January 11, 2017
by Danielle Smith
People who love cats are invited to attend the inaugural Cat Camp, a fan convention/adoption event which takes place March 11 and March 12, 2017, at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City. The event is co-founded by Christina Ha, owner of Meow Parlour, New York’s City first cat cafe, which opened in 2014.
The event will feature cat adoptions, panel discussions, meet-and-greets and vendors selling cat-related items, merchandise and services. The Petco Foundation is the presenting sponsor.
Cat expert Jackson Galaxy, the host of Animal Planet’s “My Cat From Hell,” will be the keynote speaker and will do a meet-and-greet. Celebrity cat Lil Bub and her owner Mike Bridavsky will also be in attendance. Guest speakers/panelists are well-known cat enthusiasts involved in cat rescuing, spaying/neutering and adoptions, including:
- Hannah Shaw, also known as The Kitten Lady, a Washington, D.C.-based kitten rescuer/foster parent who has become a star on social media
- Kate Benjamin, founder of Hauspanther, an online magazine for cat-oriented designs
- Adam Myatt, founder of the CatTown in Oakland, California, the first permanent cat cafe in the United States
- Dr. Jennifer Conrad of The Paw Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to banning feline declawing and educating the public about the dangers of declawing.
Although this is an event for cat enthusiasts, the only cats allowed at the event are those that have been pre-approved for adoptions or guest appearances. In other words, people have to leave their pet cats at home (for legal and health reasons, obviously), and this policy will be strictly enforced, say event organizers.