Cat people know that the true calendar week goes like this: Not Caturday, Not Caturday2, Still Not Caturday, Close to Caturday, Caturday Eve, CATURDAY, Day After Caturday. And since this highly revered, cat-themed day only comes once a week (and only 52 times per year), cat lovers have to have a plan for how to celebrate those precious 24 hours. Here are some solid ways to ensure that you maximize your fun without wasting a second of your Caturday.
1. Embrace Your Inner DIYer
You don’t have to be a self-proclaimed baker or a crafter for this activity. We know that as a cat lover, nothing makes you happier than doing whatever makes your cat happy. And that means that you should probably get started making some homemade cat treats or a DIY cat house that your royal catness can rule over. If you have ambitious goals for your Caturday, you can do both! Just imagine—your regal feline could be sitting atop their cat castle, surveying the living room for red dots and slow-moving dogs to pounce on, all while chowing down on savory, cat-safe cheese balls. Anything can happen on a Caturday.
2. Volunteer at a Pet Rescue
It’s no secret that cat people love cats—not just their own cats, but every cat they see in real life or during their clickhole journey through the interwebs. If you’ve ever noticed those people at cat adoption events who are always looking but never go home with a cat, those are cat people who already have 3-ish kitties but can’t help but to visit other cats just to say hi. So, cat lovers, why not sign up for some shifts at a cat rescue shelter or an adoption event? Animal shelters can always use the help, and if you’re already spending your time visiting cats, it’s a win-win. Even committing to just an hour or two can be a huge help to volunteer-run cat rescues. This can be your new fun Caturday routine!
3. Create Cat Memes With Your Kitty
A word of caution: Cat memes can be addictive. If you’re still reading, you’re certainly strong hearted, and definitely ready to make some cat memes. The setup is easy—you’ll just need your cat (or some previously taken pics of your furball from your phone’s endless gallery of cat pics), a meme-generator app and a little inspiration. Don’t worry—if nothing comes to mind, you can always text a funny, clever friend for help, or turn to the treasure trove of funny cat memes online to stir up some ideas. When it comes to originality, the one thing you can guarantee is that no one else will have a meme that features your cat. (Most likely.)
4. Plan the Ultimate Cat Café Vacation
What else would cat lovers do on vacation besides visit cats they haven’t met yet? So it only makes sense to spend your Caturday planning how you’re going to meet more cats. Whether you have two vacation days to spare or a week, you can map out a route that takes you to all the cat cafés in the area. If you are fortunate enough to be able to plan for an international trip, or a road trip across the U.S., you’re even luckier than you thought, because we have a guide for that. With a cat café vacation, you can maximize your exposure to fabulous felines—whether it’s across the globe or just across the state.
5. Visit a Big Cat Sanctuary
The only thing as satisfying as visiting cat cafés is visiting their relatives—the big cats, aka tigers, lions, pumas, jaguars, leopards and cheetahs! Make sure you’re planning a trip to a true sanctuary that gives the animals plenty of enrichment and large enclosures and uses donor money almost exclusively to care for the animals. Because state and USDA standards allow sanctuaries to sell, breed and use animals for profit (e.g., paying to take a picture with a lion or tiger cub, etc.), the only way to find reputable big cat sanctuaries is to consult the list compiled by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS). This organization is globally recognized for accrediting true sanctuaries that meet and maintain GFAS standards of excellence. Whether you’re able to visit or not, these rescues can always use donations, volunteers and help distributing petitions and contacting representatives to support actions that help protect big cats.
6. Set Up a Kitty Photo Booth Shoot
If you have a pretty laid-back kitty, and you can convince them to snap a few pics with you, then this is the Caturday activity for you. Search for some background scenes online that you can print out, or just display them on your computer screen as a backdrop for your cat pictures (think dinosaurs, the Wild West, outer space, ‘80s theme, etc.). Now attempt to get both yourself and your cat in the frame while you take a picture. You can prop up your phone and use the timer setting to make this easier for everyone involved (or a selfie stick). Better yet, have your roommate or unsuspecting friend do the photo shoot. You don’t even have to subject your best kitty friend to wearing accessories. Instead, you can create traditional photo booth props to hold up, or just add stickers and use filters in any photo editing app. Hopefully, you’ll end up with some amazing cat photos of the two of you running from a stampede of velociraptors or of an astronaut cat casually grooming himself while floating around in another galaxy.
7. Take Your Cat for a Walk
Get some fresh air on your Caturday—with your kitty by your side, of course! With a special cat harness and leash combo and a little patience, you can expand your cat’s kingdom beyond the living room to an outdoor world full of exciting new smells and sights. Taking walks with your furry sidekick can help keep them active and sharp, and it’s a great remedy for indoor boredom blues. Even though you might be super eager to get to walking, you have to start slow and work your way up. That means getting your kitty used to the harness, making sure she’s had the right shots, staying up to date on pest protection and getting her a microchip. When your kitty is ready, get out there and explore the great unknown. If your cat turns out to be a fearless leash walker, who knows—you might just have an adventure cat on your hands!
8. Two Words: Cat Videos
If you got a late start, and it’s turning out to be a lazy Caturday, there’s no shame in that. It might even be a stay-in-bed day, and your cat is probably just fine with this plan. Grab your phone or your laptop and search for cat videos that obviously provide hours of entertainment. If the curled up fur bundle next to you wakes up, set her up with her own playlist of videos for cats. Even if you’re not taking her for a walk, your kitty can at least watch her favorite genre: wildlife action flicks that feature birds, squirrels, mice or lizards. Sit back and enjoy your effortless cat video Caturday.
9. Restock the Toy Bin
This is another Caturday activity that requires very little effort, but is sure to make your cat’s day. It’s time to do a toy inventory to see if there are any cat toys that your little purrer hasn’t pounced on or even pawed around halfheartedly in months. Set those in a pile to donate to a local rescue. Now make sure you have the basics: the biggest cat tree that will fit in your home or apartment, a premium catnip supply, several scratchers, some plush catnip toys, a laser cat toy, a teaser toy or two, and an interactive treat toy. If you’re missing any of the things that make kitties happy, then shopping for some new cat appeasers is a good, kitty-approved use of your Caturday.
10. Make Your Own Cat Shirt
Important question: Do you have a shirt that features your cats? If not, and you’ve been a cat parent for more than two months, then you might be doing something wrong. You don’t have to feel bad about it though, because you can take this Caturday to right the wrong. We’re sure you can find plenty of pics of your cat, but choosing just one might be difficult. Once you’ve made that really hard decision, it’s all fun from here. You just need a blank T-shirt, a printer and some iron-on printer transfer paper. It’s as easy as printing on the special paper (be sure to preview), then carefully following the directions on the package to iron the image onto your shirt. After you’re done, you can hang your head high at the next cat convention, showing off your cool new cat shirt.
11. And Now for Something Serious: Do a Cat Health Check
If you’ve been putting off that yearly vet checkup, or you’re a little late on updating your kitty’s shots, take a few minutes of your Caturday to make that vet appointment. Even if nothing seems wrong with your cat, it’s a good idea to take them for regular checkups, especially when they enter their senior years. Before the appointment, do your own health check at home. Pet your cat while checking carefully for hidden lumps, bumps or sores. If you have a longhaired cat, part the hair as you go to find hidden wounds, fleas, ticks and problem areas. Write down any concerns or any other questions you have for the veterinarian. Finish up your check by turning on some relaxing music for cats and giving your kitty a nice massage. The only thing left to do now is to choose a few Caturday activities and wait an excruciating six days until you can celebrate the best day of the week.
Nikki Naser, BeChewy Senior EditorInstead of owning 30 cats, Nikki has an impressive collection of 30 cat-themed T-shirts, and just 4 pets—a ginger-haired senior cat, a senior Maine Coon, a middle-aged Choodle, and a young kitty who showed up one day on the back steps. A former Orlando resident, Nikki worked on several tourism publications before moving to South Beach. When she’s not stopping to take pics of community cats to post on Instagram, Nikki spends her time with the office pets at Chewy, writing for their BeChewy blog.
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