Celebration of the Thirteenth Cat

Meeting a black cat crossing the road predicts trouble. Superstitious people also assign occult significance to the number “13,” calling it the devil’s dozen. The initiators of the establishment of this unusual holiday apparently decided to begin the fight against mysticism and prejudice. Therefore, the Festival of the Thirteenth Cat is celebrated annually on August 26th. At the center of the celebration are tailed and mustachioed pets of any breed and color, even black. A funny holiday is an excellent occasion to congratulate not only cats, but also their owners. However, not every one of them receives such an honor. According to the initiators, August 26 is celebrated by those who have at least 13 cats at home. People have representatives of the order of carnivores not only because they love animals. Many people are unable to pass by cats thrown out into the street and take them home or organize nurseries. Whoever the breeder is who has sheltered more than a damn dozen tailed cats, he can safely celebrate the Festival of the Thirteenth Cat. The media actively cover stories from the lives of people who live side by side with tens, or even hundreds of Felis catus - carnivorous mammals domesticated by humans more than 9 thousand years ago. One of the most famous cat lovers in the whole world is the American Linea Lattanzio. The former veterinarian became involved in animal welfare activities in 1993, when she began fighting to reduce the cost of medicines for animals. Over time, Linea focused on helping cats. Over the decades, more than 28,000 pets passed through her hands, whom she selected, nursed and placed in new families. Today, her 2.43-hectare California estate is home to more than 1,000 pets. Their number is constantly changing, as Linea and volunteer assistants periodically transfer the mustachioed and striped beauties into good hands. The 73-year-old owner of the five-bedroom house with a swimming pool, known locally as Cat House On The Kings, has long since moved into a trailer. Linea Lattanzio is one of those in whose honor the Feast of the Thirteenth Cat was established. All newspapers wrote about Novosibirsk resident Nina Kostsova in the late 1990s. Russian and foreign journalists came to her two-room apartment to film reports about a woman who kept 160 cats in 40 square meters. Now the pensioner is unable to cope with such a horde of pets - the number of tailed-striped ones living in her Khrushchev house has decreased to 40 pieces. People take cats as companions because of feelings of loneliness, an unfulfilled need to love and be loved, and pity for abandoned animals. Maintaining a large number of representatives of the order of carnivores, creating good living conditions for them and without burdening those around them, is a lot of work. Therefore, animal lovers who are not ready to be content with two or three pets are congratulated on August 26 on the Festival of the Thirteenth Cat.