September is Happy Cat Month
September is Happy Cat Month. It is a initiative started by The CATalyst Council to discover ways to keep cats happy and healthy. The CATalyst Council, formed in 2008, is a grassroots organization made up of different animal welfare and health organizations. Their initiative is to, “Work on behalf of cats”. They are a not for profit organization that is comprised of three groups: Shelter/Animal Welfare, Veterinary Medicine, and other industry such as Cat Fanciers, commercial companies and the media. The CATalyst Council’s board is made up of various stakeholders in cat welfare and healthcare. Most of the board’s stakeholders also participate in the summit that CATalyst puts on.
The vision of The CATalyst Council is to, “Make a difference in the way the United States sees and experiences cats”. They desire to change the stereotype attitude of people’s image that cats do not require contact or care from humans. The organization noticed that, although there are more cats owned in America then dogs, cats were not being treated as well of dogs. The numbers are higher with cats versus dogs in for being dropped off at shelters. Also, cats are not taken to the vet as much as dogs are. The CATalyst, “Believe that cats deserve better care, hence its mission to elevate the status of the cat and reverse these trends”. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), there are 81.7 million cats owned by humans with only 72 million dogs owned by humans. Therefore, it is their belief that cats deserve to receive their overdue recognition as The United State’s number one companion pet.
Now you know the history behind why we now have September as National Happy Cat Month. So celebrate your cat this month (and every month) and take steps to make your cat happy everyday!!
Click here to learn more about The CATalyst organization.
