It’s June, which means it’s our favorite month of the year—Adopt-A-Cat Month! We’re huge feline fans here at ADA, so every year we team up with the incredible Johnson County Community Cats and sponsor all their feline spays and neuters for the month (we love making it easier for people to adopt a new furry best friend!).
Why Is June Adopt-A-Cat Month?
June is the height of “kitten season,” which is when many cats give birth, typically to litters of 3–4 kittens each. As adorable as kittens are, the sad truth is that many of them end up in shelters or on the streets, either coming from homes that can’t or don’t want to handle them or having been born to community cats living outside (the majority of which are feral and unsocialized to humans).
You may not know, but for cats living outside, it’s a hard life. They have to survive against cars, poor nutrition, diseases, environmental hazards, wildlife, and more. In fact, while indoor pet cats can live an average of around 15 years, outdoor community cats are only expected to live an average of 2–5 years. Up to 75% of the kittens living outside may not make it to adulthood, and those who do survive become feral if they aren’t socialized with humans at a young age, all but sealing their fate to live outdoors for the rest of their lives.
It’s a sad reality, but the United States is currently dealing with a cat overpopulation crisis—with about 32 million community cats in the country. Local shelters are doing everything they can to take in and adopt out cats that have been rescued from the streets or have been abandoned by their owners. Unfortunately, many shelters struggle to find homes for the many cats they take in, and kitten season only adds more strain to the limited space, resources, and care that shelters can provide. In some sad cases, shelters may not have enough resources to properly care for the animals they take in and may have to euthanize some of the animals as a result.
To help spread awareness of the cat overpopulation crisis and to encourage more people to adopt cats from their local shelters, the American Humane Society officially declared June as “Adopt-A-Cat Month,” and this year marks the 47th “Adopt-A-Cat Month”!
About Johnson County Community Cats
One of the amazing non-profit organizations working to combat the cat overpopulation crisis is Johnson County Community Cats. Based in Johnson County, Indiana, they run a Trap-Neuter-Return program that traps and neuters/spays community cats before returning them to their previous outdoor homes. This helps manage the cat population by limiting the number of kittens being born each year, which reduces the number of cats entering and potentially being euthanized in local animal shelters.
In addition to their Trap-Neuter-Return program, JCCC also offers low-cost or free spay/neuters (which ADA is sponsoring for the month of June) and they work to find homes for all the friendly cats and kittens they’ve taken in. They even run a food pantry for low-income households and for people who care for the local community cats!
This amazing organization is doing all they can to help give every cat and kitten they come across a happier, healthier life, but they need help to make it happen.
How You Can Help
It can easily feel overwhelming knowing so many cats out there need help. But the good news is that there are many ways you can make a difference.
Donate Money and/or Materials – Caring for cats—especially the large number of cats JCCC and other shelters take in—requires a lot of money and materials. Vet bills can quickly add up, and there’s a never-ending need for cat food, litter, and other essentials. If you have some extra cash on hand, consider donating to JCCC here.
Or, if you’d prefer, JCCC has a wishlist of the items they need, posted here. Some items that are always welcome are cat food, litter, water bowls, toys, and pet carriers.
Volunteer – JCCC is 100% volunteer-run and is always looking for additional help to give love and support to their cats. I mean, what better way to spend an hour or two than surrounded by adorable cats and kittens? Click here to fill out an application to volunteer.
Foster – If you’re not ready to adopt, consider fostering instead! JCCC is 100% foster-based, which means all the cats they bring in from the streets live with a foster to help prepare them for their forever homes. It’s an incredibly rewarding process and helps JCCC and other shelters who rely on foster support take in and care for more cats. Read more info on how to become a foster for JCCC here.
Adopt, Don’t Shop – Of course, one of the ultimate ways you can change the life of a cat is by bringing one home with you. Not only does adopting mean you’re saving a cat from a life in the shelter at best or euthanization at worst, but you’re also freeing up a spot in the shelter for another cat to get the same chance at finding their forever home.
By adopting a cat from a shelter, you’ll also get a better sense of the cat’s personality than if you went to a breeder. Volunteers and foster families get to know the shelter cats’ personalities and quirks really well by spending extended time with them and can help you find the perfect pet for your family’s wants and needs. They’ll know which cats will be best friends with your family dog and which ones just want to sleep in your lap all day. (Pro tip: consider adopting a senior cat if you’re looking for a chill snuggle buddy!)
You’ll also save money by adopting, since adoption fees tend to be much lower than what it would cost to buy a pure-bred animal. In addition, most shelters pay for all or most of your cat’s spaying/neutering and shots—they want to make it as easy as possible for you to bring your new family member home with you! See which cat/kitten at JCCC is meant for you here.
Find Your Furever Friend
Cats and kittens make great pets. They may be more self-reliant than dogs, but they can be just as loving and loyal and make great companions. Having a cat around can reduce stress and lower blood pressure, and their purring may even have therapeutic benefits on human bones and muscles. Plus, they bring lots of smiles and laughs with their silly antics (if you’re not familiar, simply Google “funny cat videos” and be prepared to waste at least half an hour).
So if you’ve been considering bringing a new furry family member into your home, there’s no better time to do so than this Adopt-A-Cat Month. Check out all the adoptable cats and kittens at Johnson County Community Cats here, and remember that we’re covering the cost of all spays and neuters this month! There’s truly no better feeling than bringing home a rescue cat and feeling first-hand the amount of love they have to give.