International Cat Day, or World Cat Day, was started in 2002 by the International Fund for Animal Welfare. They set aside August 8 as the day to raise awareness of cats and how to care for and protect them.
August is also host to other important days for our feline friends:
- August 17 National Black Cat Appreciation Day
- August 22 National Take Your Cat to the Vet Day
- August 28 Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day
Interestingly, the origin of the concept of the Rainbow Bridge is believed to be a poem, although the author is unknown. The poem described a beautiful lush meadow with plentiful food and water, just outside of heaven, where pets were returned to good health and could play while they waited for their owner to arrive. On that day, it is said, the pet stops playing and races to where their owner awaits, reunited forever, crossing the Rainbow Bridge to heaven together. An addendum to that story is that those who have rescued pets during their lives are allowed to take an unattached pet who has no one to wait for with them and their own pets into heaven.
