Looking for a way to celebrate our feline friends this month? Here are some fun September cat activities.
NOTE: Due to the coronavirus pandemic, many events have been cancelled or gone virtual.
All Month: Happy Cat Month, World Animal Remembrance Month, Disaster Preparedness Month
Through October 15: Pets of the Pandemic
Throughout the pandemic, pets have provided much-needed comfort to their humans. For artists, they’ve also served as muses and models. In honor of this bond, Alpha 137 Gallery is hosting Pets of the Pandemic, an online-only art exhibition to benefit Best Friends Animal Society, a national animal welfare organization dedicated to ending the killing of shelter pets in the United States. The show will feature the winners of an open call that invited professional artists from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania to create original portraits of the pets who have helped them deal with quarantine and lockdowns.
The result is a show of 40-plus portraits of cats and dogs, as well as a horse, a bird, a guinea pig, a fish – and even a stuffed animal.
The unique pieces are priced between $200 and $1,200 to make them accessible to a wide variety of pet lovers and art collectors; buyers will be able to support both the artists and a worthy animal welfare organization. Works can be purchased directly online at alpha137gallery.com/pets-of-the-pandemic-a-benefit-exhibition/. The exhibition will run concurrently on Artsy, Artnet and Alpha 137 Gallery through October 15.
Sept. 12: Virtual Catio Tour
The 8thAnnual Catio Tour in Portland, Oregon, goes virtual this year! The tour will showcase 10 inspirational – and diverse – outdoor cat enclosures. Each catio has been professionally filmed to show their creative and unique designs. You can take the tour on Zoom with other catio fans, be the first to see the catio videos and interact with hosts during a live Q&A. Hosted by the Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon and Portland Audobon, the Catio Tour was created to inspire cat owners to build or buy their own outdoor cat enclosure to keep their beloved pets safe from outdoor hazards, while also protecting wildlife. The tour takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. – right from the comfort of your own home! To register, click here.
Sept. 13: National Pet Memorial Day
Held each year on the second Sunday of September, this day of remembrance honors our pets that have passed on. Here are some ways you can celebrate your furry loved ones: donate time or money to a good cause; create a memory photo album or box of your pet’s items; write a poem or short story about your pet; get a tattoo of your furry friend.
Sept. 13-19: Adopt a Less Adoptable Pet Week
During this week, animal shelters and rescue groups raise awareness about the benefits of adopting pets that tend to get overlooked or passed over, like seniors and pets with special needs. If you’ve been thinking about welcoming a new cat into your home, consider adopting a less adoptable one.
Sept. 20 – 26: Deaf Pet Awareness Week
Join the many pet lovers who have found the joy in a deaf pet by fostering or adopting one. Has your pet recently gone deaf? Support deaf cats by spreading the word on this week-long celebration taking place the last full week every September.
September 26: Cat Camp @Home
Due to the pandemic, this year’s Cat Camp events in New York and San Diego were cancelled. So the Cat Camp team has embraced the opportunity to connect with cat lovers around the world by going virtual. The event will stream live through CatCamp.com for free.
Sponsored by Petco Foundation, this year’s event will feature diverse voices in the advocacy community, games with exclusive prizes and interactive “learn along” content that includes building cat toys, editing cat photos and even painting with a cat portrait artist.
Hosted by co-founders Jackson Galaxy, renowned cat behavior and wellness expert, and host of Animal Planet’s My Cat From Hell, and Christina Ha, co-owner of NYC’s first Cat Café, Meow Parlour, and president of its affiliated nonprofit group, Meow Parlour, Cat Camp is a celebration of all things feline. For more information and to register, visit CatCamp.com.
Thumbnail: Photography by vvvita/Shutterstock.
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