ObservanceFriday, October 29, 2027
National Cat Day
- Date
- Recurs
- Every year on October 29
- Category
- Celebration
National Cat Day falls on October 29 and was founded in 2005 by Colleen Paige, the pet lifestyle expert who created National Dog Day the year before. Unlike the dog day, this one comes with no explanation for its date: the founding site says what the day is for but never says why October 29. What it is for is adoption, and specifically the number of cats sitting in American shelters.
History
National Cat Day has a documented founder and an undocumented date. Its official site states that it was founded in 2005 by Colleen Paige, a pet and family lifestyle expert and animal welfare advocate, to help galvanize the public to recognize the number of cats needing rescue each year and to encourage owners to celebrate the cats in their lives. Paige also founded National Dog Day, National Puppy Day, National Pet Day and National Wildlife Day.
Why October 29 is explained nowhere: not on the site, not on the founder's own page, not in any acceptable source. National Dog Day's date has a reason on the record, the day Paige's family adopted her first dog. This one does not. Any confident explanation you find for October 29 is unsourced.
The founding site's headline statistic is the one place this page departs from it. The site says approximately 4 million cats enter shelters every year with 1 to 2 million euthanized, and cites nothing for either figure. The ASPCA's numbers, compiled by Shelter Animals Count from full-year national data, are better documented and considerably lower: 3 million cats entered U.S. shelters and rescues in 2025, about 2.2 million were adopted and 277,000 were euthanized. The gap between "1 to 2 million euthanized" and 277,000 is wide enough to matter, so this page uses the sourced figures and says why.
October 29 is also not the only cat day on the American calendar, which causes genuine confusion. Global Cat Day, still also called National Feral Cat Day, falls on October 16 and belongs to Alley Cat Allies, which launched National Feral Cat Day in 2001 and uses both names together. That day is about community cats and trap-neuter-return rather than pet cats. National Cat Day, two weeks later, is the one aimed at shelter adoption.
Timeline
- 1990 — Alley Cat Allies forms to bring trap-neuter-return, already working in the United Kingdom, to the United States.
- 2001 — Alley Cat Allies launches National Feral Cat Day on October 16, the day now also called Global Cat Day.
- 2004 — Colleen Paige founds National Dog Day, the first of her animal observances.
- 2005 — Paige founds National Cat Day. The founding site gives no reason for the October 29 date, then or since.
- 2019 — The shelter euthanasia rate for dogs and cats stands at 10 percent, per ASPCA figures compiled by Shelter Animals Count.
- 2025 — 3 million cats enter U.S. shelters and rescues. About 2.2 million are adopted and 277,000 euthanized, with cat euthanasia down about 2 percent against 2024.
How to observe
Paige's suggestions are modest and mostly domestic: a new toy, better food than usual, considerably more cuddling, a donation to a local shelter in your cat's honor. The site is blunt about the one that matters, telling readers to adopt rather than shop, and closes by asking people to spay and neuter.
If you want the version of this day with the most leverage, the useful target is the cats nobody is going to adopt. Alley Cat Allies, which formed in 1990 to bring trap-neuter-return from the United Kingdom to the United States, describes the process in three steps: community cats are humanely trapped, taken to a clinic to be spayed or neutered, vaccinated and eartipped, then returned to the outdoor homes they are bonded to. The eartip is the universal mark of a cat already through a program. Local groups are chronically short of trappers and transport, and both are things one person with a car and a free morning can supply.
The other practical move, if you are adopting: ask which cats have been at the shelter longest rather than looking at the kittens. Kittens leave on their own.
Frequently asked questions
Who started National Cat Day, and when?
Colleen Paige, a pet and family lifestyle expert and animal welfare advocate, in 2005. She founded National Dog Day the year before, along with National Puppy Day, National Pet Day and National Wildlife Day.
Why is National Cat Day on October 29?
No source explains it. The founding site states the year and the purpose but never the reason for the date, and neither does the founder's own page. National Dog Day's August 26 has a documented explanation; this one does not.
Is National Cat Day the same as Global Cat Day?
No. Global Cat Day, also still called National Feral Cat Day, falls on October 16 and belongs to Alley Cat Allies, which launched it in 2001; it is about community cats and trap-neuter-return. National Cat Day is October 29 and is aimed at shelter adoption.
How many cats are in U.S. shelters?
Per ASPCA figures compiled by Shelter Animals Count, 3 million cats entered U.S. shelters and rescues in 2025. About 2.2 million were adopted, 362,000 returned to their owner or the field, and 277,000 euthanized.
Why does the official site's statistic differ from the ASPCA's?
Because the official site cites no source for its figure. nationalcatday.com states roughly 4 million cats entering shelters annually and 1 to 2 million euthanized; the ASPCA's figures come from full-year national data and are considerably lower. This page uses the sourced numbers.
When is National Cat Day?
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2027 | October 29 | Friday |
| 2028 | October 29 | Sunday |
| 2029 | October 29 | Monday |
| 2030 | October 29 | Tuesday |
| 2031 | October 29 | Wednesday |
Sources
- National Cat Day (founding organization), home page — https://www.nationalcatday.com/ → founded in 2005 by Colleen Paige; the mission wording; the unsourced estimate of approximately 4 million cats entering shelters annually with 1 to 2 million euthanized; the toy, food, cuddling and shelter-donation suggestions; the adopt-rather-than-shop line; the closing request to spay and neuter.
- National Cat Day (founding organization), Founder — https://www.nationalcatday.com/founder → Colleen Paige as founder; her other observances including National Dog Day, National Puppy Day, National Pet Day and National Wildlife Day; her work with wild cats in rehabilitation. This page gives no founding year and no reason for the October 29 date.
- ASPCA, U.S. Animal Shelter Statistics, 2025 data compiled by Shelter Animals Count — https://www.aspca.org/helping-shelters-people-pets/us-animal-shelter-statistics → 3 million cats entering shelters and rescues in 2025, of 5.8 million dogs and cats in total; about 2.2 million cats adopted, 362,000 returned to owner or field, 277,000 euthanized; cat euthanasia down about 2 percent against 2024; the euthanasia rate falling from 10 percent in 2019 to 8 percent in 2025; the methodology note that these are national estimates from full-year data obtained from shelters and rescues.
- Alley Cat Allies, Global Cat Day and National Feral Cat Day — https://globalcatday.org/about/ → the October 16 date; National Feral Cat Day launched in 2001; both names used together for the same day.
- Alley Cat Allies, Trap-Neuter-Return — https://www.alleycat.org/our-work/trap-neuter-return/ → Alley Cat Allies formed in 1990 to bring trap-neuter-return from the United Kingdom to the United States; the trap, spay or neuter, vaccinate, eartip and return process; the eartip as the universal sign of a cat already through a program; microchipping as best practice registered to the caregiver or the group.
Omitted for lack of a source: the reason for the October 29 date. Nothing on the founding site, the founder's page or any acceptable source explains it, so the page says so rather than guessing.
Source conflict, resolved toward the better documented figure rather than averaged: the founding site's unsourced estimate of about 4 million cats entering shelters annually and 1 to 2 million euthanized, against the ASPCA's 2025 figures of 3 million entering and 277,000 euthanized. The page uses the ASPCA numbers and discloses the discrepancy in both the body and the FAQ rather than splitting the difference. The founding site gives no year and no methodology for its figure at all, which is itself the reason to prefer the ASPCA.
Dropped for lack of a source: a reference to International Cat Day on August 8, which would have been useful for disambiguation. International Cat Care's own home and history pages do not mention the day, a founder or a year, so the claim is not on the page.
Rejected as sources: nationaltoday, nationaldaycalendar, checkiday, timeanddate and content-farm pages, including every page that supplies a reason for the October 29 date.
Add to your calendarA calendar file for Apple Calendar, Google Calendar or Outlook. The event repeats every year. You can also subscribe to this observance or to the whole calendar.
← See everything October 29 celebrates