Looking for a way to celebrate our feline friends this month? Here are a few fun May cat activities.
NOTE: Due to the coronavirus pandemic, many events have been cancelled. But here are some virtual events you can check out.
All month: National Pet Month; Chip Your Pet Month
Give your cat a little extra love and respect today. Photo by Shutterstock
2-8: Be Kind to Animals Week
The American Humane Association created Be Kind to Animals Week in 1915 to encourage compassion toward animals. Every year, animal shelters across the country hold special events during this time-honored week to raise awareness about animals in both our homes and communities. Here are just a few ways you can celebrate this week: adopt your next pet from an animal shelter, volunteer at or donate to your local animal shelter, spay/neuter your pets and encourage friends and family to do the same, and speak out in your community about the importance of respecting animals.
2-8: National Pet Week
National Pet Week was created by the American Veterinary Medical Association in 1981 to celebrate the pets that enrich our lives, while encouraging responsible pet care every day of the year. Our pets are always there for us, and National Pet Week celebrates this bond and encourages pet parents to provide their best friends with everything they need for a happy and healthy life.
Consider bringing a special-needs cat into your home. Photo by Gina Cioli.
May 3 Specially Abled Pets Day
Cats know they’re the best – even if they’re specially abled. No tail? No leg? No eye? No problem – cats take it in stride. Show your love and respect for these special felines by adopting a specially abled pet into your household, or spread the word on how pawfully perfect they are on this, their special day. Visit speciallyabledpets.com for more information.
Join the musical fun at the benefit concert for Best Friends Animal Society. Photo by Shutterstock.
May 6: “Songs to Save Them All: A Benefit Concert for Homeless Pets”
This three-hour benefit concert for Best Friends Animal Society streams on May 6 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Numerous musicians are set to appear, including country music legend Emmylou Harris, Aunty Social, Baker Grace, Brandon Jenner, Canyon City, Chappell Roan, Davis John Patton, Dylan Dunlap, Geographer, Sammy Rae, SYML, The Joy Formidable, Tim Atlas, Two Feet, Victoria Anthony, WILD, Wild Rivers, WOLF and Wrabel.
Along with the music talent, celebrities including Amanda Seyfried, Alison Pill, Brittany Snow, Holly Taylor, Kat Dennings, Tricia Helfer, author W. Bruce Cameron, TikTok influencer Caitlyn Cohen and others are also expected to make appearances to support the cause.
The free event will livestream on Tiltify, Twitch, YouTube and Facebook, as well as at bestfriends.org/concert. Viewers will have the opportunity to donate to Best Friends Animal Society via Tiltify to support making the United States no-kill by 2025.
All proceeds will support Best Friends’ work across the country, including lifesaving collaboration with thousands of shelters and animal welfare groups. There will also be a spotlight on the organizations’ recent No-Kill Los Angeles initiative achievement, which reached a 90.49% save rate in Los Angeles for 2020.
Feral cats peeking out from behind a fence. Photography ©ConstantinCornel | Thinkstock.
May 6: 2021 — A Spay Odyssey
Join Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon on a mission to help cats! The 23rd Annual Furball will be a stellar virtual event, featuring a Mission Control, satellite sponsor locations and crew members joining from far and wide for an evening of exploration and raising much-needed funds for spay/neutering community cats in the Oregon and southwest Washington region. On May 2 through 9, you can participate in the online auction, which includes a “Super Sonic Section.” On May 6, the virtual event will feature a Pre-Launch Cocktail Party at 5 p.m., with the event blasting off at 5:30 p.m. For more information, visit feralcats.com/furball.
May 21: National Endangered Species Day
This special day was created to raise awareness about endangered species and wildlife – increasing our knowledge about them and taking steps to save them. This day also recognizes the national conservation efforts to protect endangered species and their habitats.
Featured photo: chendongshan/Getty Images
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