National Change A Pet's Life Day & How You Can Get Involved

January 24th is National Change a Pet’s Life Day. This day is a big deal because there are so many ways you can do exactly that – change a pet’s life!

Mom says many animal lovers think that the only way you can change a pet’s life is to adopt it…or foster…but actually there are many ways you can help make a change! And most do not require a lifetime commitment particularly if you already have pets and/or cannot adopt or foster at this time!

How can you get involved?

Obviously if you are open to adopting a new pet – that is the gold standard of how you can change a pet’s life.

Fostering would be up next as fosters do so much to help a pet get adopted – from caring for the pet in a loving atmosphere, to socializing kittens and semi-friendly cats to ready them for adoption.

Remember when you adopt or foster one of us, you save the life of that individual animal as well as helping save another by opening up a spot for a new animal at the shelter or rescue group. You are really saving TWO of us! Meow-wow!

Here are all the other ways you can contribute to changing a pet’s life day – each and every day!

If you are artistic or crafty:

  • Knitters can make soft blankets and cozy bed liners for the cats and dogs in their cages at the local shelter.

  • Photographers can donate time photographing the adoptable pets at the local rescue or shelter so they “show better” on PetFinders, Facebook and Instagram.

  • Create shelters for the outdoor community cats, or an outdoor feeding station and donate to the local colony caregivers.

If you have a car – volunteer as a driver to transport pets to and from the vet for the local rescue group or shelter. This is a big need!

Volunteer at the shelter to walk a dog for an hour or so that otherwise would be in a cage all day except for “bathroom” walks. You both can get a workout!

Volunteer to socialize cats and ready them for adoption at the local shelter – what’s more fun than cuddling with kittens and cats for a couple hours!

If you are savvy with social media and have some time to donate, help the local shelter and rescue groups with their FB and IG postings of adoptable pets.

Donate old sheets and towels to the local rescue group for use when they are out trapping cats to cover the cages.  Covering the cage of a just-trapped cat goes along way to calming the cat down in a stressful situation!

Donate pet food to the local rescue group or a colony caregiver – they need it the most as they are usually self-funded.

Coordinate a food drive or a build a shelter workshop with your local school or Girl/Boy Scouts – the kids have fun doing it and learn about empathy for the least fortunate kitties.

Changing the life of a pet really takes a village as mom says – if every animal lover just included one of these “acts of Love” in their daily, weekly, monthly routines as time and resources allow, it would go a long way to helping rescue animals in general. Let’s work together on the mutual goal of changing a pet’s life…one pet at a time!