If it had not been for social media and all the crazy newly invented “holidays” I would never have even thought of looking up, let along writing about International Cat Day. Like a few million other people out there, my first thought was “why the bejeezers do we even need to celebrate cats on a specific day?” Any cat owner will tell you that cats absolutely hate celebrations of any sort, and like being the center of human attention even less. Unless the cat happens to be a Persian cat diva named Champagne. Not to mention that every day you live with a cat is a cause for celebration.
Note that International Cat Day IS NOT the same as World Cat Day celebrated on February 17.
… As if it weren´t crazy enough to have one cat day already.
International Cat Day began in 2002 under the auspices of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). As an advocate of cat welfare (well, animal welfare in general), I strongly believe in giving abandoned, abused, and neglected animals a second chance in life. My three cats are all rescue cats, as regular readers of the blog know, and I am very proud of how far they have come in their recovery.
Lolita, 13, came to me terrified of the world and it took almost a month before she summed up the courage to cuddle up to me on her own. Five months after adopting her, she now expresses herself quite vocally, demands her cuddle time, and can be seen running around playfully from time to time, depending on how her rickety bones are doing that day. Parts of her will always be traumatised, and she needs a lot of affection, but scares easily as well.
Cherry, has transformed into a completely different cat compared to the one I brought home in April. She hardly hisses these days and will often be found in the company of Champagne. They are not what I call friends, but they have finally reached a peaceful co-existence, will run around the apartment chasing anything that flies, and sit quietly together on the balcony to snoop on the neighbors or watch the activity on the river. She follows me around faithfully, silently, and shouts when she wants her treats.
What can I say about my travel cat diva that I haven´t already told you in her recent birthday blog? Her ESA (emotional support animal) vest arrived two days ago, together with her official tags, so she is good to go again, and can volunteer with the senior citizen therapy groups and children with special needs. She is a unique cat this way, and can connect with just about everyone she meets. She has become a sought after appearance at the tennis courts and is happy to tag along everywhere, disappointed when I leave her home because of the heat.
So yes, every day is a reason to celebrate my cats. Happy International Cat Day anyway!
FrogDiva Thoughts 