from this story and keep your pets secure on this busy night. As noted they can slip out the door. Chocolate can be fatal to dogs so be aware of where you keep your candy dish. If you have a black cat, make sure it is out of harm's way as those with bad intentions may abuse it.

Trick or Treat!