A few weeks ago we did a preview post on CatCon – the ultimate cat lovers’s conference. Alas, it has now passed but a good time was had by all! CatCon came and left with a bang, not a whimper! >^..^< Kudos to all those who tirelessly organized and executed this Ailurophile’s (cat lover) dream event!
This year’s third annual feline frenzy brought 15,000 cat lovers together for a weekend of fun and frolic at the Pasadena Convention Center on August 12th-13th. Attendees participated in experiential marketing, explored new products and fashion for both themselves and their four-legged furriends, and met with some of the most famous internet cats in the world. We’d say these two cat lovers were clearly feline the excitement! >^..^<
We were delighted to hear that over 150 cats and kittens were adopted in the 4,000 square foot adoption lounge created by Nutrish with felines provided by the Pasadena Humane and SPCA.
This year also brought the first ever CatCon Awards, recognizing winners in five different categories, including Biggest Newcomer, which was won by Sir Thomas Trueheart, of Milo’s Sanctuary. Actor Ian Somerhalder presented the Advocate of the Year Award to ‘Kitten Lady’ Hannah Shaw (below), who has dedicated her life to helping neo-natal kittens.
Celebrities – both human and feline – were in abundance, including actor Gilles Marini, model Tess Holliday, Lil BUB, Tricia Helfer, Addison Riecke, Shrinkle, Jackson Galaxy, Cats of Instagram, Pudge, Nala Cat and siblings White Coffee Cat and Luna Rose, Lizzy Greene , and more.
Photo: (actor Ian Somerhalder with Lil BUB and Mike, his cat Dad)
Over 140 vendors showcased their cat-centric products, in the areas of art, furniture, clothing, accessories and design, for cats and their people, with many returning exhibitors exceeding sales from the year prior and many completely selling out of merchandise.
[clickToTweet tweet=”CATCON Highlights: A Purrfect Weekend Where Feline Fans Embraced Their Love of Cats!” quote=”CATCON Highlights: A Purrfect Weekend Where Feline Fans Embraced Their Love of Cats!”]
Highlights
Jackson Galaxy from Animal Planet’s My Cat from Hell made a surprise appearance at the Petsmart booth.
Cat rapper MoShow (@iammoshow) gave two exclusive performances to the crowd.
Actress Julie Newmar (aka the original Catwoman) held court all day Saturday meeting fans and signing autographs.
And if that wasn’t already enough feline fun…
The Rachael Ray Nutrish ® booth, offered attendees their very own ‘Caticature’ mash up (that’s a caricature of themselves melded with one of their cat) as well as provided a 360 photo opp.
Gilles Marini, renowned DJ Catstradamous, Lil BUB and her dad Mike Bridavsky and Chris Poole (dad of Cole & Marmalade) spoke with Rachel DeMita in the seminar, Men and Cats: A Love Story.
ABOUT CATCON
Created in 2015, CatCon® has donated over $75,000 to organizations including FixNation, Lil BUB’s BIG Fund and Kitten Rescue. This year, CatCon donated $2 of every ticket sold to the Ian Somerhalder Foundation. Parent company Ticket Out also runs Cat Art Show , an exhibition series that has showcased some of the biggest names in worlds of art and culture, including Shepard Fairey, Norman Reedus, Kat Von D, and Mark Ryden. To date CatCon has had nearly 42,000 attendees. That’s a lotta cat love!
SPONSORS
Sponsors for 2017 include: Rachael Ray Nutrish for Cats, FRONTLINE® Gold for Cats, Petsmart, The Pet Collective, BuzzFeed, ASPCA, ModCloth, Blue Buffalo, VIP Petcare, NatGeo WILD, World’s Best Cat Litter, Halo, Litter Robot, Sleepypod, Trackums, The Westin Pasadena, and Petsafe.
Enjoy the following photos which further capture the energy and shared cat love shown and felt by all!
PS – we admit it, we kinda have a soft spot for Lil BUB. For more information on CatCon, please visit: https://catconworldwide.com
Photo credits: CatCon Worldwide /Rich Hardcastle, CatCon Worldwide/Andrew Marttila, CatCon Worldwide/Natalia Knezevic
Photos of Ian Somerhalder are courtesy CatCon Worldwide/Rich Hardcastle
Did you attend CatCon 2017? If so, share your comments with us by dropping a note in the ‘Leave a Reply’ box below.
Not fortunate enough to attend, but loving these pix and “tales” and all the wonderful familiar and not-so-familiar faces! Lil BUB is the sweetest being in the universe, so of course I am a huge admirer!