By Hayden FRANKLIN

Earlier this month, the annual CatCon was held at the Pasadena Convention Center. According to its website, “CatCon is the biggest cat-centric, pop culture event in the world dedicated to all things feline, with a community of cat lovers that spans the globe.”

As the name suggests, CatCon celebrates all things feline and brings together a community of cat lovers who want to learn about, share and celebrate their love of cats. Capitalizing on the event, the Pasadena Humane Society set up an adoption center in the convention that allowed guests to interact, play with and adopt feline friends.

Inside the convention center two showrooms were filled with hundreds of booths full of cat products, cat merchandise, cat-themed games, cat-themed merchandise and, in the case of the Pasadena Humane Society, even cats!

Also included was a cat-themed puppet show from Bob Baker’s Marionette Theater called Bob Baker’s Meow-ionettes. In addition, workshops on cat health included “Cats May Have 9 Lives – But Why Stop There?” presented by EveryCat Health Foundation and “The Cats Meow: Understanding The Feline Health Journey” by Solensia and Revolution Plus and “Cats Are The Most Toxic Pets,” featuring The Two Crazy Cat Ladies, on how to clean up a cat’s environment to reduce chronic illness.

Other informative workshops included “CAT-oure, Cosplay and Furrocious Fashion,” which examined and explored the world of cat-themed fashion, “My Cat Ate My Plants!” a workshop designed to teach cat owners how to integrate cat-friendly vegetation into their home, and “A Conversation with the Heroes of the Australian Firefighters Calendar” where audience members got the chance to know and ask questions of the Australian firemen who often appear scantily clad holding cats and other cute animals in annual calendars. After the show guests had the chance to take pictures with the featured firemen and purchase a calendar.

However, of all of the fascinating booths and captivating entertainment the star of the convention was The Pasadena Humane Society’s cat adoption center, which was available to all guests regardless of whether they wished to adopt a cat. With wait times to enter the exhibit reaching nearly 30 minutes, the adoption center was by far the most popular part of the event. After entering, guests were able to interact and play with the many cats available for adoption using toys that were on top of the cages.

President and CEO of the Pasadena Humane Society Dia DuVernet said the purpose of having the adoption center at CatCon was to get the over 200

cats and kittens adopted – a goal that was almost reached at the end of the two-day event with only a handful of cats remaining.

“Adoption numbers like this are unheard of anywhere else,” said a Humane Society employee.

“So many people love kittens,” said DuVernet. “I’m excited to see kittens going to loving homes.”

The atmosphere of the convention and participation from attendees were part of the entertainment.

“It’s really nice to see people get excited about this kind of stuff,” said attendee Justin T. “You see all these people dressed up in costumes … they do it because they want to, because it makes them happy to be a part of [the convention]. The convention is a community.”

“I like to be around people who love cats just as much as me,” he added. “I’m going to come back next year.”