August 8 is International Cat Day. This festival, created more than twenty years ago, promotes the adoption and care of these domestic felines. Here's everything you need to know about the day.
To discover
What to do in your garden in summer?
Why was an International Cat Day created?
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) launched International Cat Day in 2002 to encourage owners to take care of their animals. On this day, which falls every year on August 8, associations and shelters offer the adoption of cats.
August is usually a period that coincides with the increase in dropouts. The goal is to raise awareness of the animal cause and find masters for abandoned cats.
The term "international" means that many countries have agreed on this date (United Kingdom, France, Germany, Hungary, Estonia, etc.). But some countries have their own "cat festival". This is the case of the United States, on October 29; Japan, on 22 February; and Russia; March 1.
Did you know?
There is also an "International Black Cat Day", which takes place nine days later, on August 17. Launched by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), this day aims to rehabilitate black cats, which according to this association would be victims of superstitions.
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What happens on International Cat Day?
As you will have understood, this event has mainly a resonance on the internet and social networks. Cat lovers send each other their best photos and videos. The artists associated with these little cats also take the floor, as was the case for Philippe Geluck (author of the comic strip Le Chat) and Joann Sfar (Le chat du rabbin). The latter declared in 2015 to Le Figaro: "Cats are animals that accompany us without disturbing us". As for Geluck, he is delighted with this emphasis: "Everything that celebrates the cat is necessarily good (...) He's the star of the internet."
The recurring hashtag on X (formerly Twitter) is #InternationalCatDay. Every year, personalities and institutions take advantage of this opportunity to communicate about cats. In 2017, on social networks, firefighters recalled that they were saving many cats. The producers of James Bond and Ghibli studios broadcast cult scenes with a cat. The museums of Paris, the Petit Robert, Marine Le Pen or the SPA have posted photographs of cats accompanied by an informative or personal message. This year, many netizens have already posted messages in anticipation of August 8.
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When was the cat domesticated by humans?
Humans have been making cats their pets for more than 9,000 years. DNA research has shown that today's domestic cats descend from two wild lines: one group from western China and another from Egypt. Gutter cats only appeared in Europe in the Middle Ages and from Southwest Asia. Many breeds of cats have since been created by crossing.