We’re all excited that June is “Adopt a Cat Month”, but did you know there are even more opportunities to make your adoptable cats shine over the next few weeks?

If you use one of the suggestions below or come up with something of your own, leave a comment and tell us how it went!

Month-long celebrations

• Candy Month – Name some of the countless incoming kittens after your favorite candies, photograph them with candy props, and use them to lure potential adopters to your shelter. Sometimes, visitors that come for a kitten end up adopting an adult cat instead; it’s just a matter of getting them in the door.
• National Adopt a Cat Month – Reduced fees will send cats home and make room for *dun dun duuuun* kittens. 
• National Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Month – Ditto the candy idea.
• National Microchipping Month  – Share statistics of chipped pets’ return rates & hold a low-cost chipping clinic.
• National Pet Preparedness Month  –  Hold a pet CPR class, distribute “pet inside” window decals for emergencies at home and wallet cards just in case. 
• Social Petworking Month

Weekly Events:

• Week 1:  Fishing Week  – Feature your cats hunting a robofish or longingly eyeballing live ones.  Note: public response to photos that show predator/prey interactions can go from “omg that’s adorable” to “that’s cruel, you should be fired“.  Whatever your personal opinion may be, consider whether or not you’re prepared to handle any negative responses before posting. You can avoid it completely with the robofish.
  

  Robofish hunters at the Fredericksburg SPCA

Daily Holidays:

The second Sunday in June is World Pet Memorial Day. Honor flags, in memoriam contributions, grief counseling groups, there are a dozen creative ways to honor the departed pets of your community. I dedicate a day of service to homeless cats on the anniversary of my one-and-only’s passing, and strongly recommend a

1 Dare Day The perfect time to showcase your high-energy cats doing their daredevil thing. Parkour, amazing jumps, foolhardy toy pursuits, there are so many ways to put their craziness in a flattering light.

 

4 Hug Your Cat Day  Show off the temperament of your more patient  and affectionate cats with photos on social media or live demos on the adoption floor. You can also solicit photo submissions from your FB followers; people love sharing pictures of their awesome cats.

 

4 Old Maid’s Day This day “brings awareness to those of us who have not yet found (and caught) our soul mates”. Give your adult and senior female cats the spotlight with their own dating profile ads.

 

8 Best Friends Day  Celebrate  the friendships of your adopters and shelter alums. Ask for photos of the adopters with their new best friend, and use them in a post about all the best friends waiting to be discovered on your adoption floor.

 

13 Sewing Machine Day Tap into the crafty community by offering free PDF patterns for cat blankets, toys, harnesses and more.  People can use the patterns for themselves or to make items for donation to your shelter.  Here’s a super-secure harness pattern from Sosewlovely to get you started: cat-harness-pattern

 

15 Smile Power Day Do you have candid shots of cats smiling blissfully? Sharing photos of your cats staying  positive while waiting for a home can help potential adopters overcome the emotional hurdle of getting through the shelter door. People can’t adopt from outside, so making them feel emotionally safe(r) can be a game-changer.

 

16 Fresh Veggies Day Another great day to offer cat grass to adopters! Check out Cat Hustler’s free printable project sheet and ideas for packaging.

 

17 Eat Your Vegetables Day More. Cat. Grass.

 

18 Go Fishing Day A one-day repeat of Fishing Week.

 

18 National Splurge Day  Someone out there is going to spend recklessly just because of the day’s name, so why not have them splurge on your organization? Share a wish list of items you think would ordinarily be a bit much for the average donor. Kuranda towers, a freezer for the vet suite, a new washer and dryer, go ahead and put it out there.

 

18 World Juggler’s Day  Set up a challenge for your community’s jugglers! Find your most grabby, playful cats, and have people sit on the floor and juggle in front of them. The last juggler to have an object swatted out of rotation gets your choice of prizes. A waived adoption fee for a new training partner, etc.

 

19 Father’s Day Waive or discount adoption fees for cat dads and human dads alike.

 

21 International Yoga Day If your shelter isn’t doing cat yoga yet, it’s missing out. these insanely popular classes are happening all over the country and people are LOVING it.  Whether you use them as a fundraiser, alternative adoption event, or for publicity, count on the roster getting filled fast.

 

25 Take  Your Cat to Work Day – It’s a real thing! Help people participate by posting about harness safety and training a week or two before. Follow up with tips on keeping cats happy in temporary  new environments, and ask your FB followers to share pictures of their cats at work.  Showing cats as adaptable, friendly companions will help change public perception and maybe even convince someone to adopt.

 

26 Beautician’s Day Partner with a grooming school or groomer to give your long-haired cats stylish summer cuts.  It’s a great opportunity to work  with local businesses and educate the public about the special care that long-haired breeds often need.

 

28 Insurance Awareness Day  If your shelter offers a pet insurance deal or incentive as part of the adoption package, today is a good day to share details about it. You can use a case study, facts and figures, etc.  to help educate the public. If your shelter sees a significant number of surrenders due to finance issues, take advantage of the opportunity to share the preventative measures that could keep a family together.

 

 29 Camera Day Introduce your shelter’s photographers in a special FB post that thanks them for their service.  Share each of their top tips for getting great pictures of animals, and inspire shutterbug readers to get involved with your marketing.

 

30 Social Media Day  Try something new! A video, a meme, a new format, anything you haven’t explored before.  Be brave and experiment with different types of media, narrative, or aesthetics.  Not sure where to start? Adobe Spark is a free tool that’s easy to use and has a huge gallery for inspiration.

 

Sources: http://holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/june.htm,

https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/2016/06/