Black cats popular on Halloween, but often snubbed in shelters | Lifestyles

JOHNSTOWN, Pennsylvania – On Halloween, black cats are witches’ sidekicks. At the Humane Society of Cambria County and animal shelters across the country, black cats wait, often in vain, for adopters to cross their path.

“There are adopters who cling to their superstitions,” said Jessica Vamos, executive director of HSCC.

A 2020 American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals study found black cats have the lowest adoption levels, with 30% left behind in animal shelters, as reported by National Today . The study, which looked at 300,000 dogs and cats, also found that of all cats housed in shelters, 33% were black – the highest percentage.

Vamos said that, in his experience, many pet researchers want cats that have colors and patterns.

“Black cats have a simple appearance compared to calico cats with different markers,” Vamos said. “Adopters are more drawn to these characteristics.”

Shy shy

“Shy Shy,” a one-year-old black cat with feline leukemia, poses for a photo Oct. 13 at the Humane Society of Cambria County in Richland Township.

Yet Vamos saw people take pride in their black cats. Sometimes it is not the cat itself that is memorable, but the owners of the cat.

In 1991, a couple adopted a black kitten named India for their daughters. When the girls grew up and went to college, India stayed at home. When the couple moved from the Texas governor’s mansion to the White House, India moved with them. She was the presidential cat of former US President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush, according to an article by Rick Dunham of the Houston Chronicle.

Other unique circumstances can drive black cats to forever homes. Vamos cited the case of a kitten who had an eye problem that made her appear to have special needs.

“Pepper was a kitten born in our shelter,” Vamos said. “He came from a multicolored litter of seven. The three gray cats were adopted. Pepper and his brother Oregano were black cats, but Pepper was adopted. … People want to help those with special needs.

Oregano, meanwhile, is now five months old and still in the shelter, Vamos said.

To help cats such as oregano, HSCC is working on creating “community chat rooms” – spaces that hold four to six cats. This allows adopters “to see their personalities and how they interact with cats,” she said.

Although some believe that adopting black cats on Halloween results in mistreatment, the HSCC allows the adoption of black cats at this time of year.

“We are confident in our adoption process,” said Vamos. “We are also convinced that this person is the owner of a pet.”

To adopt a pet, a person must submit an application and complete a background check. It takes three to five days to process the adopter’s home and check references.

Regarding the background check, “if the adoptee is a tenant, we make sure the landlord agrees with a cat,” Vamos said, and if an adoptee has owned animals in the past, ” we talk to the vet clinic to see what the care looked like.

LaToya Bicko is a freelance writer for the Johnstown, Pa. Tribune-Democrat.