It’s everyone’s all-time favourite lazy, lasagna loving, contempt bearing, cat holiday. National Garfield the Cat day is celebrated on June 19th, in honour of the sassiest cat in the history of all cats. Garfield - the cat with an attitude - made its debut over 40 years ago, and endeared himself to millions of people across the world, with his strong opinions and witticisms that probably would have earned him a seat next to Dorothy Parker at the table in Algonquin. Since then his debut in the American comic strip has spawned a number of tv shows, movies, ads, books and earned him a place in the cultural landscape.

The brainchild of Jim Davis, Garfield is no ordinary cat. He’s blunt, opinionated and also quite wise sometimes. Having watched his shenanigans for decades, we might all pride ourselves as Garfield aficionados. But did you know that Garfield was named after  Davi’s grandfather? While you might think that you know everything about the cat that has graced our tv screens for decades, you might be quite surprised upon learning Garfield is a cat full of mysteries. Here are a few fun facts about the sauciest feline.

  1. The Garfield comic strip was first published on June 19, 1978, ergo, National Garfield the Cat Day

  2. Similar to the creator of the comic strip Jim Davis, the owner of Garfield in the comic Jon Arbuckle is also a cartoonist

  3. The world of Garfield revolves around Muncie, Indiana.

  4. The comic strip holds the Guinness World Record of being the most syndicated comic strip, it debuted in 41 newspapers in 1978. Today, Garfield graces 2,600 newspapers.

  5. The original creator of Garfield - Jim Davis-  no longer draws the comic strip. Other artists have taken over the reins across the world.

  6. Jim Davis named the sauciest cat on the planet after his grandfather James A. Garfield Davis, who was named after President James A. Garfield.

  7. Garfield merchandise brings in $750 million to $1 billion annually and Davis holds the final say on the products.

Share these fun facts and celebrate the cat that might outlive us all. Use the hashtag #NationalGarfieldtheCatDay to spread the word about the day on social media.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 19, 2021 08:15 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).