June 4th is a special day, it’s National Hug Your Cat Day! Hug Your Cat Day is one of those pleasingly straightforward holidays. The intention is not for the day to be complicated or over thought. Quite simply, it is a day in which cat owners everywhere are encouraged to hug their cats.

It’s an opportunity to give back to all the cats in the world and shower them with love and attention. The more dedicated amongst them will not need this encouragement, of course, but it is always good to be reminded of our feline friends. While a cat owner may love his or her cat immensely, it’s easy to forget to show a furry friend how much love there is to go around when managing a busy schedule and family. It’s best to start by petting the cat softly and having it warm up before going in for a hug. Be gentle and approachable, so the cat is more likely to welcome the embrace.

The obvious downside to the day is that people without cats may be left out. This need not be the case; however – it should be straightforward enough to simply adapt it into “Hug Someone Else’s Cat Day.” It should be easy to find a friend or family member with a cat and give their pet a huge embrace to show the animal some additional love on this day. Be glad to know that someone who suffers from allergies need not be left out either. These people can watch cute and funny cat videos on YouTube as a way to participate in the festivities.

For thousands of years, cats and humans have been getting along and building a closer and symbolic relationship. Cats were first domesticated in the Near East around 7500 BC. In the Ancient Egyptian days, cats were worshipped and glorified. They were revered and spoiled by the people.

Does this sound familiar to how cats are treated nowadays too? Cats were and continue to be seen as symbols of grace and poise. Some studies show that cat purring can help to reduce stress levels and make one feel calmer. Therefore, it makes sense why the decision was made to turn to hug your cat into a celebration.

There are many reasons to love Hug Your Cat Day. Kitties deserve only the best from owners and humans in general. Cats are there to provide unconditional love through thick and thin, regardless of the circumstances. The day is an excellent reminder to give cats some extra TLC and thank them for their friendship and loyalty. There’s no better time to snuggle with a cat and give them a few extra scratches they will love.

A cat will be a friend forever and won’t disappoint its owner. Hug Your Cat Day is a good excuse to say no to social events for the day and instead choose to stay home with a furry friend. A pet owner can put his or her feet up, pet the cat, and instantly feel more joy. Friends will come and go, but a cat will be there to cuddle and hang out when one needs them the most.

It’s also a good excuse for a pet owner to take pictures of the cat that’s always been by his or her side. Share these photos on social media and with friends and family to express the love that the cat is receiving. It may also be fun to print out some favorites and create a photo album with them to review later on. One can never take too many pictures of a pet or cat, so now is a chance to go wild.

Hugging and spending time with a cat offers many health benefits as well. Snuggling with a cat is naturally a pleasant experience and can improve and elevate an owner’s psychological state. Furry friends and pets can alleviate negative moods and put a smile on one’s face. Feeling calmer is good for a person’s cardiovascular system and will have long-term health benefits that shouldn’t be ignored. Not only can they decrease stress levels, but someone who hugs and spends time with cats may also find their blood pressure readings to improve over time.

These are just a few reasons why Hug Your Cat Day is important to acknowledge and celebrate. There’s no doubt that there are many additional reasons why a cat deserves the utmost attention from pet owners. Now is the time to make more time for cats everywhere and hug them and prove to them that they mean the world to pet owners.

Here are some fun cat facts!

• A house cat’s genome is 95.6% tiger, and they share many behaviors with their jungle ancestors. These behaviors include scent marking by scratching, prey play, prey stalking, pouncing, chinning, and urine marking.
• Cats are believed to be the only mammals who don’t taste sweetness.
• Cats are nearsighted, but their peripheral vision and night vision are much better than that of humans.
• Cats are supposed to have 18 toes (five toes on each front paw; four toes on each back paw).
• Cats can jump up to six times their length.
• Cats’ claws all curve downward, which means that they can’t climb down trees head-first. Instead, they have to back down the trunk.
• Cats’ collarbones don’t connect to their other bones, as these bones are buried in their shoulder muscles.
• Cats have 230 bones, while humans only have 206.
• Cats have an extra organ that allows them to taste scents on the air, which is why your cat stares at you with her mouth open from time to time.
• Cats have whiskers on the backs of their front legs, as well.
• Cats are very fussy about their water bowls; some prefer to ignore their bowls entirely in favor of drinking from the sink faucet.
• Cats groom other cats — and sometimes people — in a ritual called allogrooming.
• Cats like to sleep on things that smell like their owners, such as their pillows and dirty laundry (ick!).
• Cats love to sleep in laundry baskets, too, because they’re basically hiding places with peepholes.
• Cats dream, just like people do.
• Cats have contributed to the extinction of 33 different species.
• Cats perceive people as big, hairless cats.