CAT-LOVERS’ CARNIVAL
Meowfest offers learning, shopping, and petting
Attention cat fanciers: There is now a Vancouver festival groomed just for you and your love of furry friends.
The inaugural Meowfest will take place July 29 at the Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre in Vancouver.
“We’re all pretty proud to be cat people. None of us deny that,” said organizer Olivia Canlas, whose cat gift box company Meowbox is presenting the new feline festival. “We love our cats a lot. We all hear the term ‘crazy cat lady,’ but the way I see it we all have our different versions of crazy.”
The event is set up as a one-stop cat-lover’s carnival of joy. The event runs all day and is packed full of shopping, learning, petting and star spotting. It really is a purrfect idea for people who love their cats — but don’t bring them with you — or who are thinking of joining the cat people ranks. There will even be cats and kittens on hand for adoption. All proceeds from the event go to the B.C. SPCA and other non-profit cat organizations.
Like any good festival or trade show, there is a celebrity component. It’s just with this event the star-power, for the most part, has paws and prefers scratches under the chin to the stroking of their ego. Topping Meowfest’s kitty cat call sheet is the precocious and photogenic Nala. The Siamese/ tabby-mix is the Guinness World Record holder (for cats) for most followed internet feline with a whopping 3.6 million Instagram devotees. This cat is so cool it is a member of Forbes’ top animal influencer list and has inked deals with brands like Purina, Pet Smart and Uber. Yes, it turns out some cats do like car rides.
Closer to home the star power here is pretty bright too. Carrying the B.C.-boy-done-good torch loudly and proudly like a kitty cat Ryan Reynolds is BenBen.
A kind of rags-to-riches story, BenBen is a shelter rescue that had enough issues to fill a cat carrier. He was found covered in puncture wounds, he had infected cuts, a badly injured ear and a crushed spine. He could barely move. The shelter called him Benjamin Button because he was an old guy while still being a kitten. They posted a picture of him and soon he was dubbed the “saddest cat” in the world.
He spent almost two weeks in the B.C. SPCA hospital. People wanted to adopt him, but a multitude of health-related issues made the poor little orange cat unadoptable (people tried, but it never worked out) and he was scheduled to be put down May 1.
Then everything changed. Sandy Windover, a veterinary technician at the Vancouver ER Animal Centre and her partner Adam Tutt decided they would take on the cat and in the spring of 2016 BenBen moved to New Westminster to be with his new humans.
“We love that he is just a big bundle of love. He has the biggest personality and so many expressions,” said Windover. “He surprises us everyday and brings a smile to our faces and a warmth to our hearts.
“Ben has taught us so many things, but most importantly he has taught us that every pet deserves a second chance and a forever home.”
Now after lots of love and rehab in a house covered with yoga mats — for traction — BenBen is a mobile, full-blown celebrity cat with 193,000 followers on Instagram. This cat not only came back, but he also gives back, as all the money he earns goes to charity.
According to his humans, the three-and-a-half-year-old ( give or take a few lives) BenBen has raised more than $15,000 in donations on a GoFundMe page. That money has gone to shelters like New Westminster Animal Shelter, SAINTS, LAPS and Katie’s Place. They are also raising money through the sales of merchandise.
BenBen has helped host various fundraisers in and around New Westminster, but Meowfest is his first big convention.
Windover is sure her sweet orange buddy will do just fine among all his fans.
“BenBen loves people. He will walk right up to anyone and start rubbing on their legs,” said Windover. “He loves all the attention and treats. He does not appreciate being picked up, but rather gushed over and pet.”
The new festival is sponsored by Meowbox, which sent its first curated cat lovers box out in 2014. Today Canlas reports that Meowbox has sent out hundreds of thousands of boxes (about $30 each) and has seven (including Canlas) in-house employees.
“It is awesome, it grows every month,” said Canlas, who got inspiration for the cat box from the popular dog-themed subscription box Barkbox. The boxes contain treats, toys and other cat-related fun things like totes and stationary.
Canlas reports humans love getting and giving the boxes (you can do subscriptions or send one-offs as gifts) and cats, well to be honest, are pretty thrilled just to get a box.
“Haha, yes, 100 per cent we hear that all the time,” said Canlas, about the cats-love-boxes theory. “When the box comes in and the cat sees it, the cat then starts circling the human and trying to open it. They are so into it.
“We may or may not spray each box with something good,” added Canlas, with a wink toward Meowbox’s extra touch of something smelly and tempting to cats.
The success of the business is not lost on Canlas. She said she and her staff know that what they are doing is “totally cool,” and totally beating the odds. It’s hard to make a small business stick.
“You know the statistic for small businesses. A big percentage fail within the first year, so like every
year we are in business and growing we are like ‘OK this is awesome and it’s working.’ We have to just always keep asking our customers what they want and ask them to ask their cats what they want. We are always looking to do something new so hence Meowfest,” said Canlas.
Jasmine Habart of North Vancouver is one of the vendors who will be set up at Meowfest. Her company, My Cat is People, is an online one-stop gift shop for the cat lovers and those who love cat lovers.
Habart has participated in other events and shows, but never a completely cat-centric get-together like this one.
“I’m super excited. I am looking forward to being in a space with all these cat lovers. I feel like we bring a certain energy to each other,” said Habart. “One of my favourite parts of other theme markets is when someone comes to my table and we start talking about cats and they bring out their phone and they want to show me pictures of their cats and then I show them pictures of my cats and it just fills you with happiness.”
Habart specializes in stationary and accessories like enamel pins. She has two cats and her almost 18-year-old Mickey she says is her constant mews (get it?).
“I feel like you can’t have too many cats, but I like two or three,” said Habart. “I love being called a cat lady now. I remember when I was growing up being a cat lady was bad. No one wanted to be a cat lady, but now because of the internet in the past decade or so we have all realized that we all love cats deep down, so it is not so much a bad thing anymore.”
I’m super excited. I am looking forward to being in a space with all these cat lovers. I feel like we bring a certain energy to each other.