Today is National Cat Day. It is a celebration held each year on Oct. 29.

This cat holiday helps the public to recognize the number of cats that need to be rescued each year. It also encourages cat lovers to celebrate the cat or cats in their lives for the unconditional love and companionship they give.Cats can be inquisitive, friendly, playful, active, loving and independent. They appreciate attention but only when they want it. For the cat knows they are the perfect pet.Now I know for a fact that not every person is a cat lover. Just ask my husband and he will tell you dogs are his favorite and he only tolerates cats. We had dogs as pets in the past but never a cat and dog at the same time.Having a pet of any kind is a big responsibilityand a longtime commitment.Our first experience with a cat was when our daughter moved and could not take their cat to their new town house. So we inherited a 3-year-old brown and gray spayed female indoor cat. Simba minded her own business, stayed out of the kitchen and loved to sit on my lap and purr in the mornings. She was the perfect cat for my husband as she would just stay out of his way.Our house was her home for the next 10 years until she died from kidney failure.A few months later we were asked to take in a rescue cat. This 2-year-old black cat had been hit on the road and left for dead. A good Samaritan rushed her to a vet. She was spayed and declawed when she came to live with us. Another very good cat. She would tolerate the grandkids trying to pick her up, would run to the door like a dog when the doorbell rang to see who was there, and every night she slept at the foot end of our bed.Last summer we had to make a very hard decision. With my husband being retired, we started to travel more, sometimes staying months at a time. During these times our neighbor would take Nera to her house to stay. We knew we could not keep imposing. We needed to find Nera a new home.It was not easy to find a new home for an 8-year-old cat. After asking around to our friends and neighbors we couldn't find a new home for our cat. Thinking of this people-loving cat sitting in a small cage all day and night was more than I could bear if we gave her up to a shelter.I got in touch with the Palmerton Cat Project. This group works with spaying and neutering feral cat colonies since 2014. They also get kittens and friendly cats off the streets of Palmerton by adoption and education.They usually work with abandoned cats and not cats in our situation. They did put a picture and a small write-up about Nera needing a new home on their Facebook page. We were so grateful when we got a call a few weeks later saying that they found a good home for our Nera.So today is National Cat Day. If you have a cat, give it a special treat.If you don't have one, think of donating your time, pet food or money to help out with medical costs to local organizations like the Palmerton Cat Project and other nonprofit organizations in Carbon County. They will welcome your generosity.These organizations work hard to keep cats off the streets so these animals can have a better, healthier life. This could just be the "cat's meow" for our furry feline friends.Contact Mary Tobia at

tneditor@tnonline.com.