Columbia has no outright ban but uses discretion near Halloween

Where black cats are concerned, sometimes Halloween tricks get out of hand in the form of animal abuse. While there are no strict policies prohibiting black cat adoption in the Columbia area — as there are in certain places, such as Boise, Idaho — the Columbia Humane Society and the Fulton City Animal Control Center do use discretion in pre-Halloween adoptions.

Until this year, the Fulton facility had a policy restricting the adoption of black cats in the week leading up to Halloween. Now, the center requires people adopting pets to pay for spaying or neutering upon adoption rather than a mere $12 adoption fee for new pets.

Laura Schroer, an animal control officer at the Fulton center, said the new, more expensive adoption policy deters those who may want to adopt for the wrong reasons, such as for Halloween pranks.

“In the past, it has been a problem,” Schroer said. “To spay a female cat, it costs $74 and to neuter a male cat, it costs $53. Because of this cost, we no longer have the (restrictive) adoption policy, but we do use our discretion. If we feel uncomfortable, we will make them wait until after Halloween to adopt.”