If the internet is any indication, everyone loves cats. Unless they are stray cats, in which case the tropes include more back-alley catwauling and boots being thrown towards yowling cats on fences. National Feral Cat Day reminds us how much we love these furry-little devils and how each stray cat is a cuddle-able furball searching for a foreverhome.

Before we can talk about the history and significance of National Feral Cat Day, let’s first look at the history of cats. Cats have lived alongside humans for more than 10,000 years and were domesticated almost as long as dogs. There are many places in the world where you can find cats. In fact, there are colonies of cats living in every corner of cities. This is not surprising, as we produce a lot more waste than we consume, which attracts a lot vermin that these natural predators love chasing, catching, and eating.

Alley Cat Allies, celebrating their 10th year anniversary in August 2001, launched the first ever National Feral Cat Day. This day was designed to raise awareness about feral cats and to teach people how to prevent them from getting hurt. Alley Cat Allies supports the Trap-Neuter–Return policy. This allows stray cats to be captured and taken to volunteer vets who then neuter them and return them to the streets. This allows cats to live on the streets and not create more kittens.

National Feral Cat Day can be celebrated by raising awareness about the many problems facing stray cats. Most cities have cat shelters that catch and imprison cats. They then attempt to adopt them before eventually euthanizing them. You can instead educate others about Alley Cat Allies and the Trap Neuter-Return policy, which saves cats’ lives and prevents future generations.

You can also join a stray cat rescue program and organize with a local group in order to create a Trap Neuter-Return effort.

A simple, but effective way to celebrate is to get your cats spayed or neutered. This will prevent unwanted kittens from being born into the world. Participate in changing society’s attitude towards stray cat adoptions and create compassionate communities for both house cats and stray kittens.

Please note that Alley Cat Allies has made National Feral Cat Day their Global Cat Day. This permanent change will be effective for October 16, 2018, and every year thereafter.