National Adopt a Cat Month is in June, and as the name implies, it’s a month designed to encourage people to adopt a cat as their new pet. It’s estimated that approximately 3.2 million cats end up in animal shelters every year, and a significant number of those end up being euthanized.

That doesn’t have to be the case, however. If people would take the time to observe this month and adopt a new pet cat, then a dent could be placed in those numbers. This is something that should be seriously thought about because owning a pet cat lowers the risk of stress and anxiety, is a great companion in the fight against loneliness, and may even protect the home against mice and other rodents. All are good reasons to consider a cat for the family.

The History of National Adopt a Cat Month

The American Humane Association started this month way back in 1974 to encourage more people to adopt a pet cat. They did this to combat the growing problem of cats finding their way into shelters — often at a rate higher than dogs end up in shelters.

Although there isn’t any data that we could find to determine if this month has been successful in reducing the number of cats that end up in shelters, we like to think that it has over the past 48+ years.

Incredible Facts About Cats

We were going to name the title of this section “Purrfect Facts About Cats,” but we thought that was a little cheesy, so we used the above title and decided to focus on the quality of the facts that we were presenting. Below are some cat-related facts we feel everyone can appreciate.

• Cats cannot taste sweetness.
• Humans have 206 bones, but cats have 230 bones.
• Cats are equipped with a rough tongue that can lick the meat right off a bone.
• Indoor cats live longer than outdoor cats.
• In a cat fight, the cat that is hissing is most often the vulnerable one.
• Cats have an intense dislike for the smell of citrus.

Observing National Adopt a Cat Month

The most logical way of observing National Adopt a Cat Month is by adopting a cat, but since we know that not everyone can do that, we advise that people volunteer their time or donate money to their local animal shelters during this month.

We also encourage people to spread the word about this month and the plight of millions of cats every year by using the hashtag #AdoptACatMonth on their social media accounts. And if a person can adopt a cat, then great! That is something they should definitely do.