National Cat Day 2013 Celebrates Cute Kitties, Promotes Adoption

National Cat Day has come and gone, but it’s not too late to celebrate the little furballs that keep our feet warm at night and can never seem to decide if they want to go out or stay inside.

The feline appreciation day is celebrated each year on October 29, and though it’s still little-known nationwide, National Cat Day is gaining momentum as more cat owners and enthusiasts get on board.

One of them was start-up company Uber, which offered a kitten delivery service for the day. The company has created an app that lets users order a taxi or SUV to pick them up, but on Tuesday offered a “Kittens!” option to their list.

For $20, the company delivered customers a kitten to snuggle with for 15 minutes, along with a cupcake. The service was only available to people in a handful of cities, however.

The day was founded in 2005 by animal welfare advocate Colleen Paige as a way to bring attention to the number of cats in need of rescue and adoption each year.

“Estimates reveal that there are approximately 4 million cats entering shelters every year with 1-2 million being euthanized,” the official site of National Cat Day notes. “Often cats are overlooked and under-appreciated because they don’t usually have jobs like dogs. But cats still lower blood pressure, offer unconditional love and companionship and alert their owner of danger.”

National Cat Day is also a way for cat lovers to celebrate the animals in their lives and maybe even create a few new owners, Paige ntoed.

“Please visit your local shelter on October 29th, offering love and life by adopting a homeless cat,” the day’s site notes. “The goal of National Cat Day is to facilitate the adoption of 10,000 shelter cats nationwide on October 29th.”