Editor’s note: This story originally appeared in the May/June 2016 issue of Catster print magazine. Click here to subscribe to Catster magazine.
It’ll soon be time to start writing letters again. Why? The U.S. Postal Service’s latest stamp booklet to be released this year. The stamps depict 20 of America’s best-loved pets — and, naturally, that includes cats.
You’ll be able to purchase the booklet at your local post office later this year, and you can also get it at the World Stamp Show in New York, May 28 through June 4. (Admission is free.)
“Without question, ‘animals’ remains the No. 1 subject favored by topical collectors world- wide, with cats and dogs heading the list,” said Thomas Fortunato, chairman of marketing and public relations for the World Stamp Show. “Our favorite pets … can be seen on thousands of stamps and philatelic items issued by the U.S. and other postal administrations.”
Here are some fun cat-related stamp tidbits:
- In 2002, a campaign was created to raise awareness of spay/neuter through stamps. The 37-cent stamps featured photos of a kitten and puppy from a shelter.
- The Animal Rescue: Adopt a Shelter Pet sheet of commemorative 44-cent stamps was issued in 2010 featuring images of five cats and five dogs adopted from shelters.
- A 1-cent stamp featuring a highly stylized digital image of a bobcat (Lynx rufus) was released in 2012.
- The Siberian tiger is on a large variety of stamps because of its popularity and its status as an endangered species.
- The joint issue from Indonesia and Turkey in 2008 features the Flat-Headed Cat, an unusual cat from Asia that has a weasel-like appearance, reddish-brown fur, and a flat skull.
The stamps had been scheduled for release in May, but a May 10 comment on the USPS Stamps Facebook page says: “The Pets stamps will tentatively come out in August; however, this is subject to change.”
For more information, check the Postal Service’s Commemorative Stamps page, follow the USPS on Facebook or Twitter, or check at your local post office.
