NATIONAL CAT DAY 2022: HISTORY, SIGNIFICANCE, FACTS AND ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

Every year on October 29, National Cat Day is observed, with the same holiday celebrated in Canada on August 8.

Cats make wonderful companions. They don’t often miss you, but when they do, you know it. This and other awareness days encourage pet owners to adopt a cat from a local shelter. The day also serves as a reminder that neutering and spaying our pets helps to reduce the number of abandoned animals. Cats and kittens in shelters are in desperate need of forever homes. These feline fur babies come in a variety of colours and coats, as well as personalities. They will curl into our hearts and then remind us that they choose who they love. 3.4 million animals end up in shelters every year, whether they were born there, surrendered, or abandoned.

History

Colleen Paige, a pet lifestyle expert and animal welfare advocate, created National Cat Day in 2005. Since its inception, it has helped save the lives of more than one million cats. Cats teach us that just when you think they’ve given up on us, they will turn around and melt our hearts. When it appears that they are too preoccupied with staring out the window at passing cars, chasing nylon mice, and sending tiny multi-coloured balls to their under-the-refrigerator graves, they will somehow let you know that their entire world revolves around you. Simply wait. It will occur when you least expect it. Cats operate on their own schedule.

Significance

The main goal of National Cat Day is to raise awareness of the number of cats in need of rescue each year, so it has become a tradition for people to try to raise awareness of the topic. Many people choose to observe the day by showing some love to the cat or cats in their lives, in addition to those in need of rescue. If you want to buy your cat a treat, pet marketing agencies usually have some deals to make your cat’s day extra special, so it’s worth looking online.

How to celebrate the day?

Adopt a cat from a local shelter or cat rescue. Commit to your cat’s health. Donate blankets, food, and toys to animal welfare organisations. Volunteer at your local shelter and offer to play with some cats available for adoption. At the adoption centre, clean cages and litter boxes or anything else they need help with. Bake some cookies for your cats. Have a safety check of your home to make sure it’s safe for your new cat. Buy your cat a new toy, bed, or treats.

Facts

Cats cannot descend a tree head first after climbing it. Because their claws are pointing in the same direction, they must go back down.

A “clowder” is a group of cats.

Cats are unable to detect sweetness. Scientists believe it is the result of a genetic mutation affecting key taste receptors.

In Japan, cats are thought to have the ability to transform into super spirits when they die. This could be due to the Buddhist belief that cats serve as temporary resting places for powerful and spiritual people.

In the 1750s, Europe introduced cats to the Americas as a form of pest control.

Cats meow solely to communicate with humans.

Cats can hear your voice. So, they are simply ignoring you.

The sections of the brain that control emotions in cats and humans are nearly identical.

While cats are thought to have a lower social IQ than dogs, they are capable of solving much more difficult cognitive problems. Of course, when they feel like it.

Cats’ and other animals’ noses have their own distinct prints, similar to a human fingerprint.

Cats use their whiskers to see if they can squeeze through a narrow space. The whiskers of a large cat are likely to be longer.

The spine of a cat is extremely flexible due to its 53 loosely fitting vertebrae. Humans have only 34.

The longest-living cat ever lived for 38 years. Creme Puff of Austin, Texas was born in August 1967 and died in August 2005. He continues to hold the Guinness World Record for the oldest cat ever.

Around 200 feral cats roam the grounds of Disneyland, where they help control the rodent population. They’re all spayed or neutered, and park employees give them medical attention and extra food.