August 1 is Dogust – the universal birthday for all shelter dogs. October 1 has been designated CATOBER – the universal birthday for all cats. October 1 was the day chosen to celebrate all things cat because Halloween is fast approaching and cat parents, cat owners and those who don’t know about cats should be thinking about, and celebrating, them during October.
Who doesn’t love a good holiday and the opportunity to celebrate cats on a special day and know that other cat parents around the world are celebrating their cats as well. Even if you know when your cat’s birthday is, you can still celebrate your cat and the role he plays in your life on CATOBER.
How can a cat parent celebrate CATOBER?
If you share your life with a cat you can do some (or all) of these things to celebrate your cat:
- Refresh her bed
- Get her a new toy
- Give her a little extra attention
- Take him to the vet if he hasn’t had an annual check up
- Give him a special treat with his dinner
- Buy some Get Lit Birthday Cake catnip as an extra special treat
If cat parents know when their cats’ birthday is, can they still celebrate CATOBER?
Of course! Who doesn’t want an additional celebration in their life? And don’t your cats deserve more than one party a year?
You’re a dog trainer, why are you celebrating cats?
I had a cat named Thomas Hart Benton who lived to be twenty-three-years-old. He passed away four years ago still roaming around on the farm he grew up on. He stayed with my mom on the farm because I thought after fourteen-years of having that freedom, he wouldn’t have enjoyed living life as an indoor cat. Cats are near and dear to my heart even though I don’t have one now.
I also think that cats are underserved in the marketplace. When I am training a dog, the dog owner has so many toys and a bed and other items for the dog. In some cases, the cat doesn’t appear to have nearly as many toys as the dog does. I want cats to get just as much attention as dogs do because they are a huge part of our lives.
I also realized that cats can be trained much the same way as dogs can. I worked with Siegfried & Roy watching them train their big cats. I realized the way they trained was much the same way I trained dogs.
How can I celebrate CATOBER if I don’t currently have a cat?
Volunteer at the local shelter on October 1 in celebration of CATOBER. Let the shelter know you’re there because it is CATOBER and you want to have some fun with cats to celebrate this universal cat birthday!
Play with the cats and kittens, snuggle them, scoop litterboxes, donate items your local shelter needs for the cats in their care.
Take some photos of you and your cats celebrating CATOBER and share them with us on our Facebook page.
