Happy Wednesday:

• 🐱 What is “Clear The Shelters”?

• 🎾 Cats secretly love playing fetch

• 💵 How to find the right insurance for your cat

• 😱 Why cats yell at men

• 🧠 A brain-boosting hearing innovation

Why does my cat?

Why does my cat follow me to the bathroom?

(scroll to the bottom to find the answer!)

Each summer, animal shelters across the U.S. face an influx of cats and limited space to care for them. That’s where Clear the Shelters comes in, a nationwide adoption campaign designed to help pets move from shelters into permanent homes.

The campaign began in 2015 and has since helped place more than 860,000 pets, including hundreds of thousands of cats. In 2022 alone, shelters reported a record-breaking 161,000 adoptions, along with significant fundraising support for participating organizations.

Clear the Shelters works by reducing or waiving adoption fees and boosting visibility through local events, media coverage, and social sharing. Shelters often feature cat profiles online and host adoption days that make meeting potential pets easier and less intimidating.

Getting involved doesn’t require adopting. Sharing posts, attending events, volunteering time, or donating supplies all support shelters during one of their busiest seasons. For cats waiting in kennels, even a little extra attention can make a meaningful difference.

Cats playing fetch might sound like a fluke, but research suggests it’s more common than many people realize. A recent study led by researchers at Purdue University found that a sizable number of cats actively enjoy retrieving toys and bringing them back to their humans.

The study analyzed survey data from more than 8,000 cat owners and found that about 41% reported their cats engage in fetch-like behavior. Younger cats were more likely to fetch, as were indoor cats, and certain breeds (including Bengals, Siamese, and Abyssinians) showed higher tendencies for the game.

Fetching wasn’t just about play, either. The behavior appears to be social, with cats using toy retrieval as a way to initiate interaction. Cats living with dogs were less likely to fetch, suggesting environment plays a role in whether the habit develops.

The findings challenge the idea that cats are uninterested in interactive play. For many cats, bringing a toy back isn’t accidental. It’s an invitation to keep the game going.

Table legs get scratched, chew toys go missing, and shoes are constantly sacrificed at the altar of boredom. These are regular occurrences in life with pets, and seasoned owners won’t bat an eyelash. But a $10,000 emergency surgery? That’s a whole other ball game. Pet insurance could help you offset some of these costs by providing up to 90% reimbursement, and plans starting at $10/month. Click below to find the right plan for you.

Find a plan.

Thank you to Money.com for sponsoring Daily Purr.

If it feels like cats “yell” more at certain people, science is backing that up. A recent study suggests cats meow louder at men, and it’s not because they’re hungrier or grumpier.

Researchers observed 31 cats greeting their caregivers after short separations. The cats behaved the same in almost every way, except for one detail: when greeting men, they turned up the volume.

The study ruled out food motivation, breed, age, and household setup. The only thing that consistently changed was how loud the cats were when trying to get attention.

The researchers believe cats are excellent communicators who adjust their approach based on past results. If subtle cues work with some people, cats stick with them. If not, they escalate. The takeaway? Cats aren’t being dramatic, they’re being efficient. And when quiet doesn’t work, they’re perfectly happy to raise their voices.

When your hearing struggles, your brain works overtime to fill in the gaps, which can affect memory, focus, and energy over time. Horizon IX from hear.com lightens that load. This tiny, virtually invisible device uses advanced German dual‑processing technology to separate speech from background noise, so conversations feel effortless again. Built for modern life and all‑day comfort, it’s available with a 45‑day no‑risk trial so you can hear the difference for yourself.

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Thank you to Hear.com for sponsoring Daily Purr.

From unlikely friendships to long-lost reunions, here’s what’s trending this week:

• 🐕 Husky shares his food with a cat — but only after getting massages

• 💵 How to compare pet insurance plans for your cat

• ❤️ Woman reunites with her childhood cat months after he vanished

• 🐾 A look at some of the rarest cat breeds you don’t see every day

Daily Purr is brought to you with love from our cats. We hope they can brighten your day, just like they do ours. ❤️

Love,

Olive, Milo, and Yasmine.

🐱 Bite-Sized Treats

🧐 Why Is My Cat: They’re curious, they love routines, and they see you as part of their pack.

😸 COTD: Give your kitty the spotlight by submitting them for Cat of the Day. Reply to this email with your best photos of your cat, their name, and a short description for the chance to be featured in an upcoming newsletter!

💌 Reply for a surprise: If you are reading this reply with a cute picture of your cat for a surprise in your inbox!