We have some great ways to honor and celebrate cats this month.
September is Animal Pain Awareness Month.
Animals can suffer from pain just like people do. To help humans understand pet pain, the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management (IVAPM) IVAPM has proclaimed September as Animal Pain Awareness Month, since September is also human medicine’s Pain Awareness Month. [1]
Cats are inclined to hide illness and pain, so their human caretakers have to learn to look out for changes in their behavior. For example, is kitty grumpier than usual? No longer jumping up on furniture? No longer eating all their dinner? Luckily, there are many options to treat the various causes of pain in cats. Learn more about the IVAPM on their website [2]
September is Happy Cat Month.
The CATalyst Council [3] is a non-profit organization that connects veterinarians and other groups—animal shelters, foundations, private companies, and media concerned with kitty welfare—to enhance the quality of life for cats and their people. The Council created Happy Cat Month to celebrate cats and promote their physical and mental health. Read more at their website [4]
Learn what’s happening at the CATalyst Council from Dr. Jane Brunt, our June Cat Person of the Month.
September 1 – Ginger Cat Appreciation Day.
Ginger Cat Appreciation Day was founded by a Wisconsin software engineer in 2014 to pay tribute to his longtime companion, Doobert.[5]
Celebrate Ginger Cat Appreciation Day by clicking on this video featuring Ginger.
In addition to honoring our spicy red-headed cats on the first, we also celebrate two other cat colors in September…
September 5 – National White Cat Day.
White cats have their special day on the fifth of September. [6]
Did you know that all-white is the world’s rarest cat fur color? Celebrate the snowy beauties by catching up on the white fun cat facts that follow or from snowy beauty Hannibal at the YouTube video link (below).
- White-fur cats result when both parents carry recessive genetic traits. Thus, only cats with all-white coats can give birth to a solid-white color kitten. [7]
- Albino and White Cats aren’t the Same. Albino cats have a genetic condition in the lack of color pigments in fur, skin, and eyes. In comparison, the whiteness of white cats is simply about white genes. [7]
- White is the world’s rarest cat color. Only 5% of cats have white coats.[8]
- The white color of a white cat’s fur is not even a color! A gene acts as a white mask that covers any fur color. [7]
- Sometimes you can see a white cat’s actual color of your pet’s coat. Often, kittens have a natural color spot on their coats. However, these spots may disappear in a few months. [7]
- You can tell a white cat from an albino because albino’s pink skin tone and light blue to bright pink eye color. White cats will have brown, gold, or green eyes. [7]
- White cats are more likely to have congenital deafness. The risk of deafness is about 20% for non-blue-eyed white cats, 40 for those with only one blue-colored eye, and 60-85 for blue-eyed white fur guys. [7]
Celebrate Hanni and all white cats on National White Cat Day.
- Having odd-colored eyes (for example, one blue eye and one brown eye) is more common in white cats. [7]
- White cats have fewer skin pigments called melanin, which makes them more sensitive to sunlight. That’s why white cats are sensitive to the sun and can get sunburned. [7]
- Only certain breeds of cats are pure white, including American Shorthairs, British shorthairs, Russian Whites, Japanese Bobtails, Oriental shorthairs, Norwegian Forest Cats, American Curls, Turkish Angoras, Maine Coons, and Persians.[8]
September 9 – Tuxie Cat Appreciation Day.
Tuxedo cats are defined as cats who have two colors. Like Stimpy (pictured here). many of their coat patterns resemble tuxedo formalwear. However, the white coloring on tuxies can range from only a spot to being predominantly white. Tuxies also can be tan and white, gray and white, etc. However, they have one other thing in common besides some white on their coat: white whiskers! [9]
We will celebrate gorgeous Stimpy and other tuxies on the ninth of the month.[6].
September 29 – Beckoning Cat Day.
The 29th of the month is Maneki-Neko Day or Beckoning Cat Day. The cute little “waving cat” figurines that originated in Japan are actually not waving. Their name, maneki-neko, literally means “beckoning cat” in Japanese. The way to beckon someone in Japan is by holding the palm forward, fingers pointing down.[10]
Beckoning Cat statues were enjoyed in Japan as early as the sixteenth century. One legend suggests that, during the Edo period (1603–1868), a cat saved the ruler Ii Naotaka by beckoning him to his castle before he was hit by lightning. Would you like to learn more? The National Geographic website has an interesting article about the figurines.[10]
September is Pet Sitter Education Month.
Pet Sitters International (PSI) established the month of September as Pet Sitter Education Month to focus on the education of professional pet sitters. Are you a pet sitter? Would you like to become one? Check out their website for more information. [11]
REFERENCES
- IVAPM. Downloaded August 20, 2023 from https://ivapm.org/animal-pain-awareness-month/#Animal%2520Pain%2520Awareness%2520Month
- AnImal Pain Awareness Month IVAPM. Downloaded August 20, 2023 from https://ivapm.org.
- CATalyst Council.. Downloaded August 20, 2023 from https://catalystcouncil.org/
- IVAPM. Downloaded August 20, 2023 from https://catalystcouncil.org/2020/09/01/september-catalyst-council-celebrates-happy-cat-month/
- Hooper, B. (September, 2022). Downloaded August 19 from https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2022/09/01/Ginger-Cat-Appreciation-Day/9571662042838/
- CatTipper. Downloaded August 29 2023 from https://www.cattipper.com/cat-holidays-special-observances
- Catastic. Downloaded September 2023 from https://catastic.pet/cat-breeds/9-interesting-facts-about-white-cats/
- Matthews, K. (2022). Downloaded September 2023 from https://a-z-animals.com/blog/types-of-white-cats/
- Tuxedo Cats: Facts, Details, and Breed Guide. Downloaded August 20, 2023 from https://www.litter-robot.com/blog/7-tuxedo-cat-facts/
- Saunders, R. (May, 2021). Downloaded August 20, 2023 from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/the-fascinating-history-behind-the-popular-waving-lucky-cat#:~:text=
- PSI. Downloaded August 20, 2023 from https://www.petsit.com/education
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