International Cat Day

Cats have overtaken dogs as the UK's most popular pet and it is currently estimated that there are 10.3 million cats living in the UK (PDSA PAW report 2017). However, this figure only takes into account pet cats and not those belonging to the unowned cat population which is made up of the stray, feral and community cats living on our streets and farms.

The global population of cats is estimated to be anywhere between 400-600 million cats, suffice to say there are currently a lot of cats in the world!

Today's domestic cat is descended from the African wildcat; originally from the Fertile Crescent region in the Middle East, it's thought to have self-domesticated around 10,000 years ago. We'll look at the history of the modern-day cat in a coming blog.

Let's celebrate the domestic cat on International Cat Day and take time to learn more about them - they need our understanding.  I've popped a couple of good books on the site, which I'd thoroughly recommend you take a look at.

International Cat Day is about remembering all cats around the world, both those in loving homes and those with no homes or owners, which may need our help.

I spent some time in Malta last year and got to see some of their street cats first-hand. Thankfully some of the locals are feeding a number of these cats and providing basic veterinary care, here's a glimpse of one of them in the photo above.

So, on International Cat Day, it's time to think 'cat' and pay homage to our feline friends - I've added a few fabulous cat emblazoned items in the gift section, I'm sure you'll love them!