Celebrating Cats: International Cat Day

Cats haven’t changed all that much over thousands of years. We have.

International Cat Day, celebrated each year on August 8, a reminder that while cats may still behave like the tiny predators they have always been, our understanding of their health, behavior, and emotional lives has undergone a remarkable transformation.

Not long ago, cats were often viewed as independent, low-maintenance pets that needed little veterinary care and might roam outdoors and live happier lives that way. Many people assumed that if a cat stayed indoors, veterinary visits weren’t necessary. Today, veterinarians know better—and increasingly, so do cat parents who consider their cats every bit as important as their dogs.

Today, we know the risks from cars, predators, toxins, infectious diseases and even people far outweigh any perceived benefits being outside. Today, veterinarians overwhelmingly recommend keeping cats indoors or providing safe outdoor access, such as a catio or supervised walks.

Even when cats that did see a veterinarian 20 years ago, they often visited only when they were obviously ill. Regular wellness examinations simply weren’t part of the culture of cat ownership. “My cat seems fine,” was a common refrain, not recognizing that cats instinctively mask pain and illness. By the time many cats appear sick, disease may already be well advanced.

Feline medicine itself has evolved dramatically. For one thing, there are boarded feline specialists. Veterinary and veterinary technician schools have long stopped teaching about cats as an afterthought or as if they are small dogs. Cat Friendly Practices emphasize that a veterinarian has made the effort to ensure cats are treated for the special creatures they are.

Many Misconceptions

Cats are territorial creatures in a different way which some dogs are. Their sense of security and safety diminishes when they are removed from their territories, unless there is practice which makes perfect with positive association.

This is the most significant reason why carrier training – to develop a positive association with a carrier is so radically important.  And for cats who are not so thrilled about the prospect of veterinary visits, today we have many solutions to this problem. And increasingly cat parents are educated about what they can do to minimize the cat’s trauma. With cats feeling better – or at least neutral – about vet visits; they are more likely be taken in for proactive care and that benefits their health,

Perhaps the greatest shift has been in how we value cats emotionally. They’re no longer simply mousers or just there if they happen to be there. Cats are beloved family members who provide comfort, reduce stress, and even contribute to better mental health. Giving cats a chance and with proper socialization many say “my cat is acting like a dog.”

Give cats the opportunity to feel secure, many reveal surprisingly social personalities. People often say, “My cat acts like a dog.” Of course, cats don’t become dogs—they’re simply confident cats. The outdated stereotype that cats are aloof or antisocial has largely been replaced by an appreciation that cats form deep emotional bonds with both people and other pets.

It turns out that being given the opportunity by getting love, cats give love back more or less as unconditionally as dogs. Research has shown that the human-animal bond with cats can be every bit as powerful as it is with dogs.

Veterinary advances have also helped cats live longer than ever before. Improved nutrition, preventive medicine, improved anesthesia, pain management, sophisticated imaging, and treatments for diseases once considered untreatable have dramatically extended feline lifespans. For example, because primarily of funding from the non-profit EveryCat Health Foundation, feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is now treatable, and a heart disease called feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy can be treat if caught before there are clinical signs. It’s increasingly common for cats to live well into their late teens, with many reaching their twenties. Of course, a significant contributing factor to all of this is keeping cats indoors only.

Living indoors only, environmental enrichment isn’t merely a good idea, it improves feline welfare significantly and at least somewhat lessens the potential for behavior issues which may fracture the human animal bond.

Cats haven’t become more affectionate or more social or smarter What’s changed is our appreciation for them. We’ve learned to respect their unique needs, recognize their subtle ways of communicating, and provide medical care tailored specifically for them.

That growing understanding has transformed countless lives—both feline and human. And that’s certainly something worth celebrating on International Cat Day.