National Siamese Cat Day: 'Purrfect' holiday celebrates magnificent Meezers

When it comes to holidays, April 6 is just plain "purrfect!" It's National Siamese Cat Day, an annual animal holiday that shines the spotlight on the magnificent Siamese breed! While all felines are fabulous, "Meezers" exude grace and elegance and are one of the most popular cats around.

These elegant kitties, originating from Siam (Thailand), came to America in the late 1800s. In fact, America's first Siamese cat was actually a gift for First Lady Lucy Hayes, wife of United States President Rutherford Hayes. Siam, the First Cat, fit right in at the White House along with a goat, a bird and two dogs.

Long, lean and sleek, these blue-eyed beauties have a beautiful coat and striking "points" on their ears, legs, tails and mask in gorgeous colors of seal, chocolate, blue, lilac, red, smoke, tabby and cream. Besides their good looks, these loving and loyal felines make wonderful pets. Siamese are very intelligent and will remind you of that constantly. Meezers are known for being quite talkative.

National Siamese Cat Day, created by cat-lover Jace Shoemaker-Galloway, also helps raise awareness about the urgent need to adopt from an animal shelter. Many shelters across the country are inundated with abused, neglected and unloved pets.

You don't need to spend an arm-and-a-paw for a Siamese cat, either. Many breeds of pets, including Siamese, end up in shelters. If you have been thinking about adding a new member to your family, today is the ‘purrfect’ day to adopt. If you are unable to adopt at this time, please consider fostering. The fostering experience is rewarding beyond measure.

Please open your heart and your home to a pet in need, before it's too late. Visit Petfinder or the Humane Society for more information on adoption.