World Cat Day 2018
According to sociologists, about 70% of the world's population owns pets. And the majority of them prefer cats. Yes, there are more cat lovers in the world than dog lovers. It's no surprise that these adorable pets have a dedicated holiday: World Cat Day.
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Date of the holiday
Cat Day is an unofficial holiday. It's not recognized by the UN or UNESCO, and it's not listed as a national holiday by any country. Yet, it's celebrated by pet lovers across the globe, regardless of borders and distances.
What date is World Cat Day in 2018? The question is not without merit. The fact is, there are several cat holidays: international, Russian, national, and, on top of that, dozens of countries celebrate their own day. It's no wonder that the same question arises every year: "When is World Cat Day?"
It's actually not that difficult to figure out. There is one common holiday with international status: World Cat Day, celebrated on August 8th.
World Cat Day 2018 is celebrated on Wednesday, August 8th.
But there's also a second category of holidays—Cat Day—celebrated individually in each country. In Russia, the date chosen for the holiday was March 1st, in honor of the proverb about cats born in March. National Cat Day is a pan-American holiday celebrated on October 29th. France, Poland, Japan, Germany, and Italy also have their own holidays… it's impossible to list them all in one short article.
World Cat Day: The History of the Holiday
How did World Cat Day come about? The holiday's history is simple and at the same time somewhat tragic.
The initiator and founder of the holiday was IFAW – International Fund for Animal Welfare. The idea behind the holiday, as strange as it may seem now, was not to celebrate furry pets, but to highlight the problems associated with domestic cats. Indeed, pet breeding is fraught with many problems. These include uncontrolled breeding, cruelty, the awakening of compassion in people for pets, and even the interaction between domestic cats and wild animals. The desire to protect pets from humans inspired the foundation's volunteers to create a new holiday.
The holiday was established in 2002, and almost immediately other pet advocacy organizations recognized it. Following them, businesses, primarily pet food and accessory manufacturers, also joined the celebration. 2018 marks the seventeenth anniversary of World Cat Day.
Events in honor of International Cat Day
Every year, a huge number of events are organized in honor of the holiday, both at the international and local levels.
Naturally, the main events are organized by IFAW – the International Fund for Animal Welfare, the initiator of the holiday. For example, in 2017, Honolulu hosted the International Animal Conservation Conference, held in honor of Cat Day. The main issues discussed at the conference focused on the interaction between pets and wild felines.
Other animal rights organizations are not lagging behind. In the context of regulating issues of pet coexistence, a whole series of recommendations for owners of these "cute furry creatures" have been created. Animal rights activists have taken every detail into account, and a great deal of attention has been paid to a "stimulating environment" (meaning that the cat should have at least several vertical surfaces on which it can hang or climb; several toys; ropes to kick with its paws; objects on which to scratch its back and sharpen its claws, that is, scratching posts).
But the most interesting thing is that, in honor of National Cat Day, IFAW annually produces videos about wild animals specifically for domestic cats. Yes, your pet can become a movie buff too – there are tons of mini-films online made especially for cats.
Animal rescue
Since 2014, the regular Cat Day events have included a program to work with animals in areas affected by hurricanes and floods. The traditional event began with a project to spay/neuter pets found in areas devastated by Hurricanes Rita and Katrina. In 2016, IFAW volunteers rescued animals affected by Hurricane Matthew in Jamaica and Haiti. In 2017, IFAW focused its efforts on the Americas and the Caribbean, where several hurricanes—Harvey, Irma, and Maria—made landfall. Rescue, treatment, and rehabilitation efforts have been ongoing for several months. sterilization pets, some of which are held under the auspices of and with funds raised for International Cat Day.
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