Cat Day in Russia in 2021: when is it celebrated, the history of the holiday

When it takes placeWho celebratesHistoryTraditionsInteresting facts

World Cat Day is celebrated on August 8th. Different countries have their own date to honor furry friends. But in 2002, by the decision of the international foundation “AnimalWelfare”, August 8 was declared World Furry Pets Day. This day has been celebrated unofficially since 1987 on the initiative of Japan.

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There are more than 600 million cats in the world. About 40% of the world's population keep these animals at home.

The first mentions of domestic cats appeared in Ancient Egypt. They were considered sacred, protecting grain from rodents and the owners' homes from dark forces.

There were no homeless animals in Egypt. They were housed in a special temple. Caring for furry creatures was considered an honorable service. Usually this position was occupied by priests.

In medieval Europe, attitudes towards pets changed. They were considered the personification of evil spirits and were burned at the stake along with witches.

The first cats appeared in Russia in the 11th century. They were brought in on ships.

Among the ancient Slavs, cats were guides to the world of spirits. Animals were considered a symbol of peace and prosperity. Only rich people could have a furry protector in their home.

Today, cute furry creatures continue to delight people with their affection and beauty. Keeping them at home is considered good for health. Pets relieve stress, reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, and treat headaches.

For those who love cats but cannot keep them, there are cat cafes.

World Cat Day

There are holidays dedicated to these furry pets in many countries. For example, in Russia Cat Day is celebrated on March 1, in Poland on February 17, in Japan on February 22, and in the United States they are celebrated on October 29. These days appeared at different times and based on different events (or without them). But at the international level, this holiday appeared in 2002 and today unites millions of owners of these animals around the world.

World Cat Day

(World Cat Day) is celebrated annually on August 8 at the initiative of the International Fund for Animal Welfare, not only to honor furry couch potatoes, but to draw attention to the problem of stray cats.

After all, there are few people on the planet who remain indifferent to these fluffy, active, affectionate and very intelligent animals. There is even a science about cats - felinology (from Latin felinus - cat and Greek logos - science), emphasizing that cats are very smart and useful. The domestic cat (Felis catus) is a member of the cat family, which includes 2 subfamilies, 4 genera and about 36 species. It is known that representatives of both subfamilies, 3 genera and 12 species live in Russia.

From time immemorial, cats have been and remain the most common pets around the world (Photo: Rachata Sinthopachakul, Shutterstock)

It is no secret that from time immemorial cats have been and remain the most common pets in the whole world: about 80% of all inhabitants of the Earth keep a pet, and more than half of them have given their preference to cats, with dogs coming in second place.

In addition to “aesthetic pleasure” (after all, what could be more pleasant than a purring, warm friend cuddling on your lap), cats also perform a number of useful functions for humans. They perfectly exterminate rodents, treat some diseases and even prolong the life of their owner. Thus, American doctors found that cat owners are 40% less likely to suffer from heart disease, and they are also less likely to have heart attacks and strokes. And English doctors have developed a whole “cat therapy”, with the help of which they propose to treat a number of diseases, in particular, inflammation of the joints and gynecological diseases.

Cats often become heroes of fairy tales, epics, cartoons, etc. Many peoples in the world have many beliefs and signs associated with cats. The most common ones are that cats live several lives, and can also intuitively determine the intentions of people who come to the house and sense unkind guests.

Today is their holiday! (Photo: Tony Campbell, Shutterstock)

Therefore, it is not surprising that in some countries these animals have a special state status, for example, in Austria, every cat that guarded food warehouses is paid a lifelong pension in the form of meat and milk, and in China cats are protected at the legislative level. By the way, in Japan there is even a Cat Temple, built in honor of 7 cats who served Japanese warriors faithfully in the 17th century, and in Germany there is a Cat Museum, which contains many exhibits related to cats and selected from around the world. Russia is not far behind in their veneration - for example, there are cat museums in both Moscow and St. Petersburg.

On the holiday itself - Cat Day - the heroes of the occasion are especially honored and pampered in every possible way - they buy various delicacies, new houses and toys for their pets. In a number of countries, this day was even timed to open special parks for walking cats and cat shops, cafes and hotels where you can temporarily accommodate your pet with greater comfort.

Of course, you can talk and talk endlessly about these wonderful and graceful animals, close relatives of tigers and leopards themselves. Therefore, on this holiday I would like to wish all cats to have their own home, caring owners and delicious food. Well, we, people, must remember that we are responsible for those we have tamed, and thank the animals again.

Traditions

On this day, cat lovers try to please their pets with a treat or a new toy. On August 8, charity events and exhibitions are held, where everyone can adopt an animal from a shelter.

Representatives of animal welfare funds and volunteers involve the public in solving the problems of homeless animals and those who have suffered from human cruelty.

Thematic exhibitions, various educational events, and competitions are held during the holiday.

In which countries and how is it celebrated?

Although the official date of Cat Day is August 8, each country has chosen its own, when the cute pets are given all the attention and honor.

Russia

The founders of the holiday are the magazine “Cat and Dog” and the Moscow Cat Museum. The main traditions of this holiday:

1. Date: March 1st.
2. Features of the holiday: opening of exhibitions dedicated to cats, holding charity fairs, the purpose of which is to focus attention on the problems of homeless animals and attract investment to support nurseries for such individuals. Animals often find a new home at charity events.

The holiday has been celebrated on Russian territory since 2004.

USA

The date of celebration is October 29. Founder: American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ASPCA. Objectives and goals of the event:

1. Attracting more volunteers to work in centers for stray pets.
2. Popularization of the sterilization procedure as the only effective method for preventing the appearance of street animals.
3. Attracting financial investments into shelters for homeless cats.
4. Educating people, especially children and youth, in a humane attitude towards cats in order to reduce cases of physical abuse of them.

Festive program. On this day, numerous exhibitions for cats are held, museums are opened and cat cafes are visited. Celebrating Purr Day in America has the greatest benefit, since every year more and more people donate considerable sums to the development of shelters that house homeless animals.

The results of the celebration are a decrease in cases of violence against cats, a massive involvement of volunteers in animal care centers, tens of thousands of rescued cats who have found homes and loving owners.

Belgium

In Belgium, the holiday was established at the state level. Date: 2nd Sunday of May. Peculiarities:

1. Celebrated only once every 3 years.
2. Celebrated on a grand scale. While in other countries on this day it is customary to simply open cat exhibitions and hold events aimed at attracting the attention of all social strata of society to the problems of stray animals, in Belgium a grandiose cat parade is held.
3. Belgium has its own belief: if you kill a cat, you can be cleansed of all sins. Today, of course, no one thinks of killing furry pets, but tribute to this tradition is still paid, albeit in a peculiar form. Hundreds of stuffed toy cats are thrown from the bell tower during the parade. If you catch a toy, happiness, luck, success and luck will “pursue” such a lucky person.

Cats of any breed, as well as their owners, can take part in the parade. Many people dress up in giant animal costumes, opening and closing the cheerful, meowing procession.

Great Britain

The founder of the holiday is the state. Date: March 1st. Features of the celebration and traditions:

1. Everyone wears artificial mustaches and ears on this day, and some even purchase special costumes for this purpose that imitate feline representatives. In this form, people go out into the city centers, gather in friendly groups and have fun.
2. Purring owners dress their pets in colorful, funny costumes, walk them down the street, and organize small parades.
3. Charity parties are held to attract financial assistance and volunteers to animal protection centers where “street children” are kept.
4. On the day of the celebration, all parks, cafes and restaurants open.
5. Gifts and rewards are given to cats whose costumes and appearance at the celebration turn out to be the most beautiful or unusual. In addition, the purrs are given sweets, and some are even awarded the right to subsidized food for the next year.

Great Britain is a country known for its rather “unusual” attitude towards cats.

Here it is considered normal to take an animal to work. Moreover, we are talking not only about museums and exhibitions, but also government organizations in which pets serve and even receive a salary for it.

Italy

Founder: Claudia Angeletti, journalist. Date: November 17th. Features:

1. In this country, feline representatives enjoy special honor and love. This is explained by a difficult history, when in the Middle Ages in Italy they punished suspected witchcraft and magic too harshly. Often cats, especially black cats, became victims of the Inquisition, since they were credited with witchcraft abilities. Therefore, on the day of the holiday, special respect is shown to individuals with a black fur coat.
2. Parades are held across the country, charity events are held to raise funds and attract more volunteers to work in centers for the protection and maintenance of homeless animals.

Much attention is paid to the prevention and prevention of violence against pets.

Poland

The founder is the editor of the magazine “Cat” Wojciech Kurkowski. Date: February 17th. Peculiarities:

1. This holiday is celebrated on a special scale, in a positive way with mass fun.
2. In many cities across the country, from very early in the morning, the police are blocking certain streets that will be used for the ceremonial procession. Tailed purrs and their owners take part in it. Not only cats show off in beautiful outfits, but many people dress up in funny animal costumes.
3. During the cheerful procession, a large number of balls of wool of different colors and toys are thrown into the crowd - all for the fun and amusement of the cats.

The celebration lasts the whole day.

Japan

The founders are cat food manufacturers. The date is February 22. Features of the holiday:

1. The date, February 22, is completely non-random and, remarkably, it was chosen by the animals themselves. Back in 1987, a survey was conducted among the country's population to choose the date of the celebration. The Japanese decided to place this responsibility on the heroes of the occasion themselves. Translated from Japanese, the sounds that cats make, “neu” or “nyan,” mean “two.” Accordingly, the purr of “neu-neu-neu” is considered as 222 or February 22.
2. Due to Japan's high pet taxes, most people simply cannot afford cats. Another reason for the impossibility of having cats is that they cannot be kept in apartments. Therefore, the celebration of Cat Day takes place on a special scale.
3. Everyone who wants to take part in the celebration gathers on the island of Tairo. They give each other famous Japanese cat figurines - Maneki Neko figurines. Why is Tairo spicy? This area in Japan is famous for the fact that there are 4 times more cats than people living here.
4. During the day, people have fun with tailed purrs in special cafes for cats.

Interesting Facts

• Felinologists study cats;
• In China, in ancient times they ate cats, but now it is prohibited;
• Ancient cats hunted not only rodents, but also rabbits;
• The Templars were accused of witchcraft, including because they kept cats;
• In Malaysia they still believe that cats can call for rain. According to various information, animals are either bathed or drowned;
• It is believed that a cat has 9 lives;
• The cat is allowed into the new home first, so that life in the house is happy;
• Animals protect the home from negativity and evil people;
• Furry helpers hunt not only for food, so they “work” in museums and grain warehouses. In England and Austria they are even given a food pension for old age;
• Black cats and cats warn of trouble;
• This is the only animal that can enter a Christian temple;
• Animals predict natural disasters;
• There are 200 cat breeds in the world;
• Savannah is the most expensive and largest cat breed. Bred by crossing an African serval and a domestic cat. Weight about 20 kg. Price from 4 to 22 thousand dollars.

Amazing facts about cats

According to research by zoological scientists, cats appeared on the planet about 9 thousand years ago. How and when the domestication of cats began is still unknown. According to most scientists, the Egyptians first began to domesticate wild felines. Well, the animals owe the fact that the cat breed has spread throughout the world to the Phoenicians, who took them on their trading ships.

The inhabitants of Ancient Egypt were the first to domesticate cats.

Cats appeared in Russia 1500 years ago thanks to foreign merchants. Animals were very expensive and only very rich people could afford to have a cat. The opportunity to buy such a household assistant appeared to ordinary people only in the 16th century.

Record-breaking cats

Some felines amaze humans with their unusual achievements:

• a cat named Colonel Meow has the longest fur in the world - 23 cm;

  Colonel Meow, the longest-haired cat in the world, is included in the book of records.

• the long-lived cat Puffy lived a full 38 years;
• the longest cat in the world, Scarlett, is 144 cm long;
• the loudest cat in the world named Smokey makes sounds equal to 67.7 decibels;
• the smallest cat, Tinker Toy, lived in America and weighed only 680 g with a height of 7 cm.

Photo gallery: unusual cats

The American Curl is distinguished by its soft character and inward curled ears.

The Cornish Rex has a long body and curly coat.

The Egyptian Mau is a leopard-colored cat with spots not only on his fur, but also on his skin.

Manx is a tailless cat that originated on the Isle of Man.

The Sphynx is a cat that, as a result of a mutation, has no fur at all.

International Cat Day in Russia

If you didn’t know what date they celebrate Cat Day in Russia , then circle this date on the calendar: March 1st. The initiative to celebrate the day dedicated to your favorite purrs belongs to the Moscow Cat Museum. Officially, this holiday has been celebrated in our country since 2004. This month, marked by cat chants in all courtyards and nooks, the Hermitage, according to history, pays tribute to the palace cats. As you know, on March 27, Catherine the Great issued a decree on the enrollment of cats in the civil service. Representatives of the cat world did no less than protect the palace from rodents.

St. Petersburg organized its annual holiday dedicated to mouse catchers - St. Petersburg Cat Day, which is celebrated on June 8.

Kaliningrad honors cats in early September. Residents consider these animals to be the patrons of the city.

How cat day is celebrated in other countries

International Cat Day is celebrated in many countries, mainly in the Northern Hemisphere. This is due to the fact that in the Southern Hemisphere, cats as pets are less common than in the Northern Hemisphere. The second reason for the smaller coverage of countries in honoring rodent catchers with a special day is associated with the youth of the holiday itself.

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In those countries where the holiday takes place annually, cats are especially celebrated. Austria even grants pensions to cats who have been guarding food warehouses for many years. True, this pension is paid not in the form of cash benefits, but in meat, broth and dairy products.

In some countries, it is at this time that they try to open departments for cats, where you can buy a lot of useful things for your pets.

The Chinese are also kind to the mustachioed and striped creatures. This holiday draws Chinese people's attention to the needs of felines and reminds them of tougher penalties for people who mistreat animals.

Cat Day in the UK

This holiday is celebrated on a special scale. In this country, cats have their own state role - it is not so easy to be responsible for the safety of museum exhibits and for the reserves of English grain.

Absolutely all furry purrs receive congratulations, especially those who officially serve for the benefit of their Fatherland. The heroes of the occasion are treated to goodies, sea delicacies, or any food that these animals especially love. Of course, everyone’s favorites are endlessly stroked on the fur, showing their attention.

Many elegant representatives of the cat world can be seen on the streets of England on this holiday. Owners either sew cat costumes themselves or buy them in stores.

Cat Day in America

There was no way Americans could miss such a holiday on their calendar. However, the United States celebrates this celebration on a different date: October 29. The cat holiday was originally proposed to be celebrated by the editor-in-chief of Pet Home Magazine, Colleen Page. This lady is an undisputed expert on the behavioral reactions of animals.

Initially, the holiday was intended to draw attention to homeless and wild cats and their problems of existence. Today, Stray Cat Day in the United States is celebrated on October 16, actively offering animals new homes. Many stars take part in cat events, for example, Eva Longoria devotes a lot of attention to cats.

Cat Day in Japan

In the Land of the Rising Sun, there is a special attitude towards these cute creatures. The history of International Cat Day in Japan began in 1987, although the holiday officially gained global significance in 2002.

On February 22, owners of adult cats and kittens celebrate their furry friends. It is believed that Japanese cats do not say “meow”, but “nyan-nyan-nyan”. And in Japanese, “ni” is “two”. A playful form of the word is nyan. What number do we get? That's right, the 22nd of the 2nd month. This is where the date of the holiday comes from.

The meaning of the Japanese cat festival is to spread information about cats, breeds, and habits of these creatures.