CLEVELAND, Ohio – October plays host to a bevy of “national” holidays all dedicated to cats: National Black Cat Day, National Feral Cat Day, Global Cat Day, and, of course, National Cat Day.
Why are cats so celebrated during the month of October? Maybe it is because they are indelibly linked with Halloween. After all, what self-respecting witch would be caught without her black cat? What spooky party would be complete without feline-themed decorations and at least one guest adorning cat ears and whiskers for the night?
But before we get caught up in celebrating witches and goblins, let’s ‘paws’ to celebrate our cats. October 29 is National Cat Day.
The research shows that more than 60 million households in the United States have at least one pet -- more than 47 million of those own at least one cat.
Whether your cat is fat and fluffy, slender and agile, a cuddler or aloof, there are benefits to having a feline housemate.
Recent studies show that having a cat lowers the chances of heart disease or stroke by 31%; a cat’s purr resonates at a frequency that can heal muscles, bones, and tendons. Plus, they can improve your quality of sleep. Cats can also reduce anxiety and stress levels and even lower the levels of pet allergies in children.
That got cleveland.com’s Best of Team thinking: How many of our readers’ phones are bursting with adorable pictures of their feline housemates?
To celebrate National Cat Day, we want to see your cutest cat photo.
We will gather up to 100 photos submitted and publish them so all of Greater Cleveland can enjoy those sweet faces.
Here are the contest details:
Send us your best photo of your cat -- whether it is sleeping or playing or lounging in a sunbeam – or just email your photo to best@cleveland.com by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 15. Please limit your submissions to just one photo per animal, so choose carefully.
Tell us a little about your kitty and yourself:
Name, age, breed (if known) and a little about what makes him/her so lovable. Be sure to identify everyone in the photo. Be sure to include your name, where you live (town only) and a phone number in case we need to contact you.
The legal stuff:
No professional photos will be accepted due to copyright laws. Please tell us who took the photo (for photo credit purposes) and how we can contact them for permission to publish the photo – or send written permission with your submission.
More about the contest:
The first 100 cats entered in the contest will be featured in a photo gallery on cleveland.com in mid-October.
To be eligible for the contest, the cat and cat’s owner must be a resident of Northeast Ohio (Cuyahoga, Lorain, Medina, Summit, Portage, Geauga or Lake counties).
A committee of Cleveland.com staffers will determine the Top 20 contestants. The Top 20 will be announced Oct. 25.
Our readers will choose the ultimate winner. You may vote in an on-line poll for which cat you think is the cutest October 26-28.
We’ll announce the winner on October 29 -- National Cat Day.
So choose a photo -- or take a new one -- of your cat and send it along. He/she may just be the Cutest Cat in Northeast Ohio.