“We hope to raise awareness of the existence of Taiwan Cat Day on April 4, as it is generally known as Women and Children’s Day here in Taiwan,” said Hsiao Chun, a member of the nonprofit organization.

The goal of the event, which was the first of its kind in Taiwan, was to familiarize those who do not have cats with the animals’ behavior and compel cat owners to act more responsibly, Hsiao said.

“We hope whoever decides to keep a cat will think twice before actually adopting one because it is a lifetime responsibility,” she added.

At the parade, some cat lovers dressed as catwomen while others brought their cats to play with passers-by and promote the idea of adoption.

Ren Shan-shan, who adopted a stray cat with feline the immune deficiency virus (FIV or feline AIDS) , said her two year-old cat Morphine was no different from normal healthy cats.

“Cats with FIV will not pass it on to human beings or other kinds of animals. It is just difficult for them to recover from the illness,”she said.

She added that Morphine was her second cat with FIV, but she became fond of it from the first moment she saw it.

Many people prefer kittens because they are cuter but grown-up cats are more independent and can take care of themselves, she said.

SCPA was founded in 2006 by a group of volunteers and cat lovers and was recognized by the Taipei City Government aiming to promote awareness and respect of animal rights.

Stray animals are a serious problem in Taiwan. Only 36 percent of the strays in Taipei City are neutered, far less than the 70 percent in the United States, according to the Taipei Municipal Institute for Animal Health.

Due to the limited number of shelters available to hold stray cats, animal protection groups have advocated more aggressively encouraging adoption and urged the government to increase its budget for animal contraception and its trap, neuter, release (TNR) project, while reducing the amount spent on euthanizing unwanted animals.

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