National Hug Your Cat Day is one of our favorite national cat-themed holidays. Serioiusly, we decorate June 4 on our calendars with pointy ears and whiskers every single year.

On this momentous day, it’s important to take a break from our wild world of hellhounds, flying horses, and fish ponies to recognize our feline friends in the Riordanverse. Although hugging some of these kitties would be best done metaphorically.

Muffin/Bast

Sadie Kane’s loyal cat served as the host body for Bast for years before the Egyptian goddess revealed her true form. And yes, while Bast is an incredibly powerful and admirable deity, we can’t help but miss poor Muffin. Despite her anxious temper, Muffin seemed like a noble pet, and way more open to ear scratches and tummy rubs than the daughter of Ra. Treating Bast like that would be a great way to meet the pointy end of a knife.

Small Bob

Small Bob is the last of the surviving spartus sabretooth cubs accidentally created by the Titan Atlas. He’s the companion of Iapetus, Titan of Mortality. As a skeleton cat, Small Bob is only slightly more disturbing to cuddle than a hairless feline. Iapetus loved the adorable little crime against nature, especially after Small Bob grew into Bigger Bob and defended his master against Tartarus. Guess it goes to show that you don’t need a physical heart—or any organs whatsoever—to be a faithful pet.

Nemean Lion

As one of the monsters that Hercules had to slay during his twelve labors, the Nemean Lion gets a bad rap in the annals of history. Made of solid gold, this creature was quite beautiful. Turns out he was quite durable as well, because after being slain by Hercules, he came back to life centuries later to battle Percy, Zoë, and Bianca at the National Air and Space Museum. Alas, the trio defeated the lion before he coughed up any of his treasured golden hairballs. Percy was able to cash in the lion’s pelt later on, however. Who said that fighting monsters never turns a profit? 

Meow-Dad

Gabi Reál from Sal and Gabi Break the Universe has a whole cast of loving friend-of-the-family dads. But there’s always room for more in her life. We first see the enigmatic and mysterious Meow-Dad during Sal and Gabi’s famous jaunt across the multiverse. Having a fat and lazy orange cat as a father in an alternate reality raises a number of questions about the nature of the space-time continuum and quantum theory. Chief among them: Does he love lasagna and hate Mondays?