In a recent survey¹, 62% of new cat owners said they’d acquired a kitten this year which is a 12% rise from the previous year, whereas those obtaining an older cat dropped by 8%, according to Cats Protection.

As older cats take over three times longer than their younger counterparts to be rehomed and often get overlooked during kitten season, the charity celebrates #MatureMoggiesDay every 16 June.

This is when Cats Protection shares stories of the senior ‘kitizens’ waiting for new homes, encourages others to share the joys of owning mature moggies and offers advice about caring for older cats.

The appeal has backing from well known celebrities including comedian Jo Brand.

“If you’re thinking about owning a cat don’t dismiss the mature moggies, older cats can still bring so much love and fun to a home,” she said. “My cat Louie lived into his 20s and was still the gorgeous, quirky boy we loved. Plus, they are a lot less fuss than a kitten!”

Comedian and cat-lover Bob Mortimer is also helping Cats Protection raise awareness by creating a new name generator specially created for older cats on the charity’s social channels which can be found @CatsProtection #MatureMoggiesDay.

Bob, who regularly runs auctions of his extraordinary cat names on Twitter to raise funds for the charity, has put together 24 words that correspond to the month you were born and your favourite colour, the result of which gives you a suitably eccentric name for your new feline friend.

Cats Protection has a strong track record of rehoming older cats, particularly when last year the Guinness World Records recognised Flossie as the oldest living cat, just weeks before she celebrated her 27th birthday.

Flossie was signed over to Cats Protection volunteers in Kent and faced an uncertain future but was given a new lease of life when the charity matched her to a loving new home.

This year, the oldest cat in the charity’s care is 20-year-old Mia who came into Cats Protection’s Isle of Wight adoption centre after her owner died.

“When you get a kitten, you don’t quite know what sort of character they’ll grow up to have, whereas you know what you’re getting with an older cat as they already have an established personality,” said Cats Protection’s behaviour manager Nicky Trevorrow. “By adopting a mature moggy, you’ll be giving them a second chance at happiness in their twilight years as well as freeing up space in adoption centres so we can help even more cats.”

Those interested in adopting from Cats Protection can view mature moggies looking for a new home on the charity’s website.