Unless you are brand-new to Tampa, you probably know that the Bay area has a long history—and a bit of an obsession—with pirates. Yes, we may very well be the only city that celebrates being raided by pirates hundreds of years ago. We also have a penchant for making up our own holidays. Guavaween and Gasparilla are both ‘treasured’ parts of our local culture. As it turns out, our feline pals also get to celebrate their own pirate holiday. September 19th is Meow Like A Pirate Day! A local Tampa, FL vet discusses this below.
Fluffy’s Seafaring History
Cats really don’t like water, so one may not expect to find them on ships. However, kitties actually were treasured ‘crewmates’ aboard many vessels. This makes purrfect sense! Our feline friends are skilled hunters. This would be very useful in protecting precious food stores from rats and other vermin while at sea.
Good Luck Or Bad Luck
Kitties are actually associated with good luck in many places. According to old wives’ tales, cats are able to predict storms, and are said to keep ships safe in them. We can’t vouch for the latter, but we do know that our feline buddies are sensitive to changing conditions. It’s not out of the realm of possibilities to think that some felines at sea may have reacted to drops in barometric pressure, which often preclude storms. Someone who was paying close attention to their feline pal may very well have noticed Fluffy’s reactions. In other places, cats are thought to protect ships from storms.
Celebrating
Want to make your furry little pirate’s day? Why not give her a special treat? Seafood is of course the obvious choice here. Fluffy can have canned tuna, salmon, shrimp, crab, or even lobster. Cod, flounder, mackerel, haddock, and tilapia are also fine. Just be sure to remove the skin and bones first. You can also get some cute pics of your feline ‘purrate.’ Add some pirate props to make these extra cute! Another option is to try talking pirate to your cute pet. She may very well talk back! Of course, if Fluffy really is a pirate, she’ll prefer to communicate the way real pirates do: aye to aye!
Please feel free to contact us, your Tampa, FL vet clinic, for your kitty’s veterinary care needs. We ‘arr’ always here to help!
