Covering Everything You Need To Know About Cat Adoption And The Month Long Holiday That Promotes It
The month of June is a very big deal in the animal lovers community. This is because June is acknowledged and celebrated as National Adopt A Cat Month. As the name implies, this month-long holiday aims to promote and raise awareness about shelter cats and how so many of them desperately need a good home. This article will cover everything you need to know about National Adopt A Cat Month and how you can get involved.
The History Of National Adopt A Cat Month
National Adopt A Cat Month was first founded in 1978 by American Humane. American Humane is an organization that promotes the welfare and safety of animals and aims to strengthen the bond between animals and humans. They are America’s first and oldest humane organization. American Humane celebrates and promotes this month-long holiday every June to coincide with “kitten season” (when most litters of kittens are born). This holiday aims to ease the burden of the influx of kittens that enter animal shelters every June.
A Holiday That Makes A Difference
This is a very important holiday because it sheds a spotlight on the struggles that shelter cats go through everyday. Cat overpopulation is a very serious problem in the U.S. yet many people don’t realize or care. A 2017 study at The Bard Center For Environmental Policy found that there are an estimated 50 to 70 million feral cats living in America. National Adopt A Cat Month brings this problem to the forefront and gets the conversation going. Once we begin to discuss the problem, we can then begin to find solutions.
The Sad Truth About Shelter Cats
According to the A.S.P.C.A. (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) roughly 3.2 million cats enter U.S. animal shelters every year. Sadly out of those 3.2 million cats, roughly 530,000 of them are euthanized every year. This is mostly due to a lack of staff, resources, and space. While these numbers continue to go down every year, they are still staggeringly high. But, these numbers can be changed thanks to your efforts.
Reasons To Adopt
Adopting a cat or kitten is a truly wonderful and selfless act that everyone benefits from. The cat/kitten gets a new forever home, the local animal shelter now has one less animal to care for, and you get a sweet, cuddly, and loving new addition to your family. We strongly encourage adoption because there are so many cats and kittens out there that desperately need a new home. Adoption isn’t just providing them with a new home, it’s giving them a second chance at life.
Reasons Not To Purchase
To be clear, purchasing a cat or kitten from a private breeder is absolutely fine. But, we strongly advise you to do your research and background check the breeder before purchasing any animals from them. We are animal lovers and we only support responsible and humane animal breeding. Many cat breeders will cut corners or take shortcuts to maximize profits. In these cases, the animals suffer on a physical, mental, and social level.
Additionally, going through a breeder can be expensive and you also run the risk of your cat having health problems that result from inbreeding. If you’d like to learn more about cat inbreeding and the potential health complications, check out CatQueries.com.
We also suggest not purchasing a cat or kitten from pet stores. Many pet stores acquire their cats & kittens from breeding operations known as kitten mills. Most kitten mills are focused on maximizing profit while investing little to no resources into it. As a result, they often have inadequate and inhumane living conditions. Always do your research about where your cat or kitten is coming from beforehand.
How You Can Get Involved
This June, we encourage you to get involved with this amazing month-long holiday known as National Adopt A Cat Month. An obvious way to get involved is to adopt a shelter cat. Considering there are millions of shelter cats in the U.S. that are in need of a good home, you’re bound to find the right one for you.
If adoption isn’t a good option for you right now, then you can also get involved by donating to your local animal shelter. Any donation goes a long way and most animal shelters are always in need of more resources like food, blankets, towels, and funding.
If donating money and resources isn’t a good option either, then you should consider volunteering your time at a local animal shelter. Animal shelters are always in need of more help from fellow pet lovers like you. Volunteering at your local animal shelter is a great way to give back to your community and learn more about animal care in general.
Spread The Word!
Lastly, we ask that you help this cause by spreading the word about National Adopt A Cat Month. Share this article with your fellow pet lovers and be sure to mention National Adopt A Cat Month on social media like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Use the #AdoptACatMonth handles to help spread awareness about this amazing, educational, pet themed holiday. We hope you enjoyed this article and be sure to check out some of our other incredible pet holiday blogs. Click here to see all of our other blogs and be sure to check out the official My Dog Walker & Pet Sitting website.