Caturday is Real
Not just a hashtag or private house party, Caturday is going live and into the real world. With cat culture on the rise, the weekly celebration of our devotion to cats -known as Caturday- is hitting the streets. Or rather, the parks. No longer just #Caturday or a social media observance, cat people are going public, and they’re bringing their cats.
So we’re talking about social gathering where people bring their pet cats on leashes, in strollers and other conveyances to meet and mingle. Think meetup up for cats and the people who love them. It’s an idea that could be brilliant, or could go horribly wrong. As The Seattle Stranger advised, “Obviously, don’t bring cats that are prone to terrorize other cats or murder of everything in sight.” Good counsel indeed. Perhaps dog owners are a more litigious group, but a couple episodes of Judge Judy reveal dog parks to be a hot bed of conflict and litigation. So far, the gatherings look to have a congenial vibe, perhaps reflecting the more laid back reputation of cats and their peoples.
Caturday is Racing Up the West Coast
The West coast is the best coast for cat-centric meetups complete with real live cats. First Caturday is a distributed group of enthusiasts with no central organization that inspires these “spontaneous celebrations” happening in parks on the first Saturday of the month. So far there have been First Caturdays in San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, and Vancouver. The Cat Rapper MoShow brought his celebrity cats to the Portland’s recent June get-together, bringing a festive air to the fete.
Cats & Saturdays in Other Places
There are lots of other kinds of Saturday celebrations happening in the name of cats. Many events are organized around finding homes for rescue kitties. Cat cafes have all sorts of upbeat offerings ranging from movie nights to simply offering special Caturday pastries. Mauhaus in St. Louis always has delightful cat-themed cookies, and it’s a treat to see what their pastry genius comes up with each week!
Just last week the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh had an official CATurday, with a full day of feline-themed family fun. Celebrating the launch of the art activity book Art Cat’s Sketchbook, the day included lots of cat worthy activities. Kids could get a Cattoo (temporary cat tattoo), design their own cat ears, and even meet the real live feline inspiration for Art Cat. The CMA day also included adoptable kittens from the local Humane Animal Rescue.
Traditional Celebrations
Some of us are still fated to celebrate solitary Caturdays in the company of our life-companion cats. We’ll continue to celebrate their feline antics and kitty charms with our best smart phone pictures, hashtagCaturday! Cheers and pawww-ty on, cat peoples!