Of course, for those of us with these furry companions living in our houses, every day is cat day! At least as far as they’re concerned. Don’t get me wrong, I adore my cats, and I adopted a new one not too long ago, but they are way more demanding than my dogs would ever consider being. It’s just the nature of cats to feel entitled to the best of everything. So what is International Cat Day? It is a day that has been set aside to honor one of man’s oldest companion animals. Cats have been kept as companions since the time of the ancient Egyptians when they were actually worshipped as Gods (I can only imagine how difficult those cats were to live with!).

Since the days of the ancient Egyptians, cats have pretty much always been around people as companions and as protectors from vermin and disease. Only during the Black Death in Europe in 1348, were cats blamed for disease. Before and since, they have been seen as protectors not only against disease, but also against snakes, scorpions, and evil in general. That’s why it’s not surprising that now there are estimated to be around half a billion cats living with or around people.

International Cat Day was started in 2002 by the International Fund for Animal Welfare and is always celebrated on August 8. You can celebrate by adopting a new cat or kitten or by giving a little bit of extra TLC to the one(s) you have now. You can also consider contributing to local cat rescues or shelters or by going out and helping feed a colony of feral cats (but please, please, please also participate in a spay/neuter program if you’re going to feed them!). However you decide to celebrate, just keep in mind that all living things deserve our respect and kindness and that cats are no different. Let’s all enjoy a day with our cats!