10 ways my cats celebrate Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day, typically celebrated the second Sunday in May in the United States, celebrates our Moms It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, most commonly in the months of March or May. It complements similar celebrations honoring family members, such as Father’s Day, Siblings Day, and Grandparents Day.

As our human Mom passed on five years ago this coming Dec. 21 (the Winter Solstice), we celebrate Mother’s Day with family, and that family just happens to be my four feline fur-babies. Unlike humans who bring cards, flowers, gifts, dinner invitations, and the like, the kitties don’t bring gifts – well, there might be an unexpected rodent show up – but that’s because the cats like to show off their hunting prowess to their human.

We’ve written about 10 reasons to celebrate Mother’s Day with my cats a few years ago, but thought we’d revisit the topic, as so many of us cat lovers want to celebrate this special day with our furbabies.

10 ways my cats celebrate Mother’s Day

While there’s hardly a day I don’t think about my human Mom’s awesomeness with pleasant memories, I now enjoy Mother’s Day with my Pawsome cats, and here’s 10 reasons why it’s so great.

1. While all my cats had a different biological Mom, we share a household with mutual love… well, mostly, when they aren’t having a cat fight. There are tons of studies that show cats truly love their humans, and they give us so much back. They really are good for us, both psychologically and physically.
2. They are my Paw kids. I couldn’t even imagine life without my fur babies. They keep me centered and give me a purpose in life. Did I just mention how good cats are for us? By having to take care of them, they give us purpose and a schedule we have to follow. If we humans don’t follow that schedule, they’ll let us know about it! MEEE-OWWWW!
3. We have a special bond because I spend more time with them than anyone else. For us busy humans, unless we are co-habitating with another human, we actually spend more time with our felines that with our families. They are front and center every morning, evening, night, and on the days when their human is not working, all day long.
4. Mother’s Day is about spending time with family, and what better way to spend a day than with those you love the most even if they have four legs and paws. My cats are the best, and yes, I admit it, I love them to death. I much prefer the purring of my Siamese in my ear every night over someone’s snoring!
5. Cats are just the FUNNIEST, the most ENTERTAINING fun you’ll ever have. Mother’s Day is a time for celebrating Mom, and what better entertainment than cats. Who needs to tune into funny cat videos, when you can make your own. Cats will do the darndest things. They run, jump, wrestle, and follow you around. Just yesterday, on a supervised outside jaunt, my Little Yellow was trying to shake the dew off his hind leg. He did this every time, he took a step. It was soooooo funny!!!
6. Mother’s Day is a harbinger of Spring and Summer with lazy days ahead, and my cats are EXPERTS at showing me how to be lazy and enjoy the day. When I’m watching them, I’m thinking about what they are doing, and not the latest ‘crises that I may have to deal with – only later.
7. Cats are the most cuddly, loving creatures on earth. Could we ask for anything better on Mother’s Day? There are lots to be said for a cat purring and snuggling in our lap. Did you know that a cat purrs at the same rate as we breathe when meditating?
8. Cats are PURRINGLY PEACEFUL and angelic. I feel like I’m spending a day with angels, and maybe my real Mom, who has passed on, knows the cats have done a pretty darn good job of replacing her. (She was the best). They make me feel special as they look at me with their loving eyes.
9. We can all watch TV together, and we don’t fight over who is going to watch what show. They’re happy to be able to snuggle up to their human, no matter what’s on TV. Of course, that’s if they’ve been fed and they have a full tummy.
10. While they don’t bring gifts or flowers, they bring a gift that’s worth SO MUCH MORE – UNCONDITIONAL LOVE! We can’t think of anything that’s better than that. All humans, no matter how great they are, judge. It’s just a matter of how vocal they are. The cats just want to be loved, have a good home, be loved some more, and yes, of course have lots of good food and treats.

Paws’ cats celebrate Mother’s Day

We, at Paws for Reflection are so glad to be able to spend Mother’s Day with these so very special kitties.

Just for a side-kick, we thought we’d share a little bit of history about Mother’s Day. Turns out, celebrations of mothers and motherhood can be traced back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who held festivals in honor of the mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele. More recently, it was preceded by the early Christian festival known as ‘Mothering Sunday.’

Where did Mother’s Day come from?

This was once a major tradition in the United Kingdom and parts of Europe. Held on the fourth Sunday in Lent, it was originally seen as a time when the faithful would return to their “mother church”—the main church in the vicinity of their home—for a special service.

Over time the Mothering Sunday turned into a more secular holiday, and children would present their mothers with flowers and other tokens of appreciation. This custom eventually faded in popularity before merging with the American Mother’s Day in the 1930s and 1940s.

In the United States, Mother’s Day beginnings date back to the 19th century. In the years before the Civil War, when Ann Reeves Jarvis, of West Virginia helped start “Mothers’ Day Work Clubs” to teach local women how to properly care for their children.

These clubs later morphed into a unifying force in a region still divided over the Civil War. In 1868 Jarvis organized ‘Mothers’ Friendship Day,’ where mothers gathered with former Union and Confederate soldiers to promote reconciliation.

Mother’s Day used to be Mother’s Friendship Day

Another beginning to Mother’s Day was when abolitionist and suffragette Julia Ward Howe wrote the ‘Mother’s Day Proclamation,’ in 1870 calling mothers to unite in promoting world peace. In 1873 Howe campaigned for a “Mother’s Peace Day” to be celebrated every June 2.

The official Mother’s Day holiday arose in the 1900s as a result of the efforts of Anna Jarvis, daughter of Ann Reeves Jarvis. Following her mother’s 1905 death, Anna Jarvis conceived of Mother’s Day as a way of honoring the sacrifices mothers made for their children.

After gaining financial backing from a Philadelphia department store owner John Wanamaker, in May 1908 she organized the first official Mother’s Day celebration at a Methodist church in Grafton, West Virginia. That same day also saw thousands of people attend a Mother’s Day event at one of Wanamaker’s retail stores in Philadelphia.

Following the success of her first Mother’s Day, Jarvis, who remained unmarried and childless her whole life, resolved to see her holiday added to the national calendar. Arguing that American holidays were biased toward male achievements, she started a huge letter writing campaign to newspapers and politicians urging the adoption of a special day honoring motherhood.

Keep in mind, Anna Jarvis thought of Mother’s Day as a day of personal celebration between mothers and families. Her version of the day involved wearing a white carnation as a badge and visiting one’s mother or attending church services. But once Mother’s Day became a national holiday, it was not long before florists, card companies and other merchants jumped in to capitalize on its popularity.

10 ways my cats celebrate Mother’s Day

While versions of Mother’s Day are celebrated worldwide, traditions vary depending on the country.

• In Thailand, for example, Mother’s Day is always celebrated in August on the birthday of the current queen, Sirikit.
• Another alternate observance of Mother’s Day can be found in Ethiopia, where families gather each fall to sing songs and eat a large feast as part of Antrosht, a multi-day celebration honoring motherhood.

Facts about Mother’s Day

Did you know>

More phone calls are made on Mother’s Day than any other day of the year. These holiday chats with Mom often cause phone traffic to spike by as much as 37 percent.

There’s no doubt when my human Mom was with us, the Paws family reached out with cards, flowers, and gifts. We were definitely part of that increase in phone traffic because it just wasn’t right not to call your Mom on Mother’s Day.

With the cats, they are with me full-time, so there’s no need for phone calls. We enjoy each other every day, but we thought it would be fun to share some ways the kitties make life, and Mother’s Day, just that more special.

Leave Your Comments and Paw Prints

How are you and your cats celebrating Mother’s Day? Are you doing something special for them? Or are they doing something special for you? Paws bets you are all benefiting from lots of unconditional love today and every day.