International Cat Day. How to congratulate your cat and what to cook

On March 1, Russia celebrates a very unusual holiday called Cat Day. This holiday is celebrated by all owners and fans of these cute and wonderful animals. It is not an official holiday. The purpose of this day is to honor representatives of the cat breed. As well as attracting public attention to existing problematic issues relating to homeless cats.

This day in different countries

Cat Day is celebrated in many countries, but on different days. In Russia it is the first of March. In Poland, their beloved furry pets are celebrated on the seventeenth of February. For the Japanese, this date falls on February twenty-second. There is also World Cat Day. This holiday received international status in two thousand and two. Since then it has been celebrated annually. The date of celebration is the eighth of August. The initiators of the establishment of this celebration were the international fund for the protection of animals - “Animal Welfare”.

For the first time in our country, Cat Day was celebrated sixteen years ago - in 2004. It was organized by the Moscow Cat Museum and the editors of the publishing magazine “Cat and Dog”.

On this day, various charitable organizations and volunteers collect voluntary donations. All funds raised are used to solve the issues and problems of street animals.

There are all kinds of cat shows. Of course, only purebred animals take part in them. But some nurseries and shelters for stray animals hold special exhibitions in which cats who do not have their own home and owner take part. At such exhibitions, any caring person has the opportunity to purchase a furry pet for themselves, taking it into their care.

Of course, on this day, cat owners try to pamper their pets in every possible way, buying them delicious treats, toys and accessories.

Interesting facts about cats

1. Mustaches are not just for beauty. The whiskers of cats, which we usually call whiskers, are actually organs of touch and orientation in space. They record the slightest vibrations in the air, so a cat can determine the temperature of food and even the location of objects surrounding it from a distance. Vibrissae are located not only above the lips and above the eyes of the animal, but also on the paws, between the pads of the toes, inside the ears, and sometimes at their tips.
2. Cats cannot taste sweets.
3. The cat door was invented by the eminent scientist Isaac Newton.
4. Cats are most often left-handed, and cats are often right-handed.
5. Cat owners are 17% more likely to have an academic degree.
6. Many people are touched when cats rub against their legs, although in fact the animals are simply marking their territory this way.
7. The cat's brain is in many ways similar to the human brain - the same areas are responsible for emotions.
8. Cats reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes in their owners by about a third.
9. The vast majority of cat owners (95%) talk to their pets.
10. The first cat, to which the owner gave a name, lived in Ancient Egypt. Her loving owner named her Nej, which translates to “sweetheart.”
11. Cats are inferior to dogs in mental abilities, but if desired, they can solve more complex problems.
12. Everyone knows that before eating, a cat carefully sniffs the food. This is how she determines the composition and temperature to avoid poisoning and burns.
13. The frequency of cats purring coincides with the rate of muscle and bone recovery.
14. Cats can make about 100 sounds, while dogs can only make ten.
15. Cats spend about 70% of their lives sleeping.
16. The body length of the largest cat exceeded 1.2 meters.
17. Cats use about 20 muscles to move their ears.
18. There are approximately 500 million domestic cats in the world.
19. Dusty the cat was included in the Guinness Book of Records due to her fertility - she gave birth to 420 kittens.
20. A third of cat owners believe their furry pets can read their minds.
21. Cats sniff their food before eating because this is how they determine its temperature.
22. According to some reports, Napoleon Bonaparte was terribly afraid of cats.
23. A cat named Stubbs was the mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska, for 15 years. Another cat tried to become the head of Mexico City in 2013.
24. In the original version of the fairy tale Cinderella, the fairy godmother was a cat.
25. In Britain and Australia, black cats are believed to bring good luck.

Prepared based on information from open sources

Leisure and fun for purrs

More and more “cat” cafes are opening all over the world every year:

1. The objectives and goals of the establishments are to provide close contact with animals to people who adore cats, love to play with them and spend time, but for certain reasons are not able to have them as pets. Another goal of such cafes is charity.
2. Animals come to cat cafes with their owners, but there are also representatives of the cat world who live in these establishments permanently because they do not have owners.
3. Visitors to the cafe can take home the animal they like.

In addition to specialized establishments for animals, there are cafes and restaurants that a person can visit with their pet, and the staff will kindly offer the purr milk or other treat.

SPA for cats

Not only people can relax under a pleasant massage surrounded by the fragrant scents of an aroma lamp. In many cities around the world, spa centers for animals are popular. Here, your beloved pet will not only receive a pleasant massage, but also a variety of procedures for caring for fur, claws and skin.

There are also spa centers that employ cats.

If you want pleasant relaxation and incredible tenderness, you should visit a massage performed by a cat, trampling its paws on the client’s back and stomach.

Temple for cats

In Tokyo there is a temple opened in honor of man's faithful four-legged friends. This city was chosen as the site of the opening of the temple for a number of reasons:

1. According to Buddhist beliefs, the human soul is imprisoned in the body of cats.
2. Based on these beliefs, in Japan it is customary to bury cats with great honors, installing statues and portraits on their graves.
3. Burial of cats in the temple with great honors opens the way for animals to eternal Nirvana and a happy afterlife.

Cat Theater

There is an amazing place in Moscow - a theater in which all roles are performed exclusively by cats under the leadership of trainer Yuri Kuklachev. It would seem, what is so amazing about trained animals? The thing is that teaching cats commands, and even more so getting them to execute them at a certain time, is an extremely difficult task. It’s hard to imagine what complex and painstaking work was done to train these animals.

Cat shows

Cat shows are popular all over the world and are held several times a year. These events attract cats of various breeds: beautiful and noble, both adults and kittens. This is a parade of the best representatives of the cat world, who compete with each other in sleekness, grooming and compliance with world standards.

At exhibitions, you can choose a kitten of your favorite breed or reserve one from a future litter. People visit such exhibitions not only for the purpose of purchasing a pet. Animal lovers come to these events to enjoy interacting with cats and see what perfect creatures nature can create.

Poland

In Poland, Cat Day is celebrated on February 17th. The Poles have long been famous for their reverent attitude towards their four-legged friends.

Wanting to help our smaller brothers, the inhabitants of Poland established a cat day. Its main goal is to raise funds for donations to nurseries, as well as for medicine and sterilization of homeless animals.

Poles celebrate in a big way. Already in the early morning the main streets are closed and the fun begins. Exhibitions are organized, cat competitions, competitive events, colorful shows and festivals are held.

The “cherry on the cake” is a game of cat fun. Participants dress up in cat costumes and begin chasing huge balls of colored thread. This whole action looks very spectacular.

History and traditions of the holiday

A cat is a person’s friend, it walks on its own, loves affection, eats delicious food and sleeps well. Many people consider cats to be useless animals, but this is not true. At the same time, cats are very smart animals and they love their owners very much.

Cats catch rodents, take away negative energy from the house, lift your spirits, and for women, a cat often replaces a child. The cat feels equal to the person and does not like being ordered around or shouted at. The animal will understand a lot if everything is explained to her affectionately, without forgetting about encouragement.

Cat activities: places opened in honor of cats

It is easy to notice that in each country the holiday has common features, but still has its own individual characteristics. If everything is more or less clear with parades and games with balls in the fresh air, then Japanese cat cafes are something new. However, not only such establishments are opened in honor of cats.

Catcafe

The purpose of these establishments is to give people who cannot keep an animal at home the opportunity to communicate with cats, feed, pet, and play with them. Moreover, the cats presented in such cafes do not always have owners. For example, in Belgium there is an institution called DreamCATchers where all the animals are taken from the shelter, and you have the opportunity to take some of the pets home. So far from being limited to entertainment and commercial purposes, many also have charitable goals.

In Russia, cat cafes are presented in the following cities:

• Moscow;
• Ekaterinburg;
• Kazan;
• Voronezh;
• Samara;
  Many cat cafes have shelter cats that you can take home.
• Saint Petersburg;
• Nizhny Novgorod.

Cafes you can visit with your cats

In the event that there is no such establishment in your city or this option is unsuitable due to the pet’s passionate jealousy, and the idea of ​​a cafe is still attractive to you, then there is such an option as “Mari Vanna” and restaurants with a similar policy. The point is that in these establishments you will not only be allowed to enter with your pet, but they will also pour milk for it.

Many restaurants will welcome your pet.

Exhibitions

You can enjoy the sight of selected purebred cats at exhibitions, which are often held in every city. There you will be able to see and, with the consent of the owners, touch unusual cats, ask questions to the owners about the maintenance of certain breeds and agree on the purchase of a kitten from the nearest litter. You can also watch the awards being given to the best representatives of their breeds.

Cats with titles, as well as their offspring, are more valuable

Museums

There are various museums opened in honor of cats. For example, in the Malaysian city of Kuching, the Cat Museum has been opened, which has collected under its arches everything related to these beautiful animals: from figurines and playing cards with images of cats, to photographs, panels and paintings. Even the entrance to the museum itself is made in the form of a large cat’s head.

At the Malaysian Cat Museum you can find everything related to these animals.

There are cat museums all over the world, here are the most popular ones:

• De Kattenkabinet (The Cat's Cabinet), Amsterdam;
• Republic of cats, St. Petersburg - Vsevolozhsk;
• Cat Museum, Moscow.

Theater

You can admire the cats and see what these freedom-loving animals are capable of in the skillful hands of a trainer at the Yuri Kuklachev Cat Theater.

At Yuri Kuklachev's Cat Theater, cats perform incredible tricks

This unique place opens its doors almost every weekend and delights its viewers with entertaining performances at the address: Moscow, Kutuzovsky Prospekt, 25. Fluffy performers of different breeds will not allow you to remain indifferent, because every performance is a game for them, and for the audience - incredible show.

SPA

If you are tired of the spectacle and just want to relax in the spa, then this procedure can be carried out with the participation of our furry friends. So, let's go to Japan where the kind cat Nia will knead her back and stomach with her paws while the massage therapist works on her feet.

Video: SPA services with a cat

Temple

It would be a good idea to pay tribute to our faithful friends at the cat temple in Tokyo. Buddhists believe that the human soul can be contained in the body of animals, so the bodies of cats can be buried with appropriate honors (statue, portrait) on the territory of this temple. And as the legend says, this will make their path to Nirvana easier.

In Japan, cats can be buried according to all customs in a temple.

Cats are amazing animals, wise, honest in their selfishness and love for their owner, they give us an unimaginable amount of positive emotions and by their very presence, by their life next to us, they change a person for the better. That is why they are loved everywhere, and Cat Day is celebrated all over the world, and despite differences in celebration traditions, its purpose is always the same - to show cats your love.

How to celebrate cat day

In order to please your pet on a holiday, you can come up with festive events at home:

• Please your cat with a tasty, albeit expensive, treat. You can decorate it in the form of a cat cake from your favorite canned food or meat.
• Buy a new one or make an original pet house with your own hands. Or special shelves for climbing - experts believe that a cat should have many personal, not only horizontal, but also vertical surfaces.
• Give your pet a special relaxing massage with brushing if he loves it.
• Buy new beautiful and comfortable accessories - a collar with a tag and a leash, overalls, a bowl.
• Place anti-cat nets on the windows to prevent the cat from falling out.
• Microchipping your pet.
• If there is no cat in the house, adopt a kitten from a shelter or work as a volunteer there.
• Make a donation for homeless animals in the form of money or necessary items - food, litter, cat complexes and houses.
• For your household, bake a cake or cookies in the shape of cats.

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When cats appeared in Rus': an excursion into history

It seems that cats lived side by side with us all the time. Domesticated furry animals can be found both in ancient Russian fairy tales and in modern cartoons and films. However, it is known for certain that the first cats did not appear among our ancestors, but in Egypt. If you dig deeper, you will find that in the veins of cute pets flows the blood of terrifying prehistoric hunters - creodonts.

Sailors brought cute fluffies to Rus'. Some sources say that this happened in the 7th-8th centuries. In others, already in the III-V centuries. (judging by the remains) small representatives of this species walked around the territory of Russian lands.

Church workers were among the first to appreciate the ability of cats to catch mice and rats that stole grain from granaries. It is interesting that of all the animals, only the graceful purrs were allowed to legally be in the church. Even small holes were cut into the gates (for example, in the churches of Vladimir and Suzdal) for their unhindered movement. At that time, the cost of a mustachioed housekeeper was equal to the cost of a cow.

Murki also lived at the palaces of emperors. And when in the XVII-XVIII centuries. the animals multiplied sufficiently, Peter I ordered the merchants without fail: “Have cats in the barns to protect them, and mice and rats to intimidate them.”