August 22 Holidays

National Take Your Cat to the Vet Day was established by veterinary organizations to address the alarming statistic that cats visit veterinarians far less frequently than dogs — an estimated 52 percent of U.S. cats have not been to a vet in more than a year, often because cats mask illness until it becomes critical. National Tooth Fairy Day celebrates the mythological figure who exchanges lost baby teeth for coins — a tradition documented in various forms across cultures from medieval Scandinavia to Victorian England, and which research suggests helps children process the physical experience of tooth loss. Be An Angel Day was established to encourage people to perform a random act of kindness — an anonymous act that makes someone’s day better without expectation of recognition. National Bao Day celebrates the steamed yeast bun with filling — a staple of Chinese dim sum culture for over 1,000 years, whose fluffy white texture and pleated seam have been adapted into every cuisine from Japanese nikuman to Filipino siopao. A missed vet appointment, a coin under the pillow, a kind act, and a pleated seam.