Happy International Cat Day: Let's Celebrate Our Feline Friends

By Ewelina Lepionko

International Cat Day is a celebration which takes place on 8 August of every year. 

It is a full 24 hours of recognition and veneration of one of humanity’s oldest and most beloved pets. 

It was created in 2002 by the International Fund for Animal Welfare. It is a day to raise awareness for cats and learn about ways to help and protect them.

Cats and kittens across the countries are waving their adorable little paws from their shelters and foster homes in the hopes they’ll get noticed and adopted, or welcomed into a foster home.

The aim is to enable and inspire people to understand cats’ individual needs and perspectives, and to act in the interests of each cat’s welfare. We do this by creating and sharing knowledge, insights, skills, and current best practices so people can feel confident in their ability to help cats and to challenge ignorance and misconceptions.
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Why a cat?
Cats are one of the coolest beings on the planet: they are independent, inquisitive, adventurous, have an amazing physiognomy, and have the power to heal by themselves — at least most of the time.

The first historical human record about cats could be found in Ancient Egyptian Civilization’s culture. Mafdet was the first known cat deity and was regarded as the protector against snakes, scorpions, and evil during the First Dynasty, so for them, cats were not just deities, but also protectors. Later, after the Egyptian Dynasty collapsed, Cats became popular everywhere! Greeks and Romans used them as pest control, and in the East, cats were originally owned by rich and wealthy people. In America, cats were part of the cargo on the colonization ships to minimize vermin and disease, so those cats went ashore and flourished. 
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Numerous studies have determined that the presence of pets is beneficial for our physical and mental health. The companionship of animals has been shown to reduce stress, lower blood pressure and lessen anxiety, helping people to feel calmer and more secure no matter what’s going on in the outside world.

So when it’s raining cats and dogs outside and you don’t have someone to cuddle with, any black, ginger, Persian, Siamese, Burmese, Bengal, Shorthair, Munchkin, Balinese, RagaMuffin, or any old stray cat will do the trick.

The campaign ‘Be cat curious’ is to celebrate this year’s International Cat Day. The campaign encourages cat owners to spend quality time with their pets and learn more about them. 

International Cat Day is that one day a year when black cats bring good luck!