Knicks Superstar OG Anunoby Loves Cats & We’re Here For It!

Cats have needed a new face card for a long time. And OG Anunoby may be exactly the kind of advocate they deserve.

Trust me, as someone who has had cats in my life since I was seven years old, I have noticed the way they’ve been misunderstood.

For centuries, cats have been tangled up in superstition and strange cultural stereotypes. We get it, cats do their own thang.. and we love that about them. Independent, don't touch me unless I wanna be touched, I'll come to you when I feel like it. This is actually what we love the most about cats. Cats are fascinating, funny, playful, cute as hell and the most cuddly when they want to be.

And regarding outdated stereotypes: Those of us who actually live with cats know how ridiculous they are.

Cats are majestic, hilarious, deeply intuitive creatures. They are independent, yes, but they can also be incredibly affectionate and extraordinarily attuned to the people they trust.

I would go so far as to say that my cats have helped save me during some of the hardest chapters of my life.

They have been there through breakups, moves, career changes, uncertainty, depression and the inevitable highs and lows that come with spending decades working as a writer and journalist. There is something incredibly grounding about coming home and knowing another living being is there waiting for you.

They remind you that you are not alone. And for a long time, I could never understand why anyone would shame someone for loving an animal, or why people could pass so much judgment on a beautiful, sentient being simply because it was a cat.

Thankfully, something is changing.

Cats Are Finally Having Their Moment

I recently spent the day with New York Knicks superstar OG Anunoby at VCA Animal Hospital in Westchester, New York, as he continued his work with Royal Canin and VCA to advocate for feline health.

And let me tell you: OG loves cats.

We’re here for it.

Following the success of his “OG’s Starting Five” adoption initiative, which helped five hand-selected shelter cats find homes, OG is continuing to use his platform to shine a light on cats, this time by encouraging owners to prioritize preventive veterinary care.

And I think his involvement matters beyond one campaign. Cats have needed younger, cooler and more unexpected advocates for a long time.

When someone known primarily as an elite NBA player proudly talks about loving cats, adopting cats and caring about their health, it challenges some of those tired ideas about who a “cat person” is supposed to be.

There shouldn’t be a type. Millions of us love cats.

Shoutout to: The Team at VCA in Westchester, NY.

Whenever I travel through Japan, I’m also reminded of how naturally cats are woven into everyday culture, art, shops, neighborhoods and homes. I’ve always loved seeing that affection for them expressed so openly. And this isn’t about cats versus dogs. I love both. OG loves all animals too.

This is simply about giving cats some long overdue advocacy of their own.

Why I Care So Much About This

Animal advocacy has been part of my life for decades.

I began rescuing cats when I was in college in my early twenties. More recently, I have volunteered with Little Wanderers NYC and Animal Care Centers of NYC, fostering, rescuing and helping cats receive veterinary care, spay and neuter services, and ultimately, loving homes.

With Little Wanderers, I helped rescue and foster six kittens and their mama. The kittens were vetted, fixed and adopted, and their mother was spayed as well.

That experience is one of the great privileges of my life. This was just one of the dozens of unpaid, out of pocket cat-jobs I’ve done .. all just to help cats.

This is my little rescue boy Shohei! From Little Wanderers NYC - A kitten abandoned in a bodega basement in the Bronx.

Spending time inside shelters also changes the way you understand animal welfare. Behind every adoption photo are people cleaning cages, answering phones, coordinating fosters, providing medical care, comforting terrified animals and doing an enormous amount of work most of the public never sees. In fact, volunteering with these rescue organizations and the shelter is actually really painful work. You can see the suffering firsthand of the sentient beings and the humans caring for them.

Supporting these organizations means adopting, fostering, volunteering, donating and, once that animal comes home, committing to loving them throughout their life.

Which brings us to something cat owners urgently need to talk about.

Following the success of OG’s Starting Five adoption program, Anunoby is continuing his collaboration with Royal Canin and VCA, using his platform as a cat lover and animal advocate to remind cat owners about the importance of routine wellness exams and early detection.

Little Wanderers Rescue cats: I rescued and fostered these six beautiful babies with Little Wanderers NYC 7 their mama cat we got fixed too! All were vetted, fixed and adopted with Little Wanderers NYC!!

ACC Manhattan, these hard working staffers have such an amazing job and role in NYC, let’s continue to support them!

Your Cat Still Needs the Vet When They Look Healthy

August 22 is National Take Your Cat to the Vet Day, and there is a reason this conversation matters.

Cats are famously good at hiding discomfort. It is part of what makes them seem so self-sufficient, but it can also make illness much harder for owners to notice.

Royal Canin research found that 51% of cat owners believe cats are naturally self-sufficient and require relatively little medical care. At the same time, 90% of owners say they feel confident they can tell when their cat needs medical attention.

That confidence can create a dangerous gap. Cats may not show obvious signs that something is wrong until an illness or condition has progressed. Preventive care gives veterinarians the opportunity to look for changes before your cat appears sick.

And that can matter even when your cat is young. Mars Veterinary Health data found a 26% decline in veterinary visits between kittens under one year old and young adult cats between one and three years old.

Yet among young adult cats receiving diagnoses in 2025:

• Nearly 30% were diagnosed with dental calculus

• Approximately 10% were considered overweight

• Nearly 10% were diagnosed with gingivitis

These are exactly the kinds of conditions where earlier detection can make treatment simpler and potentially less expensive.

There are encouraging signs. Cat ownership continues to grow, with the American Veterinary Medical Association estimating approximately 76.3 million pet cats in the United States in 2025, and Shelter Animals Count estimating approximately 2.2 million cat adoptions during the year.

Mars Veterinary Health also reported growth in the proportion of cats coming into preventive-care clinics compared with 2016. But a substantial gap remains.

In 2025, dogs represented nearly 80% of pets seen in those clinics, while cats accounted for just over 20%. Cats also averaged approximately two visits per year compared with nearly three for dogs. We can do better for cats.

My Biggest Takeaways for Cat Parents

1. Don’t wait until something looks wrong.
A healthy-looking cat can still benefit enormously from an annual wellness exam.

2. Establish a relationship with a veterinarian early.
Your veterinarian gets to know your cat’s normal weight, teeth, behavior and baseline health, making changes easier to recognize later.

3. Pay attention to subtle changes.
Changes in appetite, grooming, litter-box habits, sleep, movement, hiding or temperament can all be worth discussing with your veterinarian.

4. Dental health counts as health.
Dental disease can begin surprisingly early, which is another reason young cats shouldn’t disappear from veterinary care after their kitten visits.

5. Adoption is the beginning of the responsibility, not the end.
Bringing a cat home means committing to preventive veterinary care, proper nutrition, enrichment and a safe environment throughout that cat’s life.

I volunteer at our city shelter NYCACC and you should too! Adopt, foster and donate today! NYCACC

This is sweet Belle from our shoot with OG & A big shout out too Rock N Rescue from Westchester NY for also bringing so many ofc their beautiful and cute kitties to set!!

The Cat Era Has Arrived

I have been waiting a very long time for this shift.

As someone who has loved cats since childhood, rescued them since my twenties, fostered them, volunteered in shelters and shared my life with them through practically every major chapter, I knew eventually more people would begin to understand what cat people have known all along.

They are funny. They are smart. They are beautiful. They are affectionate in wonderfully individual ways. And they deserve excellent care.

Seeing someone like OG Anunoby proudly step forward as a cat lover and animal advocate feels significant because representation changes perception, even when we’re talking about pets.

Cats needed a new face card. I think they finally have one. And we are absolutely here for it.

Watch me on ABC News Live Saturday, August 22, between 2:00 and 2:30 PM ET, where I’ll be talking more about OG, Cats, National Take Your Cat to the Vet Day, preventive feline care, and why this new generation of unapologetic cat lovers matters.

Until then, give your cat some love. And if that annual wellness visit isn’t on the calendar yet, consider this your reminder to make the appointment.

Adopt. Foster. Volunteer. Donate. And take your cat to the vet.

Candice Kumai is a Japanese American journalist, bestselling author, classically trained chef, wellness professional, and longtime television personality who has spent more than two decades at the intersection of food, culture, health, and media. A Le Cordon Bleu trained chef and author of seven bestselling books, including Kintsugi Wellness, Candice has been a contributor to TODAY since 2011 and has appeared across NBC, ABC News, CBS This Morning, VOGUE, Forbes, Cosmopolitan, Men’s Journal, Women’s Health, Bon Appetit, Epicurious, and major global media like NHK World. Through her work in television, publishing, podcasting, and cultural storytelling, she has become a trusted voice on Japanese wellness, pet wellness, matcha, longevity, and the traditions that have shaped her KUMAI family for generations.