National Cat Day is celebrated in various countries. In some areas it is an awareness day to raise public awareness of cat adoption.
In the US and Canada, National Cat Day is an awareness day to raise public awareness of cat adoption, taking place on August 8 in Canada and October 29 in the United States.
The National Cat Day website states that the holiday was first celebrated in 2005 "to help galvanize the public to recognize the number of cats that need to be rescued each year and also to encourage cat lovers to celebrate the cat(s) in their life for the unconditional love and companionship they bestow upon us." The day was founded by Colleen Paige, a pet and family lifestyle expert, who was supported by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which is a nonprofit pet adoption organization.