National Cat Day, on Oct. 29, is an “unofficial” holiday that celebrates the warm and welcoming companionship of the household animal.

Emmaus High School Social Studies Department Chair Tom Warnke loves cats, and owns four himself. The cats, Kennedy, Quincy, Fitzgerald, and Wilson, each have distinct looks and character traits.   

Kennedy is a 17 year-old black/dark brown rescue cat. Quincy, Warnke’s personal favorite, is an eight year-old black and white rescue cat. Fitzgerald, four years old, is a huge tabby rescue cat. Lastly, Wilson is a nine-year old, all tan rescue cat, that is the noisiest out of the bunch.

Warnke adores all of his cats due to their simplistic nature.

“I love cats, cats are awesome,” said Warnke. “They are independent, have very unique personalities, and are low maintenance animals.”

Warnke hopes that National Cat Day will be used spread awareness for adoption as well as minimize the population of cats in shelters.

“I would hope it would be used to emphasize the neutering and spaying of cats so there there is a decrease of cats in shelters,” said Warnke. “I also hope that cats will be adopted on this day.”

According to Nationaldaycalendar.com, National Cat Day was created by Colleen Paige, Pet Lifestyle Expert and Animal Welfare Advocate, back in 2005. This holiday was established to help people recognize the amount of cats that need to be rescued and adopted into a loving environment.