The Real Indiana Town That Made Black Cats Wear Bells

Quick Take

• A tiny Indiana town once passed a law so strange it sounds fictional, though the reason behind it was dead serious. See the strange origins →
• When the town skipped enforcement just once, residents were convinced something had gone very wrong. The fallout that followed only made the law harder to ignore. Read about the 1941 fallout →
• The ordinance was never officially repealed, a fact that raises an uncomfortable question about whether it is technically still in effect. Trace the ordinance's fate →
• The law wasn't really about cats. It was a calculated response to something much bigger gripping the country at the time. Discover the real motivation →

Laws typically focus on public safety, wildlife protection, traffic control, or local disputes. However, in 1939, French Lick, Indiana, passed a real ordinance requiring all black cats to wear bells on Friday the 13th. While this sounds like the plot to a Halloween story, the law was a genuine municipal response to the superstitions and anxieties of the era. Here’s how one small Indiana town turned folklore into law.

Why French Lick Required Bells on Black Cats

On October 13, 1939, French Lick, Indiana, passed a highly unusual law: whenever Friday the 13th occurred, all black cats in town had to wear a bell for 24 hours. According to the town council, the combination of Friday the 13th and the long-held superstition surrounding black cats created unnecessary stress for many residents. The new ordinance also came during a time when residents were already tense because World War II had recently begun in Europe.

Instead of trying to change public beliefs and superstitions, officials created the law as a practical safety measure to ease residents’ anxiety. By regulating the cats, the town board used its local authority to address a widespread superstition and provide comfort to a public already stressed by growing national and international uncertainty.

How the Law Was Enforced

The town marshal was responsible for enforcing the law, ensuring all local black cats wore bells for the 24 hours of Friday the 13th, beginning at midnight. According to reports from the time, the marshal enforced this temporary rule on the “fateful Fridays” following its adoption.

When Enforcement Broke Down

The law’s first major failure occurred in 1941 when the town failed to enforce the bell requirement. The New York Times later reported that 1941 was the only year the town ignored the law after its 1939 adoption.

Local accounts claimed the town suffered “a number of minor mishaps” during the period when the town ignored the ordinance. Residents blamed these incidents on the un-belled black cats, which reinforced the very superstition the law meant to ease. While these mishaps were unproven and anecdotal, they briefly brought attention back to the unusual municipal decree.

What Happened to the Ordinance?

After World War II, enforcement faded as the social anxieties that inspired the law began to subside. Rather than being formally repealed by a public vote, the law quietly fell out of use, and the updated town code no longer includes it.

According to the French Lick West Baden Museum, the ordinance has not been officially repealed and technically remains on the books as of 2026, though it is no longer enforced and survives only as a historical curiosity.

Whether quietly abandoned or technically still on the books, the 1939 black cat bell ordinance remains a unique example of local public safety powers accommodating a superstition. It illustrates how even the strangest laws reflect the fears, beliefs, and culture of their specific time era.