Even though Cat Herders Day sounds like a day on which people are expected to corral all of their furry feline friends, the purpose of this holiday is actually to celebrate those who are experts in handling near-impossible jobs.

It comes from the idiom “like herding cats,” which refers to a task that has a lot of moving parts and requires someone who can manage the chaos. Maybe that’s a person in your life, or maybe it’s you. Regardless, December 15th is a great day to celebrate the people who can handle difficult jobs with ease.

The History of the Idiom “Herding Cats”

Every day we hear a variety of different idioms. These idioms include “beating around the bush,” “by the skin of your teeth,” and even “don’t judge a book by its cover.” No idiom is as interesting as “it’s like herding cats,” however.

This one seems to hold a special place in many people’s hearts, so we decided to see if we could find the origin of this saying. What we discovered is that this idiom isn’t as old as we thought it would be. In fact, its introduction into the English language is fairly recent.

According to our research, the origin of this idiom goes back to the 1979 British comedy “Monty Python’s Life of Brian.” A few years after this idiom was mentioned in this movie, Ruth and Thomas Roy from Wellcat.com created Cat Herders Day. It has been a holiday ever since.

Interesting Facts About Cats

Just because this holiday is about the idiom “like herding cats” and doesn’t have anything to do with cats doesn’t mean that we can’t take this opportunity to add a little cat-based trivia into the conversation. That’s why we’ve decided to list some below. Have fun herding these cat facts while you’re celebrating your ability to herd cats.

• A house cat’s genome is over 96% the same as a tiger’s.
• A cat has approximately 230 bones. Humans in comparison have 206 bones.
• Cats have over a hundred different vocalizations. Dogs only have about ten.
• A group of cats is known as a clowder.
• Over 700 million feral cats live in the U.S.
• The first domesticated cat is believed to have appeared around 3500 to 3600 BC.

Observing Cat Herders Day

The best way to celebrate this holiday is to give a shout-out to that one person who has a job, or a life, that is like herding cats. You can do that in person, or use the hashtag #CatHerdersDay on social media to get the job done. If that person who is capable of handling chaos is you, then give yourself a pat on the back and do something nice for yourself.