Happy National Cat Day. Today is the one day a year the cat is officially the point, so here are ten ways to mark it that your cat will actually register, from free and five minutes to a proper gift. Pick two or three; cats do not do itineraries.
1. Give the cat the window for an hour
Open the blinds all the way, move whatever is on the sill, and let the cat have the view. The AAFP/ISFM guidelines list a perch with visibility of the outdoors as one of the things indoor cats need most; birds and traffic are television. If there is no perch at the window yet, a chair pushed up to it works for today.
2. Play the whole sequence, then let the cat win
Ten minutes with a wand toy: stalk, chase, pounce, and (this is the part people skip) let the cat catch it and carry it off. Ending with a capture is the difference between a cat who settles afterward and a cat who hunts your feet at bedtime. A spring toy that wobbles back after each swat keeps the game going on its own after you stop.
3. Put a box in the middle of the living room
Any box. Cats choose enclosed spaces because walls on every side feel secure. If you want the box to still be there next week, a tunnel attached to a bed is the box, upgraded: somewhere to hide, joined to somewhere to nap.
4. Move the scratcher next to the sofa
This costs nothing and fixes more sofas than any spray. Cats scratch where they wake up and where they greet you; a scratcher across the room is a scratcher the cat walks past. Put it within arm's reach of the spot that gets shredded. A pad that hangs on a door or sticks to a smooth wall works when there is no floor space.
5. Serve dinner in something that does not slide
Cat Day dinner can be the same food in a better bowl. A wide, heavy, slightly raised bowl stops the pushing-across-the-kitchen routine and keeps the whiskers out of the sides. A ceramic bowl shaped like a trophy is, fittingly, a trophy full of dinner. The cat has earned it.
6. Brush for five minutes, then stop before the cat asks you to
Short and pleasant beats long and tolerated. End while the cat is still leaning in; that is what makes tomorrow's session easier.
7. Leave the carrier out with a blanket in it
If the carrier only comes out for the vet, today is a good day to change that. Set it in the living room with the door open and a worn T-shirt inside, drop a treat in it, and walk away. In a week it is furniture. A soft, top-opening carrier that unzips into a tent makes this easy.
8. Take the photo
Cat Day is the day the internet wants to see your cat. The lookout pose, the loaf, the mid-pounce blur: all of it counts. Good light from a window and a camera held at the cat's eye level do more than any filter.
9. Donate the shelter list
National Cat Day started in 2005 as an adoption push, and shelters still need the basics in late fall: litter, food, towels, and carriers for the cats going home. Most shelter websites list exactly what they are short on. If you have room for one more cat, this is the week.
10. Give the cat something that is only theirs
A tree with a view, a bed with walls, a scratcher that is in the right place. The cat has been borrowing your furniture all year; today is a fair day to give it some of its own.
FAQ
What is National Cat Day?
An annual day on October 29, founded in 2005 to encourage shelter cat adoptions and celebrate the cats people already have.
Is there an International Cat Day too?
Yes, August 8. National Cat Day (Oct 29) is the US one; most cats accept both.
What is the single most useful thing to do for an indoor cat?
Give it height. An elevated spot with a view, that belongs only to the cat, does more for a cat's day than any toy.
Our Pick: The ZEZE Cat Day Gifts
ZEZE Interactive Forest Snake Crinkle Spring Spiral Cat Toy, Green is the spring toy from item 2: it wobbles back after every swat, so one tap keeps the game going.
ZEZE 2-in-1 Rainbow Crinkle & Hanging Balls Chew Resistant Blanket Cat Tunnel Bed with Catnip, Multicolor, Large is the box, upgraded (item 3): a crinkle tunnel attached to a wide bed, with hanging balls at both openings.
ZEZE Arch Sisal Cat Scratcher Pad is the scratcher for item 4 when there is no floor space: it hangs on a door, sticks to a smooth wall, or lies flat.
ZEZE Trophy Elevated Ceramic Dog & Cat Bowl with Side Handles, Yellow, Large: 6-cup is the trophy from item 5: one piece of glazed ceramic with a 7.4-inch opening and a footed base.
ZEZE 3-Panel Mesh Opening Nice Expandable Dog & Cat Travel Carrier with Side Expand Tent, Multi-Pocket, Safety Clip & Luggage Strap, Multicolor, 39.3-in is the carrier for item 7: three mesh openings, and both sides unzip into a tent.
ZEZE 49.2-in Modern Wood with Arch Cat Tree & Condo is the tree with a view from item 10, with a wood frame that reads as furniture and a condo underneath.
Tag #ZEZECATS and @zeze.pet on Instagram with today's photo; favorites get reposted all week. For the full list sorted by the kind of cat you have, see the Cat Day gift guide.
Last call on the Cat Day code: CATDAY15 takes 15% off everything in the For Cats shop until tonight, Oct 29, at 11:59 PM PT. One use per customer; it can't be combined with other codes.
