International Cat Day: History, Facts and Celebrations

International Cat Day, also known as World Cat Day is observed on August 8 every year. International Cat Day 2024 is celebrated for the friendship that humans share with cats, while also taking time to focus on steps to ensure their well-being and safety. The idea of Cat Day was created by the International Fund for Animal Welfare in 2002 to value and honour cats.

Like every year, International Cat Day 2024 is also going to be celebrated by millions of cat lovers and cat parents across the globe.

History of International Cat Day

For the past several decades, scientists have been trying to figure out the mystery of where cats evolved. According to a theory, a wildcat was buried near the corpse of a human who lived roughly 9500 years ago. This indicates that cats may have been human’s friends for a long time now. Although, studies show cat ownership can be traced way back to central China about 5,500 years ago.

Another theory from scientists suggests the domestication of cats by our ancestors to deal with the menace of rodents in agriculture and farming. The cats effectively thwarted mice and rodents, helping the farmers tremendously in protecting their crops.

As per another source, ancient Egyptians were the first people to domesticate cats that lived around 4000 years ago. They too reared cats to keep away pests and rodents.

Why International Cat Day is Celebrated?

International Cat Day is celebrated annually to encourage the adoption of cats, value and cherish their companionship, and also offer them a thriving environment to grow. This day also calls for responsible pet ownership and promotes awareness of spaying and neutering the cat population. 

How You Can Celebrate International Cat Day?

Although cat lovers have their unique style of celebrating International Cat Day, here are the five best ways to celebrate this splendid occasion.

• Volunteer Your Service at a Cat Shelter 

Apart from playing with your cats on International Cat Day, you can also raise awareness about the plight of cats who don’t have a house to live in. Animal shelters are often in need of volunteers to bathe, groom and care for their cats. Visit a local animal shelter today to see what kind of service you can offer there and also let the staff know how much they are appreciated in society.

• Adopt a Cat

Add joy and companionship into your life by adopting a cat who needs a house. Cats are relatively easy to take care of, are independent, and they act as great roommates as well. There are a lot of cats out there who are dreaming of a house and a family to take care of them. You can contact your nearest animal shelter to adopt a cat.

• Treat Your Cat Extra Special on International Cat Day

This is the ideal day to buy your cat a new cat toy, bed or scrumptious cat food you were always thinking of buying. You can also offer them some delicious cat treats which will help you a lot in training them later as well. Those who don’t have a cat can buy some cat accessories donate to the nearby local cat shelter, and make the felines happy.

• Schedule an Appointment to the Vet

International Cat Day is the perfect day to check the overall health status of your cats. Call your vet on this day and schedule an appointment to ensure that everything is going fine with your cats. Since cats are good at hiding signs of illnesses and pain, it’s a great step to get them checked by the vet to make sure they are healthy, strong and happy.

• Visit a Local Cat Cafe

Those who don’t have a cat need not miss the fun of International Cat Day. Visit a local cat cafe near you and have a great time interacting with the cats. Often, the cats which are available at the local cat cafe are also available for adoption. The best thing about cat cafes is that you can have a trial time with a cat and decide if they are ideal for you for adoption.

In Brief,

You can make International Cat Day 2024 a truly memorable one with the five strategies that are given above. Remember cats are wonderful animals who act as great pets and also add immense joy and love to our lives. Let’s make this day a special one for the cats by offering them the things they like and also taking steps to ensure excellent well-being in them.