National Cat Day

For the International Fund for Animal Welfare day, see International Cat Day.
National Cat Day
Observed byCanada; Italy; Japan; Russia; Sweden; United Kingdom; United States
TypeNational
DateAugust 8th (Canada)
October 29th (United States)
February 22nd (Japan)
March 1st (Russia)
February 17th (Italy, Brazil, Poland)
December 1st (Sweden)
FrequencyAnnually

National Cat Day is celebrated in various countries. In some areas it is an awareness day to raise public awareness of cat adoption.

Italy

In Italy, National Cat Day is celebrated on February 17. The date was chosen in 1990 after a vote by readers of Tuttogatto magazine.

Japan

In Japan, National Cat Day is celebrated on February 22, as the date resembles the words "nyan nyan nyan" (meow meow meow).[1] The date was decided on in a poll between cat-keepers by the Executive Cat Day Committee in 1978. It is celebrated with people posing with photographs of themselves with their pet cats, and businesses selling cat-themed cuisine.[2]

Russia

In Russia, National Cat Day is celebrated on March 1.[3] In Russian culture, cats are considered symbols of spring, and March is also associated with cats.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, there is also a National Black Cat Day which is marked on October 27. It was established in 2011 by animal welfare charity, Cats Protection, who found that black (and black-and-white cats) took around a week longer to home than cats of other colours. They attributed this to black cats' perceived connection with bad luck and the supernatural, and the fact that the cats do not photograph well on social media.[4]

United States and Canada

In the US and Canada, the day focuses on animal rescue

In the US and Canada, National Cat Day is an awareness day to raise public awareness of cat adoption, taking place on August 8 in Canada[5] and October 29 in the United States.[6]

The National Cat Day website states that the holiday was first celebrated in 2005 "to help galvanize the public to recognize the number of cats that need to be rescued each year and also to encourage cat lovers to celebrate the cat(s) in their life for the unconditional love and companionship they bestow upon us." The day was founded by Colleen Paige, a pet and family lifestyle expert, who was supported by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which is a nonprofit pet adoption organization.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ In Japan, the pronunciation of 2 is ni.
  2. ^ "Meow! It's Cat Day in Japan". ABC News. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  3. ^ "Russian Cat's Day". russkiymir.ru. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  4. ^ "NI's black cats 'no longer overlooked' in rehoming centres after shedding 'unlucky' stereotypes". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. October 27, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  5. ^ "International Cat Day today #meow". Trail Daily Times. August 8, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  6. ^ Chase's Calendar of Events, 2011 Edition : The Ultimate Go-to Guide for Special Days, Weeks and Months: The Ultimate Go-to Guide for Special Days, Weeks and Months. McGraw Hill Professional. September 9, 2010. ISBN 978-0-07-174027-2. NATIONAL CAT DAY. Oct 29. Every year approximately 4 million cats enter shelters—and 1–2 million are euthanized. Often cats are overlooked and under-appreciated because they don't usually have jobs like dogs. Yet cats still lower blood pressure ...
  7. ^ Visser, Nick (October 29, 2013). "National Cat Day 2013: It's Time To Celebrate Our Feline Pals (SUBMIT YOUR OWN PHOTOS)". HuffPost. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
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