The Gatoteca, Spain's first cat cafe, has organised the Festimiau! festival to celebrate International Cat Day.
The festival, which runs in Madrid until Sunday, offers a series of educational, informative and fun activities for cat lovers of all stripes.
Cats, whether it is Puss in Boots, the Cheshire Cat, Garfield, Tom or Sylvester, have been the victims of stereotyping for years.
One of the festival's goals is to do away with the traditional image of cats as mysterious, unfriendly and aloof animals, showing the friendly, loyal and loving side of felines.
"In reality, their character depends on how they were handled during their first months of life. If they received love and training, they will have impeccable social conduct and be friendly," says Ariana Frances, one of the festival's organisers.
The festival is different from traditional feline events, such as cat shows and skills competitions.
Festimiau! offers talks to spread knowledge about the cat world, craft goods for cats that contain catnip, and workshops to teach children how to handle the animals.
"A cat needs two kinds of care, physical and emotional, and understanding on the part of its owner about its nature, which is more wild than that of the dog," Frances says, adding that "once this is accepted, the animal will be very much appreciated. It is the preferred pet of Spaniards after the dog."
The Gatoteca also serves as the headquarters of the Society For The Rescue And Adoption Of Cats, or ABRIGA, which organised the festival in partnership with Sanicat, a leading producer of pet products.
International Cat Day was created in 2009, thanks to the efforts of cat lovers on social-networking sites, especially Facebook and Twitter, who wanted to educate people about how to correctly care for felines and promote the animals' rights in light of abuse and abandonment.
The date marks the death on February 20, 2009, of Socks, the most famous cat to live in the White House.
Socks, which was adopted by first daughter Chelsea Clinton when her father Bill was governor of Arkansas, became a media darling when the family moved into the presidential residence in 1993. Its image was used to raise money for animal shelters.
