There are few greater joys than bringing a cat into your home and heart. Every day is a day worth celebrating our feline family members, however today is National Cat Day, even more reason to spoil your pet.

It’s a great day to treat them to a fancy meal, gift them a new toy or entertain them with their favorite activity.

But National Cat Day is also meant to raise awareness about all the other cats out there who still need homes. So please consider visiting a shelter and adopting a cat. Please do not go to a breeder—every kitten sold by a breeder takes away a home from a cat in urgent need at your local shelter.

Shelters are facing a euthanasia crisis—850,000 dogs and cats were killed in our nation’s shelters in 2023, according to Shelter Animals Count. Of the total number, 330,000 were cats.

It is estimated that there are 37.1 million homeless cats (29% of total cats in the U.S.) living in the United States, according to a 2024 report published by the State of Pet Homelessness Project (stateofpethomelessness.com). About 35 million of these are stray and feral, while the remaining 2.1 million are in shelters.

Stray and feral community cats roam the streets in cities all over the country, and they reproduce at an incredibly rapid rate. Kittens reach sexual maturity as early as four months and felines can have up to four litters a year, each containing one to 12 kittens.

When the going gets tough for homeless cats and dogs, there is no debate that spay/neuter is the best tool to combat overpopulation and euthanasia of dogs and cats. Friends of Animals’ lower cost spay and neuter program is vital to combatting the crisis, and we continue to need your support so we can deliver life-saving sterilizations to dogs and cats across the nation. Each year, FoA facilitates close to 35,000 sterilizations and has successfully altered more than 2.7 million cats and dogs through our certificate program.

On National Cat Day, consider making a donation online at friendsofanimals.org or by calling 1-800-321-PETS.