July 10, 2025 • 5 mins
Calling all cat lovers! In this episode, we’re diving into CatCon 2025, the ultimate feline celebration returning to Pasadena for its 10th anniversary on August 2–3. KFI's Heather Brooker talks with CatCon CEO Susan Michals about the big anniversary event. From social media-famous kitties like Maple Cat and Nathan the Cat Lady to immersive experiences like “How to Pet Your Cat” and the return of Pasadena Humane’s Adoption Village, this year’s event promises a purr-fect storm of fun. Plus, we’ll spill the (catnip) tea on the Australian firefighter calendar panel and what you can expect if you’re planning to attend. Meow’s the time to tune in!
Don't forget to subscribe and share with friends! And follow Heather on Instagram @theheatherbrooker and TikTok @heatherbrooker.
Don't forget to subscribe and share with friends! And follow Heather on Instagram @theheatherbrooker and TikTok @heatherbrooker.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This August, Pasadena becomes the perfect playground for feline fans
as cat Con marks its tenth anniversary at the Pasadena
Convention Center. What started as a quirky niche gathering has
evolved into the ultimate celebration of all things cats, drawing
thousands of cat lovers, influencers, and even a few Insta
famous felines. From celebrity cat panels and adoption events, to
(00:23):
an immersive how to Pet Your Cat game and a
visit from the ever popular Australian Firefighters Calendar Crew, the
ten year milestone is shaping up to be the biggest
and furriest yet. Joining us now to talk all things
cat Con is cat Con CEO and founder Susan Michaels.
This is such a fun event every year, and you know,
my family and I have gone for many years. We
(00:44):
love going. This is cat CON's this is kat CON's
tenth years. So what has changed the most since the
very first convention and what has stained delightfully the same.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Well, the number one thing is we've gotten a lot bigger.
You know, when we started out, I don't know if
you ever can when we were down in downtown Los Angeles,
but we outgrew our space and we moved to Pasaden
in twenty seventeen just to accommodate all these wonderful cat lovers.
And now you know, we've seen people come from all
fifty states in twenty four countries. It's really become a
(01:17):
bit of a phenomenon in sort of that confluence of
cat and pop culture. And you know, we were dubbed
comic Con for cat people back in the day in
twenty fifteen, and I ran with that because I think
it's really a great phrase that encapsulates us. You know.
Is what has stayed the same is but grown is
(01:38):
just that community of cat lovers that joins us every
year and the number of adoptions that we've done to date,
we've done over twelve hundred adoptions at cat Con facilitated.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
And you've also got some big names attending this year,
both human and feline. Who are you most excited about
and what can fans expect from those meet and greets.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
I can't say. I can't say who I'm most excited about.
And you give us a hint, I mean, well, I
do love the Australian Firefighters are the heroes of the
Australian firefighter Calendar and six of the gentlemen come every
year to Los Angeles from various parts of Australia and
(02:18):
raise money for charity. You know, we really want to
embrace you know, Pasadena has been our home since twenty seventeen,
and more than ever, we want to be able to
give back to the city and Alta Dina and everybody
affected by the eating fire. So for example, we're donating
(02:38):
a portion of our proceeds Capacadyena Humane. They've done such
a phenomenal job in bringing in not just cats, but
all sorts of animals and rehoming animals, and we really
want to just give back to, you know, this part
of our city that has been so ravaged by the fire,
(03:01):
and really see how we can help them out and
come together for this love of animals who love us unconditionally.
No matter what.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
I need to know. Tell me about how to Pet
your Cat? What is that game about? It sounds very funny?
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Okay, So how to Pet Your Cat was developed by
a group of USC students and it's basically a giant
cat butt.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
Can I say, but you can say butt on the radio.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
It's a giant cat butt where you and your friend
compete two by basically patting this giant, fluffy cat butt
that looks like about the size of a beanbag chair,
maybe a little larger, and compete to rack up points.
It's you know, it's just a great sort of arcade
(03:52):
game that's cat centric. So we have this senior named
Madeline who's coming and she goes on Instagram by I
am made Line, and she is she's been sold out
across America doing small venues across America, and she's coming
to cat Con for our tenth anniversary celebration, which will
(04:13):
happen Sunday at two o'clock, and we're having what I
call a cake explosion. So she's going to sing a
few of her songs and then we're going to have
a cake and pom poms and all sorts of celebration
for people in the audience. And we're going to bring
out cake and cupcakes and everything and celebrate the ten
years that have been cat Con.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
Oh that sounds great, all right. So for someone who
has never been to cat Con before, what are the
must us and can't miss?
Speaker 2 (04:41):
There's two hundred exhibitors and there's everything there for you
and your cats. Thanks for you and for kitty to buy.
There's all sorts of immersive activations, Purinas building a cadio
where you can go and drink mocktails and build kitty kickers.
There is We're going to have an oracle that will
read tarot cards for your cat. You just show a
(05:02):
picture of your cat and you'll get to see your
kitty's fortune from world's Best Cat Litter, and of course
our adoption village with two hundred cats and kittens. It's
really a place to come and celebrate the love of
animals and to dress up in your best kitty cosplay.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
That sounds like so much fun. Cat Con will be
August second and third at the Pasadena Convention Center. Susan Michaels,
thank you so much for your time.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Thank you
This August, Pasadena becomes the perfect playground for feline fans
as cat Con marks its tenth anniversary at the Pasadena
Convention Center. What started as a quirky niche gathering has
evolved into the ultimate celebration of all things cats, drawing
thousands of cat lovers, influencers, and even a few Insta
famous felines. From celebrity cat panels and adoption events, to
(00:23):
an immersive how to Pet Your Cat game and a
visit from the ever popular Australian Firefighters Calendar Crew, the
ten year milestone is shaping up to be the biggest
and furriest yet. Joining us now to talk all things
cat Con is cat Con CEO and founder Susan Michaels.
This is such a fun event every year, and you know,
my family and I have gone for many years. We
(00:44):
love going. This is cat CON's this is kat CON's
tenth years. So what has changed the most since the
very first convention and what has stained delightfully the same.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Well, the number one thing is we've gotten a lot bigger.
You know, when we started out, I don't know if
you ever can when we were down in downtown Los Angeles,
but we outgrew our space and we moved to Pasaden
in twenty seventeen just to accommodate all these wonderful cat lovers.
And now you know, we've seen people come from all
fifty states in twenty four countries. It's really become a
(01:17):
bit of a phenomenon in sort of that confluence of
cat and pop culture. And you know, we were dubbed
comic Con for cat people back in the day in
twenty fifteen, and I ran with that because I think
it's really a great phrase that encapsulates us. You know.
Is what has stayed the same is but grown is
(01:38):
just that community of cat lovers that joins us every
year and the number of adoptions that we've done to date,
we've done over twelve hundred adoptions at cat Con facilitated.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
And you've also got some big names attending this year,
both human and feline. Who are you most excited about
and what can fans expect from those meet and greets.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
I can't say. I can't say who I'm most excited about.
And you give us a hint, I mean, well, I
do love the Australian Firefighters are the heroes of the
Australian firefighter Calendar and six of the gentlemen come every
year to Los Angeles from various parts of Australia and
(02:18):
raise money for charity. You know, we really want to
embrace you know, Pasadena has been our home since twenty seventeen,
and more than ever, we want to be able to
give back to the city and Alta Dina and everybody
affected by the eating fire. So for example, we're donating
(02:38):
a portion of our proceeds Capacadyena Humane. They've done such
a phenomenal job in bringing in not just cats, but
all sorts of animals and rehoming animals, and we really
want to just give back to, you know, this part
of our city that has been so ravaged by the fire,
(03:01):
and really see how we can help them out and
come together for this love of animals who love us unconditionally.
No matter what.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
I need to know. Tell me about how to Pet
your Cat? What is that game about? It sounds very funny?
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Okay, So how to Pet Your Cat was developed by
a group of USC students and it's basically a giant
cat butt.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
Can I say, but you can say butt on the radio.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
It's a giant cat butt where you and your friend
compete two by basically patting this giant, fluffy cat butt
that looks like about the size of a beanbag chair,
maybe a little larger, and compete to rack up points.
It's you know, it's just a great sort of arcade
(03:52):
game that's cat centric. So we have this senior named
Madeline who's coming and she goes on Instagram by I
am made Line, and she is she's been sold out
across America doing small venues across America, and she's coming
to cat Con for our tenth anniversary celebration, which will
(04:13):
happen Sunday at two o'clock, and we're having what I
call a cake explosion. So she's going to sing a
few of her songs and then we're going to have
a cake and pom poms and all sorts of celebration
for people in the audience. And we're going to bring
out cake and cupcakes and everything and celebrate the ten
years that have been cat Con.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
Oh that sounds great, all right. So for someone who
has never been to cat Con before, what are the
must us and can't miss?
Speaker 2 (04:41):
There's two hundred exhibitors and there's everything there for you
and your cats. Thanks for you and for kitty to buy.
There's all sorts of immersive activations, Purinas building a cadio
where you can go and drink mocktails and build kitty kickers.
There is We're going to have an oracle that will
read tarot cards for your cat. You just show a
(05:02):
picture of your cat and you'll get to see your
kitty's fortune from world's Best Cat Litter, and of course
our adoption village with two hundred cats and kittens. It's
really a place to come and celebrate the love of
animals and to dress up in your best kitty cosplay.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
That sounds like so much fun. Cat Con will be
August second and third at the Pasadena Convention Center. Susan Michaels,
thank you so much for your time.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Thank you
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.