Cat Camp

 New York, NY - Cat Camp, the only event in the country where patrons can arrive donning their finest cat ears and leave as the next generation of impassioned rescue advocates, will return to New York City this spring as Jackson Galaxy’s Cat Camp, bringing on the renowned cat behavior expert and Animal Planet star of “My Cat From Hell” as an official partner.

Jackson Galaxy’s Cat Camp is a celebration of cats that is rooted in advocacy. This feline-focused festival, which first took place in 2017, was created to bring cat lovers of all kinds together under one roof to meet their idols of the cat world, shop for every kind of cat merchandise imaginable, discuss how we can collectively do more to help our feline friends, and - most importantly - to have fun mingling with fellow cat aficionados!

The weekend event will again be organized by Christina Ha, the founder and co-owner of NYC's first renowned cat cafe, Meow Parlour, and president of its affiliated nonprofit rescue and adoption group, Meow Parlour Cats. Jackson Galaxy, now co-owner of Cat Camp, will have his paw print all over the proceedings; hosting the event and returning as the weekend’s keynote speaker, as well as helping to program this year’s unique, engaging panel offerings and featured guests and presenters. There will be meet-and-greets (schedule to be announced), breakout workshops with NYC community cat experts and nationally recognized rescue professionals, and colorful, unique, child friendly activities. The exhibition area will feature the cutest, coolest, cutting edge cat gear for both cats and their humans.

This year, in order to accommodate the wildly popular response from last year’s NYC cat-loving community, the event is moving to the Penn Pavilion, centrally located across the street from Penn Station on 34th St and 7th Ave. The 2018 event will span two floors, with 15,000 additional sq feet of space, and be able to showcase nearly 300 adoptable cats, many of senior age and with special needs, in an area that will be open to the public in order to share the Cat Camp message with the public as widely as possible. Last year, as a result of the event, animal rescue groups in attendance placed 60 cats who were featured in the adoption area into loving “furever” homes, and $15,000 was raised for the non-profit groups involved.

“As soon as I walked through the doors to speak at last year’s inaugural Cat Camp, I was instantly overtaken with an indescribable sense of joy,” said Galaxy. “At first I thought I was being swept up in the high-energy celebration of all things feline, but then I realized there was something deeper that informed that emotion; at the heart of that celebration was a true feeling of community, a sense that I was surrounded by ‘my people.’ These were not only cat lovers, but cat rescuers, cat advocates, people who loved cats to the point that they would parade around in their finest cat ears and also do something for the good of all cats. After spending time soaking it all in, delivering the keynote address and spending time with Christina and her husband Simon, I knew I HAD to be a bigger part of Cat Camp. Now that we’ve joined forces, you can expect Cat Camp to be even bigger and better in 2018, with more celebration, more fun, more adoptable animals, more education and advocacy. This is a party which will have a lasting impact for those who love cats, and, most importantly, for the cats who need us.”

"I was introduced to Jackson's magic through his show, My Cat From Hell, when I rescued my first cat,” said Ha. “Jackson has shaped my relationship with my (now 5) cats, and his tips from his show helped me with designing Meow Parlour to be fun, engaging and comfortable for the cats there. His messaging is improving the relationships of humans and their felines all over the world. When he first emailed me out of the blue in 2017 to say that he'd been waiting for an event like Cat Camp, I was so excited, and my mind is blown that the very person who taught me so much about cats is now my partner with helping others learn through Cat Camp, and we’re so excited that it will be bigger and even more accessible to the cat lovers in NYC and beyond."

Jackson Galaxy’s Cat Camp will take place on Saturday May 5th and Sunday May 6th. Tickets will go on sale and the full event line-up will be announced in March. Visit catcampnyc.com for more information. Cat Camp is generously sponsored by Litter Genie, Tomlyn, and Petmate.