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International Cat Day

International Cat Day

Posted by Patricia on 2nd Aug 2022

A friend recently asked me why there is an "International Cat Day' when there's already "National Cat Day" and "Cat Day." As someone who loves cats, I just rolled my eyes. Then I referred her to PetPedia, which reports more than 400 million cats worldwide. At least 373 million cats are pets, leaving far too many homeless or feral. I told her that whatever a cat's status is on the globe, they all deserve their days.

In the U.S., about 5.2 million households have at least one cat. For them, International Cat Day is yet another special time to lavish extra care and attention on their feline friends. The celebration takes place every year on August 8 and was created in 2002 by the International Fund for Animal Welfare to highlight cats and how to protect them wherever they live.

Cats lucky enough to have warm, loving homes will likely celebrate with yummy food, extra treats, toys with catnip, cat trees to climb and shred on, and even unique feline videos. If a feline does not currently own you, this might be a good time to share your love and foster or adopt a cat in need from your local humane society or rescue. If you can't add to your family now, consider a generous donation of food, supplies, money, or some of your time to help these groups.

If you want to do something extraordinary, make a kitty cake. Sugarfree, of course, because most cats will turn their noses up at anything sweet. The "Easy Tuna Cat Cake" is a hit at my house. Try it, and four other free recipes at the Excited Cats link below.

In honor of International Cat Day, here are a few surprising facts about cats you might enjoy:

1. The oldest-known PET cat existed 9,500 years ago.

2. Cats spend 70% of their lives sleeping.

3. When awake, cats have a maximum zoom speed of 30 mph.

4. Scientists say cats meows only while talking with humans, not each other. (I'm not sure about this one, as I once had two cats that babbled away at each other all the time.)

5. House cats share 95.6% of their DNA with tigers.

6. An average cat can jump up to six times his height. It must be their 18 toes!

7. Many celebrities are "meow" for their cats. Some, like Queen front man Freddie Mercury, loved their cats so much they spoke to them on the phone while on tour or attending to other projects.

8. One cat can give birth up to five times a year, with four kittens making up an average litter. Therefore, please consider having your feline spayed or neutered to keep more cats from ending up in shelters or on the street.

Sources:

National Today

https://nationaltoday.com/international-cat-day/

"International Cat Day – August 8, 2022"

PetPedia

https://petpedia.co/cat-statistics/#:~:text=More%2...

"61 Fun Cat Statistics That Are the Cat’s Meow! (2022 UPDATE)"

Excited cats

https://excitedcats.com/cake-recipes-for-cats/

"5 Homemade Cat Cake Recipes (Vet Approved)"

Armarkat