Giving back to a cause dear to Taylor Swift’s heart is a fitting way to commemorate her birthday.
In honor of the musician’s 34th birthday, which falls on December 13, a number of animal shelters have launched the Taylor Swift Challenge in an effort to collect funds for animal rescues. Animal-loving Swifties are urged to give $13 to a nearby rescue or shelter in order to participate in the challenge.
The sum donated is a reference to one of Swift’s all-time favorite numbers. Furthermore, the singer-songwriter’s love of animals is no secret. Three cats, including Benjamin Button, whom she took to her Time 2023 Person of the Year picture shoot after adopting him from her “ME!” music video set in 2019, are under her care.
In a statement made available to PEOPLE, the Pennsylvania SPCA said that it launched the #TaylorSwiftChallenge in response to a “tough year, with owner surrenders flooding into shelters at an unprecedented rate and adoptions slowing dramatically.”
Regarding rescue animals, the statement said, “They need support, and there’s no better time than the present.”
On its website, the Pennsylvania SPCA is promoting the #TaylorSwiftChallenge with a banner that features various cat images in colorful squares, emulating the visuals from Swift’s Eras Tour.
In its Facebook post announcing the challenge, the charity also alluded to a few Swift songs: “To put it briefly, we hope you’ve picked us if you’re here! Will you donate right now to help animals in need and be the one? We are delighted to see it take off, with rescues and shelters taking part from Kansas City to Oklahoma, Texas to North Carolina, and Missouri to Massachusetts. Child, we’re not alone.”
Additionally, the Animal Rescue of Boston asked people to give $13 to the group in the singer’s honor when it announced on social media that it would be taking part in the #TaylorSwiftChallenge. Adorable images of adoptable animals that Swift’s album covers have been altered to include were shared with the post, including a puppy called Zoey on the Lover album cover and a white cat named Bella on the Midnights album cover.
Aside from the Taylor Swift Challenge, the Brooklyn Cat Cafe and Felix Cat Insurance joined together to mark Swift’s 34th birthday and her Time Person of the Year cover by naming 13 of the cafe’s adoptable cats as “Cat of the Year” contenders. The Brooklyn Cat Cafe is now accepting adoptions for the 13 cat finalists, all of whose names are from Swift songs.
Additionally, Felix Cat Insurance said that it will assist cat adoptions by contributing $34,000 to the Brooklyn Cat Cafe in Swift’s cat Benjamin Button’s honor.
Jamie Maxfield, marketing director and brand specialist at Felix Cat Insurance, stated, “With celebrity cats getting their time in the spotlight, we couldn’t resist the opportunity to connect with cat lovers and share that spotlight with other cats in need.”
Taylor Swift and the number 13 have been utilized by animal shelters to promote their cause on previous occasions. In honor of Swift’s Eras Tour visit in the Texas city in April, the Houston Humane Society slashed the cost of adopting a cat to $13.
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