National Cat Day2026 · Date · History · Messages
Founder Colleen Paige’s current holiday list places National Cat Day on October 29; U.S. public institutions also recognize the date in programming and resolutions.
About National Cat Day
National Cat Day is a United States-origin animal-welfare observance held every October 29. It combines celebration of companion cats with an adoption and rescue-awareness purpose.
The official National Cat Day site states that pet and family lifestyle expert and animal-welfare advocate Colleen Paige founded the observance in 2005.
Why National Cat Day matters
The observance was created to draw attention to cats needing rescue while also encouraging people to appreciate the cats already in their lives. Adoption, shelter support, responsible care, spaying and neutering are central themes on the official site.
National Cat Day is a creator-led awareness observance rather than a U.S. statutory public holiday. Government and public-institution references can recognize the date without becoming the founding authority.
History of National Cat Day
The official National Cat Day site states that Colleen Paige founded National Cat Day in 2005 and describes its purpose as helping the public recognize how many cats need rescue each year while celebrating cats for their companionship.
The official site continues to use October 29 as the annual observance date. The U.S. Department of the Interior also identifies October 29 as National Cat Day, independently corroborating current public use of the date.
The official founder page identifies Colleen Paige as the founder, while the participation and rights page states that use of the National Cat Day name and branding for business promotions requires express approval. That supports continuing stewardship of the observance and its brand.
The reviewed evidence does not separately establish the exact date of the first observance in 2005, a legal or formal establishing instrument, an instrument-adoption date, or why October 29 was originally selected.
How the observance developed
This timeline uses documented milestones from reviewed sources. Missing stages are left out rather than guessed.
Colleen Paige
The official National Cat Day home and founder pages identify Colleen Paige as the founder; the home page states that she founded the observance in 2005.
Colleen Paige / National Cat Day
The official site describes National Cat Day as a creator-led observance founded by Colleen Paige in 2005; no government body is treated as the establishing authority.
National Cat Day / Colleen Paige
The active official National Cat Day site identifies Colleen Paige as founder and states that commercial events or promotions using its name and branding require express approval, supporting continuing stewardship.
What the evidence establishes
Confirmed institutional roles and milestones are shown first. Details that could not be established from the reviewed sources are listed separately below.
6 fields not established in reviewed sources
How to Observe National Cat Day
Consider adopting a cat from a shelter or rescue if you are prepared for the long-term responsibility of pet care.
Support a local shelter or rescue with needed supplies, a donation, fostering help or volunteer time.
Give a cat in your care extra enrichment, play and attention while keeping its health, identification and safety needs in mind.
Share responsible adoption and cat-care information rather than treating the observance only as a social-media photo day.
National Cat Day Facts
National Cat Day is observed annually on October 29 in the United States.
The official National Cat Day site states that Colleen Paige founded the observance in 2005.
Its stated purpose includes raising awareness of cats needing rescue and celebrating the companionship cats provide.
The official site remains active and controls commercial use of the National Cat Day name and branding.
The U.S. Department of the Interior has independently referred to October 29 as National Cat Day.
The reviewed sources do not establish the exact inaugural date in 2005 or explain why October 29 was selected.
National Cat Day Messages
Happy National Cat Day—here’s to safe homes, thoughtful care and plenty of affection for cats everywhere.
Wishing every cat a National Cat Day filled with comfort, play and the kind of care every companion animal deserves.
On National Cat Day, may more shelter cats find loving homes and every cat already in one feel especially appreciated.
Happy National Cat Day to cat families, rescuers, fosters, shelter teams and everyone helping cats live safer, healthier lives.
May National Cat Day be a reminder to celebrate the cats we love and support the cats still waiting for a home.
Topic and context
What this page does not assume
- Keep the source-defined country, community, organizer or institutional scope; do not silently broaden it.
- Do not treat the title alone as proof of government recognition or public-holiday status.
- Do not add a creator, founding story or origin claim unless the supporting evidence establishes it.
Evidence & sources
Sources used across the guide are gathered here. Labels show how each source supports the page, and contextual references are kept separate from primary evidence.
U.S. Department of the Interior — National Cat Day reference (opens in a new tab)
National Government
National Cat Day — official founder page (opens in a new tab)
National Cat Day — official home page; founder, founding year, date and purpose (opens in a new tab)
National Cat Day — official participation and rights page; current brand/partnership control (opens in a new tab)
Colleen Paige — founder holiday list (opens in a new tab)
Creator Site
National Association of Professional Pet Sitters — independent 2005 founding and rescue-purpose corroboration (opens in a new tab)
Understand it, compare it, then explore further
Start with the most common factual questions, then compare closely related observances and explore useful connections.
Frequently asked questions
When is National Cat Day?
29 October The documented recurrence rule is: 29 October.
Does National Cat Day fall on the same date every year?
Yes. It uses a fixed annual date unless stronger evidence changes the pattern.
Is National Cat Day an official public holiday?
The reviewed sources verify it within this scope: United States-origin / creator-led animal-welfare observance. That recognition does not by itself make it a statutory public holiday; the site only makes public-holiday claims when reliable evidence explicitly does so.
Who established or recognizes National Cat Day?
The reviewed sources identify Colleen Paige / National Cat Day as the proclaiming or establishing body. The proposer or originator is recorded separately as Colleen Paige. Current facilitation or coordination is recorded as National Cat Day / Colleen Paige.
Is National Cat Day international or country-specific?
This observance is specific to United States. Its fuller verified scope is: United States-origin / creator-led animal-welfare observance.
How is this page verified?
The factual information is checked against reviewed sources, including the date pattern, scope and institutional history. This page was checked on 2026-09-09.
When is National Cat Day?
National Cat Day is observed annually on October 29 in the United States.
Who founded National Cat Day?
The official National Cat Day site states that Colleen Paige founded the observance in 2005.
Why was National Cat Day created?
Its stated purpose is to raise awareness of cats needing rescue and to encourage people to celebrate and care for the cats in their lives.
Was National Cat Day established by the U.S. government?
The reviewed evidence supports a creator-led observance founded by Colleen Paige, not a federal statutory holiday or government-established national day.
Why is National Cat Day on October 29?
The official site confirms October 29 as the annual date, but the reviewed sources do not establish why that particular date was originally chosen.
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These observances are also listed on October 29, 2027.
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