The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is encouraging us to "Go Orange for Animals" again this year to help celebrate the human-animal bond. ASPCA was founded on April 10, 1866 to "provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals". ASPCA day is April 10, 2008.

The ASPCA Web site is chock-full of creative community ideas for going orange on April 10. (Orange is the organization's color). Here are a few of my favorite highlights:

•Decorate your house, business, or town hall with orange lights
•Wear orange to work or school
• Post orange flyers (the ASPCA Web site has free flyers to download)
• Tie orange bows on doors, trees, cars, and your animals
• Set up an orange Kool-Aid stand
• Have bake sale with all kind of goodies decorated in orange icing
• Bake orange cookies to take to your coworkers
• Plant orange flowers

Here is an idea I thought of to promote kindness and compassion for animals:

• Organize a neighborhood block party where everyone has to wear something orange (including the animals) and an orange potluck is served

I have some cat statues in my front yard, and I plan to decorate them in orange bows.

You can also log on to http://www.aspca to win an ASPCA Day kit, which includes items to help spread the word in your local community. After April 10, you can submit Community Leader entries to ASPCA to tell how your community celebrated going orange and win a trip to New York City among other prizes.

What are you going to do in your community to help celebrate the human-animal bond on April 10?

Happy Purrs!