Did you know that yesterday was the Day of the Cat?
No, neither did I, until I read this post at ArtsyCatsy, so I set out to do a little research on the matter.
According to this story at Yahoo! Notizie Italia (that’d be Yahoo! News Italy, to you), February 17th is actually the Giornata Internazionale Del Gatto (International Day of the Cat), no less. Yet, it hasn’t reached the United States and, you may be surprised to learn that it seems to have skipped Spain and the rest of Europe too.
(And, Hallmark is missing out badly on the commercial opportunity of a card day here, don’t you think? 
The news item tells us that the month of February was chosen, because it is ruled by the planet of free and independent spirit, Uranus, just like the cat. The day of the 17th, because it is related with superstition and magic and the number seven. Cats in Spain only have seven lives, instead of the nine lives we credit them with in popular lore. I think this may be the case in Italy too.
Two less lives is not quite la dolce vita it appeared.
Events in Rome for the Giornata del Gatto (Day of the Cat), were held to make the public more aware of the estimated 300,000 cats who live in the city, 180,000 live in homes and 120,000 of which live in the streets.
There were games for children, workshops, theatre and story telling, as well as promotion of feline adoptions and information for those who wish to do voluntary work.
The only other reference I could find to El Día del Gato (Day of the cat, in Spanish), is celebrated, in Nicaragua, on the first Monday in April.
The Day of the Cat is surely something which deserves to fully gain that international recognition.
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Sponzurz
Yes, we definitely need to promote this important holiday in America! At the very least, the kitty blogosphere should starting planning now for a huge bash on Giornata Internazionale Del Gatto ‘08!
ArtsyCatsy