Happy International Cat Day! PETA Shares Top Tips for Strengthening the Human-Cat Bond

For Immediate Release:
August 6, 2025

Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382

Ahead of International Cat Day (August 8), PETA is sharing its top tips for understanding, conversing with, and caring for companion cats. These insights come from PETA founder and internationally renowned cat “auntie” Ingrid Newkirk in her new book, 250 Vital Things Your Cat Wants You to Know (2nd Edition), released today.

The new edition of Newkirk’s iconic “cat guardian’s bible,” which comes with real life PETA rescue stories of cats who risked one of their nine lives, includes guidance on how to construct a budget-friendly “catio” to help cats explore the outdoors safely, and insights into cats’ subtle forms of communication: Did you know a contented cat will show their happiness by slowly blinking her eyes at you? And it’s best to return the gesture—it’s a sign of trust and affection!

Other feline-friendly tips from 250 Vital Things Your Cat Wants You to Know (2nd Edition) include:

• Converse with your cat. Cats speak volumes—through mournful meows, chirpy greetings, and even spitting sounds. Pay attention and respond. Your cat is talking to you!
• Tails tell all. A slow thump means “I’m annoyed,” while a fast swish warns of rising irritation. A tail held high or curled like a question mark says, “I’m happy to see you!”
• Keep cats indoors—always. The outdoors is fraught with danger: cars, predators, parasites, poisons, and deadly diseases like feline leukemia and AIDS. A safe, enriched indoor life is the kindest choice.
• Bring joy with free toys. Delight your cat with simple treasures like fallen leaves, twigs, dried flowers, or empty boxes.
• Create “cat TV.” Turn a window into a feline entertainment center: Place a sturdy bureau or bookcase beneath it and add a padded perch for hours of birdwatching bliss.
• Grow a garden indoors. Plant seeds like oats, fescue, bluegrass, or Japanese barnyard millet. They’re safe to nibble and help with digestion and hairballs.
• Grooming is carried out for practical reasons, of course, but also

to cover embarrassment. When a cat does something that doesn’t quite work, like jumping up to catch a moth and missing, she may cover up her ineptitude by immediately sitting down and starting to clean herself vigorously. It’s as if your cat is saying, “That klutzy-seeming thing you just saw was actually quite purposeful. I was about to catch that moth when I remembered some grooming that needed to be done, and look, here I am doing it now.” But please—never laugh at them! Laughter is a universally understood language.

“From turning a home into a cat’s paradise to whipping up delicious and healthy cat food, there are countless ways to show feline family members how much they are loved,” says Newkirk. “International Cat Day is the perfect time to celebrate the bond between cats and humans and to reflect on how we can make cats’ lives as wonderful as they make ours.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.