What and When Is National Pet Month? How to Celebrate!

National Pet Month gives us the opportunity to celebrate all our furry, scaly, and feathered friends. It reminds us of how much we benefit from their presence each and every day. So, if you’re wondering what month it falls on and what it’s all about, everything you need to know is here.

National Pet Month in the U.K. is during the month of April, and North America celebrates it in May.

Let’s take a closer look at National Pet Month and a few of the ways that you can celebrate it with your furry — or not so furry — best friend.

Why National Pet Month?

So many people around the world own pets. In 2021, 59% of U.K. households and 70% of American households owned at least one pet. Dogs and cats make up most of these numbers, but there are plenty of reptile and bird owners out there too.

Sometimes we start to take our pets for granted — they give us so much and ask for so little in return. Taking an entire month to acknowledge the importance of the pets in our lives enables us to remember how invaluable they are — and it doesn’t hurt to spoil them a little from time to time!

There are many ways to celebrate pets, some of which directly involve them and others that don’t.

Quality Time

Many of us lead busy lives and don’t get enough of an opportunity to spend quality time with our pets. Try to play with them more during this time. Your pets would love almost nothing more than to spend time with you. Even if it’s just a few hours in one day, both you and your pet will significantly benefit from this extra time spent together.

As part of the quality time with your pet, consider taking your dog (or cat) to a new park or hiking trail or just somewhere you haven’t been before.

It’s been shown that spending time with pets can help reduce stress, lower blood pressure, reduce loneliness and depression, boost heart health, and increase physical activity (more so with dogs). Your pets can have improved socialization skills, reduced anxiety, and better physical health. So, it’s a win-win!

Entertain Your Pet

Consider making something that can entertain your pet. You can try making your cat a window perch or your dog a new toy.

Put up a bird feeder outside your cat’s favorite window, which will most definitely keep your cat entertained.

Invest in enrichment equipment for your snake or turtle, and investigate methods to make your parrot happy. Find new ways to entertain your pet so they don’t become bored, which isn’t good for anyone.

New Toy

If you have a dog or your cat is harness trained, think about bringing them to your local pet store and letting them pick out a new toy. It’s always a great idea to get new toys on occasion so your pet doesn’t become bored of them.

You should also rotate their toys from time to time, so the old toy that your cat was bored of will seem brand new after it’s brought out of storage.

If you have an animal that can’t pick out their own toy, just get something that you know your pet will appreciate.

Visit the Vet

While this isn’t much fun for your pet, it’s certainly an essential part of their life. If you haven’t brought your pet to the clinic for a regular check-up in a while, consider rectifying this. Animals don’t show pain or discomfort until it’s almost too late.

Doing this can give you peace of mind that you’re helping keep your friend comfortable and with you for as long as possible.

Adopt a New Pet

One amazing way to celebrate pets is to give a rescue animal a new home. If you’ve been thinking about adopting a pet, do it — as long as you are prepared with all the equipment that you need for that pet, of course. Once you’re ready, go to your local animal shelter or rescue group and adopt your next best friend.

Foster an Animal

If you aren’t prepared to adopt a new animal, consider becoming a foster family. Many rescue animals aren’t always ready for adoption and need time for the right socialization and to learn to trust and love again.

Taking care of an animal temporarily until the right home is found for them is a wonderful way to dedicate yourself to a worthy cause. You might end up in a foster-fail situation, though, which happens when you fall in love with the foster pet and end up adopting them yourself. At least this way, you have the chance to get to know the pet before making the big commitment.

Volunteer

This is an easier choice over fostering if you don’t have the time or energy. Animal shelters and rescues wouldn’t be able to do the work that they do without volunteers.

Even just sparing a few hours every month can make a difference in these animals’ lives. You’ll feel good about yourself too.

Donations

Donations are critical for animal shelters and groups, and it doesn’t have to just be money. You can donate your time, skills (for example, if you’re a web designer, you can help with their website), or supplies. Animal groups are always in need of things like food, blankets, kitty litter, etc.

Are There Other Pet Holidays?

You might be surprised to learn that there are almost too many to post here! Here are a prominent few for each month.

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Conclusion

Another way that you can celebrate your pet is to brag about them. There is no better time to tell everyone that you have the best bunny or salamander! It is National Pet Month, after all.

If you’re reading this and it isn’t the right month, you don’t have to wait for National Pet Month to do something with your pet or to help out others.

You can treat all 12 months like they are National Pet Month. Spoiling our pets, looking after them to ensure their continued health, and providing them with plenty of love is an everyday parts of being a pet owner.

See Also: 

• When Is Responsible Dog Ownership Month? Update & How to Celebrate It
• When Is International Animal Rights Day? Update & Ways to Celebrate

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Featured Image Credit: Jaromir Chalabala, Shutterstock