To join in this celebration of responsible pet ownership take these simple steps today and show you care. Our nation’s pets need you!

1. Register as an NPM supporter at http://www.nationalpetmonth.org.uk/_members/ It’s free and only takes a minute.

2. Follow us on all our social media channels and let’s talk pets. Our Facebook pages are National Pet Month (all pets), Scratching Post (cat fans) and Park Bench (dog fans). You can find and follow us on Twitter at @NatPetMonthUK

3. Tell all your pet loving friends about us and get your local vet practices, pet shops, businesses and pet charities involved. They could stage a fundraising event for a UK pet charity - sponsored dog walks, pet themed fairs and fetes, a take your dog to work day or a pet friendly church service are all great fundraisers.

4. Get your kids’ school involved. With valuable input from TV vet Marc Abraham, we have great pet themed lesson plans which can be quickly downloaded from http://www.nationalpetmonth.org.uk/schools 

5. Get sponsored for your favourite pet charity – have your head shaved or dye your hair a bright colour, wear your PJs to work, have a 24-hour pet themed movie marathon or come up with something else - the only limit is your imagination.

6. Check out our events map http://www.nationalpetmonth.org.uk/whats-on/ to see what’s happening in your area and register with us so that you can put your own event here to encourage lots of pet fans to join in the fun.

7. Have an inspiring rescue pet story to share? Tell us about it and you could feature on the NPM blog. Send us a favourite pic of you and your pet and you could be a cover star in our digital magazine....coming soon! Email stories@turquoisetiger.co.uk

For more information on National Pet Month go to www.nationalpetmonth.org.uk

For more information on our headline sponsor Tesco Bank Pet Insurance go to http://www.tescobank.com/pet-insurance/

You can follow our sponsor on Facebook - TescoBank  - and on Twitter using the handle @TescoBankNews