There’s so much going on this month! July’s themes are bonding , emotional wellbeing, and food.

Month-long celebrations

• National Ice Cream Month – Plop a few of your kittens into empty pint-sized ice cream containers for a photo shoot, or partner with a local ice cream shop or truck for a small on-site fundraiser to attract adopters.
• Mango and Melon, Hot Dog, Blueberry, Nectarine, Garlic,  & Horseradish  Month – Take this opportunity to share one of the internet’s many infographics about “people food” and help the public take better care of their cats.  Here are a few.
• National Independent Retailer Month –  Show your local businesses some love with cross-promotions, sponsorships that advertise their store while helping cats, and pop-up boutiques at the shelter. This is also a great chance for your entrepreneurial volunteers to combine the things they love most.
• National Make a Difference to Children Month – The internet can’t get enough of kids that have special bonds with animals. If one if your shelter’s feline alums has made a difference in a child’s life, a short article and some photos could inspire an adoption that makes a  world of difference for someone.
• National Parks and Recreation Month –  Every month is the perfect month for Adventure  Cats. Have your cat volunteers pick a few gregarious residents to harness-train and promote them as potential recreation buddies.
• National Vacation Rental Month – Share tips for extended-stay travel with  cats, explain common pet policies for rental properties, and offer local listings of pet-friendly getaways.
• National Wheelchair Beautification Month – Do you have a wobble-cat, a biped, or otherwise mobility-challenged resident up for adoption?  Invite artistically inclined volunteers, art & engineering students, and local artists to give their wheels a makeover.  Here are some structural ideas to get you started.
• Social Wellness Month – In the throes of kitten season, it’s a great time to promote the benefits of adopting cats in pairs. for households that already have a resident cat,  share best practices for introducing a new cat to the home, and troubleshooting rocky relationships.

Week-long celebrations

• 2nd week,  Monday through Sunday: Nude Recreation Week – Show off your shaved & bald cats at play and  recruit local groomers to help with cooling summer cuts.
•  3rd full week: Everybody Deserves A Massage Week  – Treat your audience to “how to massage your cat” videos, demonstrated by volunteers and available cats.

   

July 2016 Daily Holidays, Special and Wacky Days:

3 Compliment Your Mirror Day – Snap some pictures of cats catching their own reflection and hold a caption contest. Some of your cats may have never looked into a mirror before; be sure to get their initial reactions!

3 Disobedience Day – Want to know a secret? People love to see cats acting like assholes. Showcase the buttheads in your kennel in all their defiant glory through pictures, stories, and video.

6 International Kissing Day – Feature your cats rejecting kisses in a photo set, collages, or video.  Patient cats can be great subjects for cat yodeling videos.

8 Video Games Day – It’s true… a lot of cats love video games! Well, app games. Check out the list of some app games made especially for cats on our guide to engagement toys.   Here’s Pumpkin, demonstrating how an energetic cat can stay occupied without annoying the heck out of everyone.

11 Cheer up the Lonely Day – Invite anyone having a crummy day over for some cat therapy on their lunch break or on their way home. Your cats will benefit from the attention and publicity, and the public will share their positive experience with friends. While the therapy-seekers may not adopt, word of mouth is one of the most powerful tools out there.

11 All American Pet Photo Day  – This one can go a hundred ways across all social media platforms. Use  #AllAmericanPetPhotoDay  when posting your adoptable and freshly adopted animals. Celebrating new families via social media is a great way to build relationships and make adopters feel secure in their big decision.

12 Different Colored Eyes Day – Every now and then, a cat with heterochromia shows up. Today is their day to shine.

13 Embrace Your Geekness Day – Let your geek flag fly!  Cody Thompson (@bobafettselfies on Instagram) is a master of integrating cats and fandom. He lends his creative talents to the local shelter and generously let us share some of his work to inspire you.

13 International Puzzle Day – Another DIY day! Share tutorials or hold a class to make cat puzzles for your residents and cats at home.  this is also a great time to educate the public about fighting boredom and how keeping cats busy cuts down on unwanted behaviors. Get DIY puzzle inspiration here.

14 National Nude Day – See National Nude week above.

15 Cow Appreciation Day– Feature your spotted guys and gals today.

17 National Ice Cream Day  – See National Ice Cream Month above.

19 Stick Out Your Tongue Day – It’s called blep, and all the cool kids are doing it.

22 Hammock Day – Hold a DIY cat hammock class for the public!

25 Culinarians Day – Hold a cat treat cooking class at a community center, offer cat treat recipe cards, and encourage donations of sanctioned recipes.  The internet is loaded with recipes.

29 System Administrator Appreciation Day   – Is there a known desk-dweller or keyboard-masher among your adoptable cats? Showcase your self-appointed admins doing their thing today.

30 International Day of Friendship – Littermates, bonded pairs, Jays waiting to meet their Silent Bobs in a new home, today can be tailored to your adoptable cats’ stories. There’s also the angle of human-cat friendship. It’s a good time to check in with families that have already adopted; beyond good customer service, there’s a ton of potential for heartwarming media.

 

Sources: www.weirdholiday.com, www.nationaldaycalendar.com, www.cute-calendar.com, sysadminday.com, www.timeanddate.com