Here are a few national holidays you should know about—sure you should and so should others. Bring them up when you chat with neighbors over the fence, as you visit with fellow church-goers on Sunday, with passers by on your daily walk, and with folks at your favorite coffee shop. This will also give you something to talk about on the phone with those annoying telemarketer that won’t give you any peace.
Here they are: National Kitten Day, July 10. This is a 
fun day to prepare for. You can display your favorite kitten cards, books, and calendar pages. Draw or paint or sculpt a kitten. Visit kittens at your local shelter and help socialize them. ADOPT a kitten—now we’re talking.
July 11 is All American Pet Photo Day. You know what to do here—photograph your pet and post the best one at your FaceBook page or Instagram or just frame it and enjoy looking at it from your easy chair. If you’re not very good at capturing your cat’s or dog’s 
personality in the photos you take, read up on pet photography and practice, practice, practice. Or take your pet to a professional photographer. Everyone needs at least one GREAT photo of his cat or dog or iguana.
Also coming up is National Pet Fire Safety Day. We celebrate this day on July 15. Just make sure your smoke detectors are working, have your fireplace safety-checked—is it time to clean the flue? Have a plan in case of fire and here’s a good tip: post a sticker on a window listing how many pets you have inside. If you’re not home when a house fire starts, the firefighters will know there are pets inside that need to be rescued.
