Humane Society Runs Halloween Cat Special

[crasherwake]

The Humane Society in a city near me is using Halloween to promote the adoption of cats. I found an article about it here-- although I don't like that it implies that cats are some kind of accessory. In the comments people slam the promotion, saying that it will result in cats being mistreated because sick people are reportedly out to get cats at

Comments

[sinestetici]

I personally think it's wrong; take Christmas for example. Lots of people get their kids of friends or spouses animals as gifts for Christmas, and then those animals go to way side because the person doesn't bond with them or gets lazy and doesn't take care of them.
I don't know how many people actually mistreat cats on Halloween. I've heard the same thing, and our shelter won't adopt pure black or white cats around the holiday because of that exact same thing.
In short, I think if you want to get an animal for someone as a gift, you need to make sure that the person is ready for it, and allow them to pick it out for themselves. I would even make that person sign a contract that says they will give it back to you if they decide they are not ready for it. Ultimately, the way I see it anyway, if you get an animal for someone else you are ultimately responsible for it in the beginning, and if that person doesn't want it you need to be ready to do what's right.

[crasherwake]

I think you misunderstand. It's not about giving animals as gifts. You adopt the animal and keep it, is the goal. You can't adopt animals and give them away, anyway. Animal shelters don't allow that. If you adopt an animal and, for whatever reason don't want the animal later, you're supposed to give it back to the shelter. It's in the adoption agreement you have to sign.

Anyway, around the holidays shelters and animal organizations will say "open your heart to a pet in need" or whatever, trying to get animals adopted around the holidays. It's basically the same deal.

The issue with black cats and Halloween, I don't know. Should it be a real concern or not? How realistic is it that someone is going to pay $60 to adopt a black cat, go through the screening process and counseling, and then abuse that cat for "fun" on Halloween?

[ferlingmule]

Not to be a jerk, but from what I have observed on Craigslist over the past few months, no matter how illegal it might be (and I agree, it is illegal) people will go ahead and adopt a cat from a shelter and then try to give it away instead of returning it like they're supposed to when they get tired of the pet. Just because they sign a contract doesn't really mean they'll abide by it.

[sotypical42483]

That is good they are charging the $60 cause yeah hopefully that would deter any jerks not thinking of the cats well being. I don't think holidays should be used to get the animals adopted cause like the person above me said, it seems to promote pets as gifts which is a terrible idea. Plus, adopt a cat on Halloween? I mean that doesn't even make sense. Instead of doing special "sales" like this, it should be like, cats over 2 yrs (or whatever) are adopted for half off or something every Monday...something like that...I don't know, the whole thing is so sad =( Stupid people forcing animals to even have to be at shelters =(

[crasherwake]

But you can't give animals away if they're adopted. At least the animals I adopted, you had to sign a contract that states that you would keep the pet and if you couldn't it would be returned to their shelter.

Well Halloween does pique people's interests in cats, since cats are a symbol of Halloween. It's gimmicky, yeah, but I understand the point of it. Holidays and special occasions do get people motivated. It's like, why do you think Farm Sanctuary advertises its Adopt A Turkey Project in the fall and not the spring?

[miiindy]

just because someone signs a contact doesn't mean they follow it.

[crasherwake]

But if someone adopts an animal and immediately gives them away they'll probably get caught. And the shelter would ask people's motives for adopting. If they think someone is going to give the animal as a present, they wouldn't let them adopt a pet.

[virtualannette]

I don't know, I'm not that keen on the association of black cats with halloween being a reason to encourage people to adopt them. I mean, it's a mostly NEGATIVE association and makes the cat into a sort of holiday novelty, just like people buy chicks and bunnies for easter. They could just as easily have had a more creative cat promotion before halloween for other reasons, or something after halloween. That seems like a much better, safer idea to me

[joshthevegan]

A few years ago, there was a stray black cat that the wife and I started noticing a few months after Halloween. He had a huge scar on his head, but was super intelligent and mucho friendly.

Come to find out that one of our neighbors had brought him home (timeline-wise, Halloween would be a good guess, based on his apparent age), decided that they didn't want to care for him anymore, so they put him out on the back porch, cracked him over the head, and left him for dead.

*frowns*

[mynamesjonas]

WHA?! What kind of person thinks that would ever *ever* be the appropriate thing to do? :: mind boogles ::

[mynamesjonas]

(by which i actually meant ' mind boggles'...)

[joshthevegan]

While I think it is wonderful to promote the adoption of cats, there is a potential risk in promoting it specifically around Halloween (or, say, rabbits around Easter). Even if one goes into a shelter, signs the contract, adopts the animal, and gives a loving, nurturing home for the duration of the animal's life, it could (maybe?) spark other, potentially less responsible) people to think (maybe the following year), "Hey! Remember when joshthevegan got that rabbit last Easter? We should do that this year!" and go off and buy one from a breeder.

*shrugs* I just think that specifically associating an animal coming to live with you with a specific holiday could be a (potentially) harmful way to lead by example.

Still, it's nice that they're trying to find homes for them.

[crasherwake]

Hm. I don't think we should abstain from adopting an animal because it might influence someone to go to a breeder. That could happen with any adopted animal. You get a beautiful adopted golden retriever and an acquaintance thinks your dog is awesome and, hey, they always wanted a golden retriever! So they go to a breeder... :|

I do think that the shelter should be really thorough with screening people to be sure that someone is really serious about caring for the cat they adopt, so when Halloween is over they won't be "tired" of their Salem or Samantha.

[tanukisuit]

PAWS has a special where it's $60 (I think?) to adopt an adult dog through the month of October. The fee includes all the vaccinations and alterations. More shelters need to do monthly specials like that instead of holiday things.

[tanukisuit]

Errr the Seattle branch has this.