World Cat Day or International Cat Day
International Cat Day is a celebration which takes place on 8 August, every year. It was created in 2002 by the International Fund for Animal Welfare. International Cat Day is also referred to as World Cat Day in some countries and since its inception, it has been growing worldwide.
A day to celebrate one of man’s most common and ancient pets. They have even been worshiped as gods (we see you, Egypt.) Well, it is not surprising, Cats are one of the coolest beings on the planet: they are independent, inquisitive, adventurous, have an amazing physiognomy, and the power to heal by themselves — at least most of the time.
History of International Cat Day
Cats are carnivorous small furry mammals — for the most part — with four legs, a tail, and claws, that humans have domesticated as pets since ancient times, even though they have descended from the African Wildcat and they used to catch vermin.
The first historical human record about cats could be found in Ancient Egyptian Civilization’s culture. We all seem to relate cats with Egyptians, because of their adoration and consideration of cats as gods. Mafdet was the first known cat deity and was regarded as the protector against snakes, scorpions, and evil during the First Dynasty, so for them, cats were not just deities, but also protectors.
Later, after the Egyptian Dynasty collapsed, Cats became popular everywhere! Greeks and Romans used them as pest control, and in the East, cats were originally owned by rich and wealthy people. But during the Middle Ages, in Europe, Cats became associated with superstition and suspected of carrying the disease during the Black Death of 1348, that is the reason why too many cats got killed in that era, and it wasn’t until the 1600s that cats’ reputation started to recover.
In America, cats were part of the cargo on the colonization ships to minimize vermin and disease, so those cats went ashore and flourished. Nowadays, cats seem to be one of the pop icons in modern society – we have about half of a billion among us. And, since 2002, thanks to the “International Fund for Animal Welfare” cats have their own holiday!
International Cat Day By The Numbers
18% – the percentage of households in the U.K. ruled by a cat.
9,500 – the number of years ago when the oldest-known pet cat existed.
70% – the percentage of their lives cats spend sleeping.
20 – the number of years an orange cat named ‘Stubbs’ served as the mayor of a small town in Alaska.
48.5 – the record number of inches for the longest cat ever.
19.05 – the record number of inches of the tallest cat ever.
£7 million – the net worth of the richest cat in the world.
1963 – the year when a cat was successfully sent to space.
30 mph – the maximum speed of a house cat.
