(PRESS RELEASE) NEW YORK — Jackson Galaxy’s Cat Camp, the acclaimed event for cat lovers of all stripes, is shifting this year’s event to online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and will stream live through CatCamp.com on Sept. 26 for free. Although in-person events cannot take place, Cat Camp has embraced the opportunity to connect with animal lovers around the world by educating, entertaining and empowering through an @Home event that will deliver even more inspiration, engagement and a sense of community to a larger audience, at no cost to attendees. With a lifesaving investment by Petco Foundation, a national, nonprofit animal welfare organization working to inspire and lead change for animals across the country, Cat Camp @Home will feature diverse voices in the advocacy community, games with exclusive prizes, and interactive “learn along” content that includes building cat toys, editing the best photos of cats and even painting with a cat portrait artist!
Hosted by co-founders Jackson Galaxy, renowned cat behavior and wellness expert and host of Animal Planet’s “My Cat From Hell,” and Christina Ha, co-owner of NYC’s first Cat Café, Meow Parlour, and president of its affiliated non-profit adoption group, Meow Parlour, Cat Camp is a celebration of all things feline, and will feature speakers from the feline world, including Galaxy himself and Hannah Shaw (aka Kitten Lady), who will participate in an “Ask Me Anything” for fans, as well as speakers who will discuss advocating for community cats, how to be allies with Black communities, and optimum behavioral and physical wellness in cats.
“The pandemic has really changed the landscape of in-person events for the foreseeable future, but going online gives us the opportunity to create something different – thoughtful content that is timely, relevant and educational, with more visibility on diverse voices in animal welfare,” said Ha. “As a child of immigrants and a person of color, I am grateful we can seize the moment and showcase diversity in the cat community on a national level.”
The feline-focused festival started in 2017 and has celebrated three successful years in New York City, attracting campers from 31 states and eight countries, and expanded to Las Vegas in 2019. Cat Camp was created to bring together the country’s first community defined by their passion for helping America’s most popular companion pet, and has now trained over 9,000 people from all over the US and other countries to become more involved in their community to save lives. Events in New York and San Diego were set to take place in Summer 2020 before the pandemic hit.
“As we’ve adjusted to a world of social distancing, we’ve witnessed a monumental moment of action-taking on behalf of cats, including more people stepping up to foster and adopt, and cat guardians asking what new things we can do for cats in our homes, now that we’re spending more time together,” said Galaxy. “The mission of Cat Camp has always been to embrace the chance to change with the moment, and this virtual event gives us an opportunity to give even more people a sense of community and belonging during this trying time at no cost – and yes, have fun doing it!”
Cat Camp is sponsored by Petco Foundation, a valued longtime partner of Meow Parlour and Jackson Galaxy, dedicated to creating a lifesaving nation.
For additional information and to register for the event, visit CatCamp.com.