There are 365 days in the year and it seems like almost all of them have been claimed for some sort of awareness day, week, or month for one reason or another. A great many of them are related to our beloved feline friends and that got me to thinking of the collective power we have as communicators to speak on their behalf to make the world a better place for them. Whether radio, blogs, columns, websites, magazines, art, photographs, or more, we have the ability to educate and inform growing audiences that might not know otherwise, about important causes and issues that have national recognition.
Even though I am over a month late in relaying the dates (apologies – the idea of sharing them literally just popped into my head) we still have most of the year ahead of us so please use this schedule as a resource and mark your calendars for those events that you feel you might want share with your audience. These events are your time to really shine and make a difference – whether being asked to speak as an expert on a radio show for National Pet First Aid Awareness Month in April or participating in some sort of promotion to help dispel the myths about black cats for National Black Cat Day on November 17th – be creative and do your best to pull out all the talents that you have!
Please be aware as well that this calendar is subject to change – there were some discrepancies in dates and I will revise them if necessary. If I have missed something, or there is something that should be added, please do not hesitate to add a note in the comment section.
JANUARY
January 2: National Pet Travel Safety Day.
January 22: National Answer Your Cat’s Question Day.
January 24: Change a Pet’s Life Day.
FEBRUARY
American Heart Month
National Spay/Neuter Month (HSUS).
National Prevent a Litter Month.
Responsible Animal Guardian Month.
Pet Dental Health Month (AVMA).
Responsible Pet Owners Month.
February 14: Pet Theft Awareness Day (Last Chance for Animals).
February 16 – 22: National Justice for Animals Week.
February 20: Love Your Pet Day.
February 22: Spay Day (Doris Day Animal Foundation).
February 25: World Spay Day (Humane Society International and The Humane Society of the United States – held the last Tuesday of February).
MARCH
Poison Prevention Awareness Month.
March 2 – 8: National Severe Weather Preparedness Week.
March 6 – 12: National Pet Sitters Week.
March 16 – 22: National Poison Prevention Week.
March 16 – 22: National Flood Safety Awareness Week.
APRIL
Animal Cruelty Prevention Month (ASPCA).
National Heartworm Awareness Month (American Heartworm Society)
National Pet Month.
National Pet First Aid Awareness Month (Created by the American Red Cross to draw attention to the need to know specialized pet first aid).
April 11: National Pet Day. (Animal Miracle Network).
April 6 – 13: National Volunteer Week.
April 13 – 19: National Animal Control Appreciation Week.
April 17 – 23: Animal Cruelty/Human Violence Awareness Week (HSUS)
April 20 – 26: National Pet ID Week.
April 18: Pet Owners Independence Day.
April 25: Hairball Awareness Day.
April 26: World Veterinary Day (World Veterinary Association)
April 26: National Kids & Pets Day (Animal Miracle Network).
MAY
Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month.
Pet Cancer Awareness Month (Sponsored by Pet Cancer Awareness and the Blue Buffalo Foundation for Cancer Research).
Chip Your Pet Month (Home Again Pet ID).
May 3: National Disabled Pets Day.
May 4 – 10: Be Kind to Animals Week (AHA).
May 4-10: National Pet Week (AVMA).
May 10: Animal Disaster Preparedness Day.
May 23: National Heat Awareness Day
May 27: Free Feral Cat Spay Day (Alley Cat Rescue).
JUNE
National Pet Preparedness Month (Timed for the first month of hurricane season).
Adopt-a-Shelter Cat Month (ASPCA).
Adpot-a-Cat Month (AHA).
June 1 – 7: Pet Appreciation Week.
June 4: Hug Your Cat Day.
June 10: World Pet Memorial Day.
June 19 – 25: Animal Rights Awareness Week.
JULY
July 4: While not a feline recognized holiday, please keep in mind that our cats (and all pets) can become highly traumatized during the 4th of July festivities. Keep your pet safely indoors and recognize the fact that they can panic or hide from the sounds that fireworks cause.
July 15: Pet Fire Safety Day.
July 21: National Craft for Your Local Shelters Day.
AUGUST
National Immunization Awareness Month.
Catalyst Council’s Happy Healthy Cat Month.
August 17: National Black Cat Appreciation Day.
August 20: National Homeless Animal Day (International Society for Animal Rights).
August 22: National Take Your Cat to the Vet Day.
August 30: National Holistic Pet Day.
SEPTEMBER
National Disaster Preparedness Month (Led by FEMA’s ReadyCampaign, Citizen Corps and The Advertising Council, this effort encourages individuals, families, businesses and communities to work together and take action to prepare for disaster emergencies).
September 14: National Pet Memorial Day (International Association of Pet Cemeteries).
Last full week in September: Deaf Pet Awareness Week (Petfinder.com).
Sept. 28:World Rabies Day (Global Alliance for Rabies Control).
OCTOBER
National Animal Safety and Protection Month (Emergency Animal Rescue Service).
National Pet Wellness Month.
October 4: World Animal Day.
October 6 – 12: Animal Welfare Week (AVMA).
October 9: National Pet Obesity Day.
October 12 – 18: National Veterinary Technician Week.
October 16: National Feral Cat Day (Alley Cat Allies).
October 29: National Cat Day.
NOVEMBER
National Pet Awareness Month.
Adopt a Senior Pet Month (ASPCA).
Pet Cancer Awareness Month.
Pet Diabetes Month.
November 3 – 9: National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week (HSUS)
November 17: National Black Cat Day
DECEMBER
No recognized awareness days in December, but this is a good time to share information on preventative safety measures for our cats during the holidays because many of the foods, plants, and decorations that are part of our festivities can be dangerous or even lethal to them.
What a wonderful calendar! Many of these are celebrated on TCS (TheCatSite.com), either with new articles, featuring existing ones of arranging contests around them. I’m bookmarking this page for future reference – so wonderful to have all of this in one organized list. Thank you!