According to our feline friends, it's National Cat Day every day. October 29, however, marks this year's official holiday, designed to celebrate cats and encourage more people to adopt them.
Here, we celebrate a few of the weird, wonderful, and whiskered qualities we love about the purring prima donnas who live on our couches.
Your Cat Communicates With You
Do cats understand language? Several studies have turned up some fascinating facts about cat communication. In 2002, for example, research from Cornell found that domestic cats actually developed different meows to manage their humans' behavior, like that unforgettable "Where's my dinner?" song.
These days, humans have started to figure out how to talk back. Behavioral scientists suggest that some cats can recognize their own names from among other words…though sometimes they choose to ignore them! If you have a contrary kitty, though, you can show affection by giving them a slow blink, which psychologists recently confirmed is the equivalent of a cat smile.
Your Cat Has Superpowers Cats can't leap tall buildings in a single bound, but they can jump five times their own height or higher. That's just one of the fascinating biological features that housecats display, which also includes their incredible ability to land on their feet, super-sensitive whiskers, and excellent night vision. Did you know a cat's purr vibrates on the exact frequency that helps heal bones and tissue?
These little hunters' connection to their primal instincts is also why it's so important to offer them a stimulating environment. Be sure to check out your local pet store to help fill your cat's world with feather toys, squeaky mice, cat trees, and more.
Your Cat Works Hard!
Maybe it doesn't seem like cats are hard workers when they spend sixteen hours a day sleeping (hey, it's a tough job, but someone's gotta do it). Simply having a cat around helps with blood pressure, mental stress, and anxiety, which is why some cats have joined dogs as therapy animals.
Meanwhile, from ship's cats and barn cats to New York City's much-beloved bodega cats, cats have always acted as in-house mousers - there's even a Chief Mouser to the British Cabinet! Many rescue programs also use feral cat colonies as "working cat" groups to help control rodent populations in certain areas.
Cats are pretty amazing creatures (and they know it). What better way to celebrate our furry superheroes this National Cat Day than to support your local adoption shelter or rescue program?