International Homeless Animal Day|
Chips and Homelessness! I, Marvelous have had both of these things!
When I was a tiny homeless kitten, the world felt too big and too cold, and I learned to survive by being clever… or at least kitten‑clever.
I spent my days darting between shadows, hoping someone might notice me but also terrified they actually would. One afternoon, I made the mistake that changed everything: I crept too close to a yard where food smelled warm and safe, and I let myself be seen. I thought maybe a human would help me, but instead rough hands grabbed me, and I didn’t understand why. I wriggled and cried, confused, as they stuffed me into a crinkly plastic bag and tied it to the back of a car. I didn’t know what was happening — only that it was dark, tight, and wrong — and I wished harder than anything for someone kind to find me. That wish, somehow, reached the right person!
She saw the bag. And by the time she got it off the car, I had quit moving. I woke up in a veterinary office, where I lived, alone, in a small room. The lady who found me tried to visit everyday. One day, she told me she had found me a home in Canada!
The International Society for Animal Rights
In 1992, the International Society for Animal Rights conceived International Homeless Animals Day (IHAD), which has only grown in popularity by year. ISAR offers events from dog walks to adopt-a-thons to animal blessings on IHAD, and many volunteers participate. Today, and every day, we can all be a voice for homeless animals, and help mitigate their suffering.
As a direct result of ISAR’s International Homeless Animals’ Day:
Thousands of dogs and cats have been spayed and neutered, preventing the birth of uncountable, unwanted puppies and kittens, sparing them from a life of feral existence, premature deaths, and too often fates worse than death.
Countless cats and dogs have found permanent loving homes, thus reducing the numbers of unwanted shelter animals, and countless strays who roam the streets and countrysides, battling against hunger and abuse.
Media coverage from newspapers, radio and television stations, along with numerous online resources have shined a global spotlight on International Homeless Animals’ Day and related events taking place around the world, enlightening the public about the tragedy of homeless cats and dogs and the spay/neuter and adoption solution.
Humane-minded governments and elected officials have used International Homeless Animals’ Day to promote positive changes for animals in their local communities, through declarations and other activities.
