Just for Cats fest places felines in spotlight
Event featuring videos raises funds for SPCA
Who needs film festivals like Cannes, when you can have one about cats instead?
The second annual screening of cat videos by the Montreal SPCA in Rosemont on Saturday aims to give cats the attention they don’t receive outside of homes.
The GRIFF Just for Cats Video Festival, which takes place at Place Shamrock near the Jean- Talon market, will feature 75 minutes of cat videos posted to YouTube from around the world.
Cats don’t really benefit from the social interactions that come with owning a dog, like meeting at dog parks, or walking them around the neighbourhood, said Anita Kapuscinska of the Montreal SPCA.
“We tend to celebrate dogs a lot more, because we get to take them outside,” she said.
“There are many people who love their felines, but there are not many events where we get to celebrate our cats.”
The SPCA estimates 50 per cent of Montrealers own a cat.
Cats are also over- represented at the organization — for every dog dropped off, three cats are left behind at the SPCA. In the summer, the SPCA receives about 900 cats per month, significantly higher because of moving tendencies.
Overpopulation is also a problem, Kapuscinska said. The Mittens- Montreal SPCA Targeted Permanent Sterilization Clinic offers low- cost cat sterilization for owners looking for cheaper options.
About 1,000 people attended last year’s festival, and the SPCA raised over $ 10,000 through donations and sponsors.
“It was just like a fun, social, lowkey kind of event,” said Kapuscinska, some cat owners even brought their furry friends. “It’s like going to a comedy fest, but it’s free.”
Just for Cats was inspired by the Internet Cat Video Festival, which took place three years ago at the Walker Art Center of Minneapolis in Minnesota. The event is free, but donations go to adoption efforts for cats, such as vaccination and sterilization of abandoned felines.
Rain or shine, Saturday ’s activities begin at 3 p. m. and the film screens at 7: 30 p. m.