For those of you local to the Philadelphia and surrounding areas, you may have heard whispers of Kittydelphia floating around in passing conversation, like an impossible dream being carried by a gentle breeze – a promise of insurmountable happiness and bliss in its truest, purest form. But what is Kittydelphia? Is it, you know, like, Philadelphia, but… with cats? Um, precisely.
A Cat Fair Is Born
You see, all the way back in the yesteryear of 2017, Kittydelphia was born unto the world as a blessed gift from the heavens; a place for cat lovers to meet, greet, and mingle with each other, and most importantly – cats. That’s right, you were able to meet your fave local Instagram idol cats for the absolute PITTANCE of a suggested donation. Pretty sweet freakin’ deal if you ask me.
Naturally, I attended the inaugural event last year and was absolutely smitten. Smitten with kittens, one might say. So of course, I had to go back for more. Due to its success and awesome turnout from the previous year, the 2018 Kittydelphia event was held in a much bigger venue at a place called Power Plant Productions. This allowed for even more vendors and (you guessed it) even more cats. Behold now, dear reader, as I take you on a journey through the 2018 Kittydelphia experience.
Meet & Greet
My first conquest was, as you may have guessed, to find all the cats and say hi. Who are the who’s who of these cats? This year’s lineup consisted of 100% A+ Precious Boy Herbie The Wondercat, who was born with a condition called cerebellar hypoplasia which causes him to wobble when he walks. Precious? THE MOST. Sweet Man George also made an appearance as the Ambassador For Special Cats (very official, 12/10 would snuggle endlessly). Sophie The Model, a gorgeously elegant black cat strutted her stuff for all the esteemed guests as well, adding a bit of glamour and pizazz to the event. Kitties Cosgrove, Donny, and Mac were also featured as a means to raise awareness for special needs cats and how to care for them, which offered the added benefit of being an educational experience as well; something that I found to be a wonderful surprise.
In fact, I was delighted to find that there was quite a lot to learn at Kittydelphia – something I certainly wasn’t expecting, as I was pretty honed in on getting to PET ALL THEM KITTIES. You see, there were more than just a bunch of precious pussums on the premises. Dr. Liz Bales, the “Catvocate”, was also available for a Q&A session focusing on some familiar behavioral health issues that can sometimes plague cats and their owners. Come for the cats, stay for the professional medical advice.
Artists’ Alley Cats
Now obviously, these beloved babies absolutely stole the show, but while I was waiting for my turn to mollycoddle every single precious bean on the premises with a deluge of love and affection, there was quite a lot else to be seen as well. The vendors at Kittydelphia offered pretty much anything a cat lover could want from funky catnip toys to free wet food samples. Local artists lent their talents to the event, selling their art prints, jewelry, and other treasures. Did I, uh, spend some money I probably shouldn’t have? Yes. Do I have regrets? Many, but none that relate to Kittydelphia in any way whatsoever. It’s almost impossible for me to choose a favorite vendor, but I can say that there was something there for everyone. Everyone and their cat, of course.
Philly PAWS
By now you might find yourself overwhelmed by the sheer awesomeness that is Kittydelphia, but this jawn is the gift that keeps on giving. You see, my favorite aspect of Kittydelphia is that it isn’t just a place to blow your advance on catnip and kitty paraphernalia. It is a once-a-year pop-up event that also serves a very important purpose; raising money to benefit The Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society, or PAWS.
This cause has earned a special place in my heart, for as a young lass I spent my weekends volunteering at PAWS (cleaning up cat poop instead of spending my formative college years socializing with my colleagues). PAWS is a “boutique shelter” that helps to find forever homes for homeless cats and dogs alike, and all of the donations raised by Kittydelphia go directly to PAWS. This year, Kittydelphia raised over $10,000! Additionally, this year I was lucky enough to “ooh” and “aah” over a few very lucky kitties who were up for adoption. Of course, they were all snatched up in a millisecond, but I was able to scream internally from a somewhat respectable distance. So, yay!
My review of Kittydelphia? A solid 5 stars, obviously. And now that you know about this sublime annual kitty cat fiasco, why not consider a pilgrimage to the great city of Philadelphia next year to see this splendor for yourself? All those free kitty snacks and kitty cat knick knacks (say that five times fast) are waiting for you! And of course, your furbaby will be sure to enjoy whatever spoils you bring home as well!
