History of International Cat Day  | Domestic Cat Origin | Importance of Cats

International Cat Day is celebrated on August 8 every year. This day aims to raise awareness about Cats and their welfare. As well as this day aims to educate people about cat care and health. Moreover, It focuses on the importance of cats in their lives. The history of International Cat Day says it started in 2002. History of cats and Domestic Cat Origin links to Egyptian Populations and Fertile Crescent. The history of House cats and the origin of domestic cats also relates to rodent control.

Cat Ectoparasites – Diagnosis, Prevention and Treatment 

The theme for 2024 is Celebrating Cats.  This theme invites people around the world to come together to share their love for cats. As well as, the bond they share with these beautiful cats.

History of International Cat Day

IFAW South America first celebrated International Cat Day in 2002. IFAW is the International Fund for Animal Welfare. They founded this day along with other animal welfare organizations and cat lovers.

The custodianship of this day has been passed to International Cat Care since 2020. ICC was founded in 1958. Initially, its name was the Feline Advisory Bureau (FAB). It is an organization that has been working to improve the welfare of domestic cats worldwide since 1958.

Importance of International Cat Day

This day aims to raise awareness about the rising number of Stray Cats. It highlights the importance of cats.  Cats are the oldest and cutest friends of Humans. This day encourages spaying and neutering to control the stray population. More than 600 million cats are living among humans worldwide.

This day also highlights the cat’s welfare and health issues because they often die due to infectious diseases. Although, there are many facilities like pet care centers and pet clinics available but still, we need to create awareness of their care.

کلاؤڈڈ لیپرڈ ڈے کا عالمی دن اور ہسٹری، خصوصیات اور تحفظ

Domestic Cat Origin & History of House Cats

The origin of domestic cats and the history of house cats relate to Egyptian populations.  According to some scientists, cat ownership can be traced to central China about 5,500 years ago. While some scientists believe that ancient Egyptians were the first civilization to domesticate cats. Other than this, Cats began their relationship with humans 10,000 to 12,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent. So the History of Cats and the origin of Domestic Cats is very old.

Fertile Crescent is a crescent-shaped region in the Middle East. It is modern-day Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, northern Kuwait, and south-eastern Turkey as well. The Fertile Crescent is believed to be the first region where agricultural farming started. It links with the history of cats. They produced surplus grains. As a result, to combat the rodents, farmers began to domesticate wildcats. These cats helped them from pests to survive.

Editor In Chief

Dr. Jassar Aftab is a qualified Veterinarian having expertise in veterinary communication. He is a renowned veterinary Journalist of Pakistan. He is veterinary columnist, veterinary writer and veterinary analyst. He is the author of three books. He has written a number of articles and columns on different topics related to livestock, dairy, poultry, wildlife, fisheries, food security and different aspects of animal sciences and veterinary education.

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