National Cat day is celebrated every year in the United States on October 29 to create awareness about the fact that many cats need shelter. It is celebrated to encourage the adoption of homeless felines and promote responsible ownership, which means spaying or neutering your cat and educating yourself about the impact of buying cats from pet mills, that breed pets for sale and keep them in inhumane conditions. 

This day is celebrated to encourage adoption and respect all felines- domestic or feral. 

Here is all you need to know about National Cat Day 

History 

National Cat day was founded in 2005 by Colleen Paige, a pet and lifestyle expert from the United States.

Many science magazines have reported that the domestication of cats can be traced back almost 12,000 years ago, the process having originated in the Middle East. 

“DNA analysis suggests that cats lived for thousands of years alongside humans before they were domesticated,” says National Geographic. 

A study from University of Rome scholar Claudio Ottoni reveals that cats were brought along with sailors in order to “help protect food stores on board by killing rodents. This allowed cats to spread across the world.”

Also Read| Gujarat man sets up air-conditioned home for 200 cats

Significance

The motive behind declaring National Cat Day was to encourage adoption. Paige stands strictly against pet mills. Puppy/kitten mills are notorious for their motive of profit generation and keeping pets in horrible conditions. 

The same holiday is celebrated in Canada on August 8. 

Facts 

The National Today data team did a couple of surveys on around 1000 people. They found out that four of the ten people surveyed owned at least one cat. A quarter of people surveyed stated that their cat is their best friend.

Cat behavior expert Layla Morgan Wilde says that “a house cat’s genome is 95.6 percent tiger, and they share many behaviors with their jungle ancestors.”

Also Read| Are you a cat person? Look for these signs to know

Cats have suffered under the Garfield stereotype due to which they are perceived as self-centered, disloyal creatures, which is used to purvey an anti-feline agenda. A recent article published in The Indian Express talked about lessons humans can learn from cats- the most significant one being respecting boundaries. Cats might hiss when petted without consent and will hide when overwhelmed with human interaction.

They are loyal creatures, researchers from Paris’ Nanterre University. Their study found out that ‘cats hear a sentence spoken in the same tone by their human companion and by a stranger, they respond to the former while completely ignoring the latter.’ They do form a bond with their human companions. 

This National Cat Day, celebrate your feline companion!