Cat Lovers Unite by the Sea at the Catsbury Park Cat Convention

Cat-themed conventions seem to be popping up all over, much to the delight of cat-loving people. Last year I spent two days at Cat Camp NYC, and this April I attended Catsbury Park Cat Convention (CPCC) in Asbury Park, NJ. 

On April 7th and 8th, over 5000 attendees packed the iconic Asbury Park Convention Hall (right on the Boardwalk) to celebrate all things cats at the inaugural Catsbury Park Cat Convention. 

My cat loving boyfriend and I decided to spend the night rather than fight the traffic back to the city. I found a nice room at the Empress Hotel, which was just a short walk to the convention hall. 

Taken from the balcony of our room. The green arrow is the convention hall. 

The famous Stone Pony was nearby. I hadn't been there in many years, but unfortunately, we didn't have time to take in a show. 

There was everything from artwork 

to clothing, housewares, greeting cards, cat toys, food, treats, catnip, and much more 

to  captivate everyone's attention. Famous cats in attendance (such as Lil' Bub, The Hobbikats, Pudge, Klaus, and Nala) also had vendor tables where they sold promotional items. 

CPCC was hosted by Catsbury Park, which is a 501 (c) non-profit corporation with the goal of helping as many kittens and cats find loving homes through various channels.  $40,000 was raised at this inaugural convention. They were able to donate $25,000 to Catsbury Park & the associated charities plus almost $6000 to the Lil Bub Big Fund and $1900 to The Oskar and Klaus Foundation. An additional $20,000 was raised through 16 booth spaces that were donated to local non-profits and organizations. They collectively raised funds to help with live saving surgeries, cancer treatments, TNR programs, foster programs and more. That spells success to me! 

The convention hall taken from up above. 

I was able to catch up with Tina Traster of  Catnip Nation,  who contributes guest posts from time to time. Tina moderated a panel about the Seaside Heights Boardwalk cats and what happened to them. I'll be reporting on that in an upcoming post. My friend Leslie, who rescued Lola, met me at the convention. When I introduced her to Tina, it turned out they went to high school together in Canarsie, Brooklyn. What a small cat world! 

I also sat in on a presentation by Hannah Shaw, The Kitten Lady, about the importance of TNR. 

Considering this was an inaugural convention, it was a hit. I was disappointed that I wasn't able to hunt down my press pass, though, which would have entitled me to attend more events. I was sent to three different tables, but no one seemed to know where I could get it. The venue was a bit loud for me. There was a DJ playing music for much of the event and the volume was up high enough that it was difficult to hear people talk. Hopefully next year they'll take this into consideration. 

A few of the many things we bought!

People were happy, cats were adopted, and lots of money was raised to help more cats. It was a win for everyone. Cat conventions are always fun. Where else can someone go out in full feline regalia and fit right in? 

Have you ever been to a cat convention? Tell us about it in the comments! 
Dawn  

P.s. I made a quick trip over to the Castbury Park Cat Cafe while I was there. Stay tuned for more details.