Yesterday was Respect Your Cat Day. Why do we need to be reminded to respect our furry feline friends?
The other day I was having lunch with a fellow cat (and dog) person. She asked if my cat, Olivia, is vocal. I said, “Only when she has something to say.”
I’ve thought about that spontaneous response and 
realize that it is absolutely true. And maybe it’s true for all cats—even those who seem to be wearing out their vocal chords meowing almost constantly. They, too, might want something from you, need something (like your attention), or they have something to share. Those ultra-vocal cats are just overly anxious to be heard—
they want to make sure they’re being heard and they want an immediately response. Maybe they don’t know exactly what they want and they’re hoping that by making a lot of noise you will give them whatever it is and NOW! Oh, those ultra-vocal cats can be so annoying and 
frustrating because you want to respond, but don’t have the slightest idea how. Do you have a cat like that?
Truly, though, most cats will meow when they have a specific need and they want you to provide it—food, attention, their litter box cleaned, their toy retrieved from under a piece of furniture… Olivia lets me know when she wants the window at her favorite perch open so she can smell the air and feel it and hear the sounds. I only leave the 
window open (screen on) when I’m in the room with her.
If you learn to know your cat, you’ll also learn to understand much of what she “says”. That’s certainly one way to respect your cat.
So why do we need a Respect Your Cat Day? I think we’ll all agree that we should respect our cats every day of the year. Being ultra curious, I wanted to know why we need to set a specific day aside to remind us to respect our cats. And I found it. Apparently, waaayyyyy back in 1384 on March 28, King Richard II of England passed a law banning the consumption of cats. Someone in the know decided to use that bit of trivia to celebrate today’s cats by showing them all the respect we can.
Even Olivia, who isn’t much of a crusader, is behind this decree.
So how do you show your cats respect? I sometimes allow Olivia to have an Olivia day and do anything her little heart desires. What am I saying? Every day around here is Olivia day.
