Cat Day: why it is celebrated on February 20th

This Tuesday, February 20th, the International Cat Day, a holiday that counts with three days -one year- to celebrate. In times of social media, felines go viral more than ever this time of year to pay homage to one of the world’s favorite pets.

Cats They are recognized worldwide every February 20, August 8 and October 29. There’s no order of importance to label each one, but fans tend to take them as a good excuse to celebrate cats.

The three celebratory dates have their origins in United States of Americaone of which featured a president’s pet, although they have become ecumenical days as they are recognized worldwide.

International Cat Day: why is it celebrated three times a year?

The international organization Ecology Global Network estimates this There are approximately 600 million cats in the world. This includes pets, strays, homeless animals and feral cats.

With such a population it is not strange to think of more than one annual evocation. The first of them, cited for the February 20, has a direct relationship with a president of the United Stateswho ruled his country for eight years.

He is commemorated the death of presidential cat Socks Clintonone of Bill Clinton’s pets, head of state in his country for two periods, between 1993 and 2001. It is said to be the most famous and powerful cat in the world in the 1990s.

He was even the only feline in the history of the United States to roam freely in the solemn premises of White Houseit had its own website and received a large amount of mail from all over the country.

At the same time, he was often photographed in the vicinity of it Oval Hall where Clinton had an affair with intern Monica Lewinsky, and came to win the hearts of the former president’s supporters but also of his opponents.

Charismatic, several animal protection organizations decided pay posthumous tribute to Calzini on behalf of all the cats in the world. The feline lived for almost two decades: he was born on March 15, 1989 and died on February 20, 2009.

The second appointment, August 8thwas established in 2002 by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), to draw attention to animal rights. International Cat Day It allows Internet users to renew memes, images and videos 24 hours a day to adore their pampered pets.

This celebration was established based on the proposal of IFAW together with other animal rights groups to celebrate the some postulate it as the most popular pet on the planet.

In the northern hemisphere they say August is the month of cats, since according to scientific studies the activity of felines increases due to the temperature and the amount of sunlight they receive during the day. This factor appears to directly influence its reproductive cycle. January should be viewed the same way in the Southern Hemisphere.

In fact, according to the Brazilian College of Animal Reproduction (CBRA for its acronym in Portuguese), the ovulation period of female cats increases with more hours of daily light, and the heat phase can last up to 19 days.

That’s why even on this date It aims to raise awareness of the importance of animal sterilization to avoid overpopulation and abandonment.

Finally, National Cat Day is celebrated on October 29 in the United States.created by animal expert Colleen Paige, to promote feline adoptions and promote the culture of responsible ownership and harmonious coexistence with animals.

To celebrate this special day, there are a large number of organizations where you can participate as a volunteerfor example in a rescue center for dogs and cats.