Purr and the Presence?

International Cat Day—celebrated annually on 8 August and established in 2002 by the International Fund for Animal Welfare—honours our graceful, mysterious and deeply cherished feline companions.

An Ode to the Feline Kind

Soft paws that tread like quiet rain,

A rumbling purr that cures our pain,

Eyes like amber, green, or blue,

Watching every move we do.

Masters of the sunlit patch,

Experts in the midnight scratch,

Kneading blankets, baking bread,

Sleeping proudly on our head.

Quick and sudden shadow bounds,

Racing past familiar bounds,

Independent, fierce, and free,

Royalty of house and tree.