International Cat Day - August 8th

The celebration takes place on August 8th every year. It was created in 2002 by the International Fund for Animal Welfare. Since 2020, feline charity, International Cat Care (iCatCare), has been the custodian of International Cat Day.

iCatCare encourages cat owners to take at least minutes a day to play with their cats to improve their physical health and mental wellbeing. Just like dogs need a walk everyday, cats need daily play to keep them happy and active. 

When playing with them, think of how they would naturally act if they weren’t all snuggled up in the house. Wiggling and dragging their toys around the ground brings out their natural hunting instincts and makes them want to get involved and have fun.

iCatCare has some wonderful top tips to consider when playing with a wand toy:

Think bird — move the wand toy through the air swooping up and down like a bird flying and coming down to rest on the ground.

Think mouse — drag the wand toy away from the cat in straight fast lines, sometimes slowing down and even dragging it behind cushions or under blankets like a mouse running into the undergrowth.

Let your cat catch the wand toy intermittently. Catching every time is too easy and slows the game, but never catching the toy is frustrating and your cat could walk away.

When the game is over, put the wand toy away. It’s unsafe to be left out for your cat to play with alone as there’s a risk of entanglement.

Variety is key, so having more than one wand toy stops cats from becoming bored quickly.

If you have more than one cat, play with them separately (you can always put those not playing in their own space with a meal or a puzzle feeder). Remember, hunting is a solitary behaviour so cats don’t want others around who may steal their prized toy!

Fun International Cat Day Facts!

• 18% of households in the UK are ruled by a cat
• The UK has an estimated population of over 10 million cats
• The world’s oldest cat recorded, Creme Puff, lived until the age of 38 
• In 1963, Felicette became the first cat to go to space!
• The oldest known pet was discovered in a 9,500 year old grave in Cyprus 
• An orange cat called Stubbs served as mayor of a small town in Alaska for 20 years
• Cats spend 70% of their lives sleeping
• The richest cat in the world had £7 million 

https://www.yourcat.co.uk/the-your-cat-blog/just-five-minutes-of-play-can-benefit-your-cats-physical-and-mental-he/ 

https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/oldest-cat-ever 

https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2023-10-18/felicette-how-france-launched-the-first-cat-into-space-60-years-ago.html# 

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/oldest-known-pet-cat-9500-year-old-burial-found-on-cyprus 

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/cat-mayor-talkeetna-alaska 

https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/wealthiest-cat