Winter is a time for snuggling. Cuffing season appears to be a thing, and by every indication, this year is going to be a cold one. But people are difficult, time-consuming and at the very least require conversation. Luckily for those of us who are cuddly but maybe a touch shy or misanthropic, there are cats and even more, fortunately, this December there will be a festival honoring them. The Snowcats Cat Convention at the Exdo Event Center will be a two-day celebration of everything feline — bringing it all together for a weekend of cats, art and music. The event will showcase adoptable cats with an onsite cat cafe and lounge courtesy of the Denver Cat Company. There will also be speakers, musical guests, meet and greets, a film festival and appropriate libations to keep the whole thing in perspective.
The line-up is pretty stacked with important characters in the cat world. While world-class internet cats like Grumpy Cat, may be absent there are still some serious folks in the house. Colorado’s own Baloo the Adventure Cat as well as the Kitten Lady and Lil Bub will do presentations, with a meet and greet with Kitten Lady being available for an additional charge. IAmMoshow — the guy who gained internet fame for his rap about giving his cat a bath — will be there. Whether or not he will give his cat on stage is yet to be determined.
There are also more serious presentations from a vet, some cat wellness advocates and several entrepreneurs. Brandon Zavala — creator of Cat Wine and Appolo Peak Pet Wines, and also the founder of the event — will speak as part of their “Catrepreneurs Speaking Series,” alongside Emma Bassiri of Meowingtons Co., Olivia Canlas of Meowbox and Sana Hamelin of the Denver Cat Company.
While it still seems like the founders are piecing things together — the website is full of sections listed “coming soon” — the event is sure to be both novel and informative. Events like the “cat-chelor auction,” in which the finest cat men will be auctioned off sit nicely alongside vet talks and opportunities to adopt cats who are certainly in need of a loving home as the weather gets colder. Denver is continuing to develop a distinct identity. With introductions of events like this signifying a strong commitment to the silly and the honorable, it seems like we’re continuing to go the right direction.
The Snowcats Cat Convention will take place at the Exdo Event Center at 1399 35th St., Denver on December 8 and 9 from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. each day. Early bird tickets are available here.
Photo courtesy of Denver Cat Company’s Facebook.