Thursday, 29 October, 2009, is National Cat Day.

It is a national holiday designed to celebrate cats for all of their unconditional love and loyalty that they give to us. It is also a day to accept new cats and kittens into our lives through fostering and adoption.

Pet Lifestyle Expert and Animal Behaviorist, Colleen Paige, founded National Cat Day in an effort to help educate the public on the vast numbers of cats sitting in animal shelters across the US waiting for a forever home.

Ms. Paige also hoped to encourage owners of cats to celebrate the cat or cats in their life for the companionship that they provide.

The Animal Miracle Network

The objective of the National Cat Day is to assist in at least 10,000 adoptions of shelter cats throughout the USA on 29 October. National Cat Day is one of the multiple national holiday events dedicated to dogs, cats, horses and other animals and pets, which have been established by The Animal Miracle Network.

The Animal Miracle Network is a network that aims to connect animal rescue organizations, animal shelters, and animal related businesses with like minded animal lovers who care deeply about helping homeless animals to find new, forever homes through their direct involvement in national holiday events.

These national holiday events allow animal lovers the opportunity to honor their dearly loved pets with a special holiday dedicated solely to them and to the unconditional way in which they bestow their love upon their human caretakers.

These national animal holidays also allow animal shelters and rescue organizations with an opportunity to raise awareness of the many cats and kittens currently residing in the shelters and in foster care arrangements.

The Animal Miracle Network’s main ambition is to assist in finding homes for all of America’s homeless animals. They also approve of the disabling of puppy mills and are against Breed Specific Legislation. Pet shops that sell animals and other businesses that deal in animal fur products are not allowed to vend at any of the national events that are sponsored by The Animal Miracle Network. They are also big advocates for spaying and neutering of cats and dogs.

This year’s National Cat Day will be the first year that The Animal Miracle Network will endeavor to track the total number of cats adopted from animal shelters and rescue organizations throughout the USA. Whilst this is a first for the cats, the National Dog Day event in previous years has surpassed their yearly goals for dogs that are adopted by more than 12,000 dogs.

The founder of the National Cat Day, Colleen Paige, explains, “We put a lot of manpower into communicating with our affiliate event promoters and shelters around the country that signed up to participate. We’ll only take credit for the numbers we directly receive from our adoption sources.”

National Statistics

The Animal Miracle Network has estimated that there are about 4 million cats that arrive at various animal shelters and rescue organizations in the US each year. The majority of these cats are taken in because they lack the proper identification to locate their missing owners. The rest are handed over by their owners because they are not as appreciated as dogs are.

Sadly, approximately 1 to 2 million of these cats are euthanized each year before they have the opportunity of finding forever homes.

What Can You Do To Help?

Most probably you are already the caretaker to one or more lovable cats. If so you can take full advantage of this national holiday to totally spoil your kitty! Buy your cat a few new toys or some yummy treats.

“In this difficult economy, if all you can afford is time, spend some of it with your furry feline,” says Paige. “That’s more important to them then all the catnip in the world.”

If you are able to adopt a cat, please visit your nearest animal shelter or contact your local cat rescue organization. Providing a forever home for homeless cat and giving it the love and attention it so deserves is one of the most selfless acts you can do.

If adopting or fostering a cat or kitten is not an option for you, you can still show your support for National Cat Day by volunteering to help out at your local animal shelter. You could volunteer to clean the cats’ cages, or just simply play with them for a while.

Another great idea is to host your own event in honor of National Cat Day, such as a cat party or bake sale. You could donate any proceeds to your local animal shelter or cat rescue organization.

No matter what you do on 29 October just make sure that you celebrate all that cats have to offer.

Photo Credit: Mendocino Animal Care