Couples Find Furry Feline Love on Valentine's Day

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In the days leading up to Valentine's Day, Best Friends Animal Society and Fresh Step teamed up to help cats and kittens find loving homes through a special adoption event. The premise was simple - finding love on dating apps can be frustrating, but falling for a cat can be much simpler. Couples like Cali and David adopted kittens like Storm, and over 700 felines found their forever homes over the course of the month-long event.

Why it matters

This partnership between Best Friends and Fresh Step highlights the creative ways animal welfare organizations are working to increase pet adoptions and reach the goal of no-kill shelters across the country. By making the adoption process fun and accessible, especially around holidays like Valentine's Day, more people are inspired to open their homes to shelter animals in need.

The details

Best Friends set up glamorous photo shoots to help highlight the cats' best attributes for their online adoption profiles. Actress and cat lover Ariana Madix even recorded a video to encourage people to find their true love at Best Friends locations. From February 13-16, Fresh Step covered feline adoption fees at all Best Friends locations, and anyone who adopted a cat or kitten received a coupon for free Fresh Step litter at Walmart. The adoption counselors played matchmaker, pairing people with friendly, flirtatious felines. Even shyer cats warmed up, giving slow blinks and headbutts to show their affection.

• The Valentine's Day adoption event ran from February 13-16, 2026.
• Over the course of the entire month, more than 700 cats and kittens were adopted.

What they’re saying

What’s next

Best Friends Animal Society will continue to work with local shelters and the community to increase pet adoptions and reach the goal of no-kill shelters across the country.