Friendly Felines Dominate Lives Of Patch Readers In Arlington

ARLINGTON, VA — Ask any cat owner and they'll tell you that even though Thursday is officially Cat World Domination Day, their beloved felines dominate their affections and households 24-7-365.

Sadly, many people have not experienced the conditional love — it's always on the cat's terms, remember — of living with a friendly feline. There are also many cats out there who have not found their forever home.

Approximately 3.2 million cats enter shelters across the U.S. annually, according to ASPCA data. While 1.6 million of those cats go on to be adopted, an estimated 860,000 are euthanized each year.

Many local animal shelters and rescues provide opportunities to match potential owners with cats, sometimes offering discounts on adoption fees or medical procedures, such as spaying or neutering.

In honor of Cat World Domination Day, the Animal Welfare League of Arlington is offering name-your-price adoption fees for all adult cats 6 months and older. The promotion runs from 12 p.m., on Thursday, through 4 p.m., on Sunday.

Homeward Trails Animal Rescue is the largest animal rescue serving Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. Its mission is to find homes for dogs and cats that have been rescued from rural shelters or have been abandoned by their owners.

The Shelter Pet Project is an online resource where potential adopters can find available pets close to their homes.

In celebration of Cat World Domination Day, Patch asked its cat-loving readers to share photos of the animals that are dominating their affections every day of the week.

"We adopted these guys three weeks ago, and they most certainly are dominating our house and our time!!! This is Diva (the tortie) and Devil (the black one who may turn into a tuxedo). They are 16-week old sisters who we adopted through the Animal Welfare League of Arlington. They run around (FAST!) and play at all hours of the day and night. We are loving having them in our lives!" — Shel Cullison, Arlington

"I adopted my precious GIGI from AWLA in 2016, after saying goodbye to my previous cat whom I had for 17 years. Gigi was at home from the moment we arrived. The shelter volunteers do a wonderful job in “helping us” with the adoption. Gigi is my 5th adoption!" — Candace LaRocca

"This is Louise Courtland Smith. She is a graduate of the Arlington Shelter. she will be 20 in August. Every day is Cat Domination Day in our house!" — Bunnie Smith

"I am Punxsutawney Phil, aka Phil. My human, Marcia House, adopted me from a rescue in Punxsutawney, PA, and she named me after the Groundhog Day Groundhog. She brought me with her when she moved back from Pittsburgh.

"Nothing that even looks like a box is safe from me! This is my human's lunchbox! I also love to steal things off the coffee table! No food or pen is safe from me!" — Marcia House

"Honestly, isn't that every day for those of us with cats?But I'm sure my cats Coal and Sunny will be spending a good portion of the day just dreaming about domination." — Kelly Daly, Reston

"Meet Ginger." — Margaret Perry

"Any one of my three black cats can be included: Dumbdar or Girl Cat or Little Guy or my late orange cat Sunny, aka, The Spawn of Satan" — LC Simmons

"I have wrangled this 2-year-old boy. This is Pete, from Chicago, Illinois." — Carole Michau

"Awww. Miss my Merlin every day." — Lynne Mulston, Reston

"Cats Rule!" — Kara Wills, Reston

"This is Dink. She will hypnotize you into submission." — Deborah Curtis, Reston

"My cat Gus, a ragdoll that doesn't do limp. He and I share a queen size bed-his side and my side, except he likes my side better than his side." — Sharon G Kennedy, Herndon

"These three foster kittens are planning world domination! Florance, Riffraff, and Rumble! Available at The Cats at Longstreet." — Amy Collins

"My cat Baby Shark thinks every day is Cat World Domination Day and in my house, it is. Can you blame me?" — Judy Pilgrim

Gigi gently encouraging me to ignore my work. She will rest her head on the keyboard or gently give my fingers tickly little kisses while I type. — Candace LaRocca, Arlington

If you've got a photo of the cat in your life, share it in the comments to this story.