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May is here, and if you live anywhere with actual seasons, you know what that means: the windows are finally open, your cat has claimed the warm patch of sunlight on the floor, and outside — in shelters, rescues, and foster homes across the country — kittens are arriving.
Every spring, kitten season floods rescues with more cats than they can comfortably handle. Resources stretch thin. Enrichment is the first thing to go. And the cats waiting for homes end up in bare spaces, stressed and waiting.
I've been thinking about that a lot lately, which is part of why I'm so excited about what I launched earlier this week.
(Also: I have proof that kitten season is real — in my own birthday club data. More on that below. 🐾)
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If you missed Tuesday's email, here's the short version: Give a Cat a Box is a new donation program that ships Hide & Scratch products directly to cat rescues and shelters.
You pick an organization from our directory. You choose a donation tier. We ship everything — boxes, silvervine, toys — straight to the rescue. No middleman, no hassle, and the more you give, the lower the cost per box.
It started from a simple idea: shelters on tight budgets shouldn't have to choose between keeping the lights on and giving cats something to hide in. A sturdy cardboard box, a toy that smells like catnip, a surface to scratch — these things genuinely reduce stress and help cats feel safer while they wait for their forever homes.
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If you know anyone who works in rescue or volunteers at a shelter — please share this with them. Rescue organizations can sign up to be a partner on the site and get listed in the directory, so donors can find them. It's free to join, and it means their cats could start receiving boxes from people like you.
This is the program I've been hinting at for months. I'm really proud of it. Go check it out →
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🎂 May Birthday Club Celebrations
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39 cats in the Birthday Club are celebrating this month.
To put that in perspective: we have 237 active members, so a perfectly even distribution would give us about 20 per month. May has nearly double that — and it's not a coincidence. It's kitten season. Most of these cats were born in spring, which means our own birthday club data is basically a live map of when cats show up in the world. I love that.
Happy birthday (and gotcha day!) to all 39 of you. 🎉
🎂 = Birthday · 🏠 = Gotcha Day
| May 1 |
🎂 Muffin (2) · 🎂 Izzy Bella (6) · 🎂 Hunter (6) · 🎂 Sunny (2) · 🏠 George (2) |
| May 4 |
🏠 Paije (11) |
| May 5 |
🎂 Sherie (13) · 🎂 Grady (2) · 🏠 Ellie (2) |
| May 6 |
🎂 Teddy (4) · 🎂 Morris (2) · 🎂 Tofu (5) · 🎂 Louis (10) · 🎂 Milo (4) · 🎂 Fred (2) |
| May 7 |
🏠 Kiki (1) · 🎂 Wiggles (3) · 🎂 Gizmo (17) |
| May 9 |
🏠 Ana (3) · 🎂 Kinnick (3) · 🎂 Nile (3) · 🎂 Gizzy (3) |
| May 10 |
🎂 Copper (17) · 🎂 Hemingway (2) · 🎂 Angel (18) 👑 |
| May 11 |
🎂 Daisy (6) |
| May 12 |
🎂 Oliver (3) |
| May 13 |
🎂 Ninja Kitty (8) · 🎂 Kamikaze (13) |
| May 15 |
🏠 Splash (14) · 🎂 Mars (2) · 🏠 Goliath (13) · 🎂 Fezzi-Wigg (5) |
| May 16 |
🏠 Cheetah (5) |
| May 17 |
🎂 Phantom (5) |
| May 18 |
🎂 Lilbit (7) · 🏠 Roo (1) |
| May 20 |
🎂 Rorey (6) |
👑 Special shoutout to Angel, turning 18 this month. Eighteen years. That is a life absolutely packed with purring, napping, and being deeply adored.
Not in the club yet? It's free, it takes two minutes, and when your cat's special day arrives, you'll get a little surprise from me. Sign up here →
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Look at this one.
Those stripes are not playing around. Meet this month's star: Beatrix from @beatrixandbear — completely unbothered, perfectly loafed, choosing violence with her eye contact. Full tiger energy and she knows it. Iconic.
Congratulations to Beatrix and her human — a FREE Hide & Scratch box is headed your way! 🎉
Want YOUR cat featured next month?
Post a photo or video of your cat with their Hide & Scratch, tag @hideandscratch on Instagram, and you're entered. Easy.
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It's National Pet Month — which honestly should be every month, but we'll take the official recognition. (Want the full list? Check out our Cat Holidays blog!)
🐾 All May — National Pet Month
A month-long reminder to be intentional about the animals in our lives — their health, enrichment, and wellbeing. Which, if you're reading this newsletter, you're already all over.
🎗️ All May — Pet Cancer Awareness Month
About 1 in 5 cats will be affected by cancer in their lifetime. Early detection matters — if your cat is due for a vet checkup, this is a good nudge to schedule one.
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🤝 May 3–9 — Be Kind to Animals Week
One of the oldest commemorative weeks in the US, established in 1915. Donate, foster, volunteer, or just do something kind for an animal in need this week.
🌮 May 5 — Cinco de Meow
The most important holiday of the month, obviously. Extra playtime. Maybe some silvervine. You know what to do.
🤗 May 30 — International Hug Your Cat Day
Respect your cat's personal preferences on this one — some cats are huggers, some are emphatically not. A well-placed chin scratch always lands, though.
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A cat's purr operates at a frequency of 25 to 150 Hz — and at that range, it's actually been shown to improve bone density and reduce pain and inflammation.
So your cat isn't just purring because they're content. They may be running a tiny internal healing machine. While sitting on you. While you're trying to work.
Science is something.
(Curious for more? We've got 141 cat facts on the blog.)
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🌿 May Treat: Free Silvervine Sticks With Any Purchase
To celebrate kitten season (and all 39 May birthday cats), I'm giving away free silvervine sticks this month.
Add any product to your cart and get a free 12-pack of Premium Silvervine Sticks on me.
This offer is exclusive to Hide & Scratch newsletter subscribers. Sign up for the newsletter to get next month's code delivered straight to your inbox!
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If you're in the rescue community — or know someone who is — Mission Meow's next grant cycle opens June 1.
Applications are open June 1–15. These are real grants for grassroots organizations doing lifesaving work: spay/neuter programs, adoption center improvements, neonatal care equipment, feral colony support. Last cycle, five organizations received a combined $21,788.
Learn more and apply at missionmeow.org.
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That's May. Kitten season is here, the birthday list is packed, there's a new way to help rescues, and free silvervine is waiting for you.
Thank you, as always, for being here. This community is the reason this business exists, and I don't take that for granted.
Purrs,
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www.hideandscratch.com
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