One of our favorite days – National Cat Day – is just around the corner this Saturday, October 29! Along with bringing attention to cats who need homes, this holiday also marks the one-year anniversary of MaddieCam, where we decided to stream live from Cat Town, America’s first cat café. Today, MaddieCam streams live from a dozen shelters, with more being added all the time.

Cat Town’s Executive Director and founder, Ann Dunn, says the past, present and future of MaddieCam are all bright spots in the effort to get more cats adopted. “The best thing about MaddieCam is that people have an opportunity to see how the cats change over time as they get settled into the space,” Dunn said. “Several people have even said they follow the cats on there. It’s a great way to get people invested in the well being of our cats and see that cats coming out of the shelter are amazing.”

In fact, as a result of their success, they’re now on the verge of expanding their adoption center to help the hardest-to-place cats. “The new area will have smaller cage-free spaces, and will be using MaddieCam to showcase these cats and our core mission to help the cats who most need the help.” She says be on the lookout for expanded MaddieCam hours, too.

As for celebrating National Cat Day, Cat Town is launching a “Try this at home” adoption campaign. “We’re hoping it will encourage people to bring the joy they witness in the café into their own home.”

It’s hard to believe that people have been experiencing this joy for two years now. “This past Tuesday was Cat Town Café’s second anniversary,” Dunn said. “From the beginning, the number of visitors has been really high. We have been really heartened to find that we continue to receive a steady stream of visitors and adopters. While some are just interested in seeing a cat café, most are really excited to know we are helping cats from our local shelter.”

You can celebrate National Cat Day by visiting Cat Town Café, watching them live on the MaddieCam, or visiting your local shelter to #StartAStoryAdopt!