How to celebrate International Cat Day

You do know that Aug. 8th is International Cat Day, don’t you?

For those who walk clueless among us, you may consider this crisis averted. (You’re welcome.)

Aside from giving you the side-eye, Puff may not divulge her true feelings about that imminent slight, but rest assured, she would have exacted her revenge when least expected. Cats are notoriously sneaky, but the level of revenge here would have elevated stealthiness to epic proportions. Why risk it?

Created in 2002 by the International Fund for Animal Welfare, International Cat Day honors the awesomeness of felines the world over. Cat caretakers (no one owns a cat) are keenly aware how special their little puffballs are. But sometimes we all need a little help coming up with ideas. Some of the following are no-brainers, as seasoned cat worshippers will attest, but for recent initiates, we humbly offer these suggestions:

Um, you do know that we can see you, right?

Employ the slow eye blink (there’s a science behind this)
Buy a new feather toy (a perennial favorite). Don’t relegate it to the closet, however — be sure to engage your feline in robust play.
Reupholster the cat tree (better yet, just buy a new one, but don’t throw the old one out just yet — it takes time to acclimate to new furnishings)
Designate a hiding spot just for her (go ahead, be creative!)
Build a catio (you’ll score beaucoup points for this)
Clean the litter box three times today (this is admittedly risky; her majesty may subsequently expect this level of service daily). Alternatively, purchase an automatic, self-cleaning litter box. (Usage results may vary.)
Treat her to a microchip (you’ll have some explaining to do; use your imagination)
Leave the grocery bag out on the floor for at least an hour (paper only, please, folks)
Turn your house into a cat playground (this might take more than one day but so, too, did building Rome). Another idea here. And here.
Give the gift of cat grass. It’s a great snack and helps the hair ball problem.