January 17
Saint Anthony of Egypt is invoked as patron of pets and domestic animals. Born about 251 in Middle Egypt, he gave away his inheritance after hearing the Gospel words “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor,” and withdrew into the desert to live a life of prayer, fasting, and spiritual combat; his disciples regarded him as the father of Christian monasticism, and his life was written by Saint Athanasius. He lived to be more than a hundred years old, dying about 356. In Western art he is often shown accompanied by a pig — a symbol bound up with the medieval Hospital Brothers of Saint Anthony, who were permitted to let their swine forage freely — and from these associations he became the patron of domestic animals and livestock. His feast on January 17 is widely marked by the blessing of animals, when families bring their pets to be blessed in his name. Source: catholic.org patron index.