The Coolest Cats Are Coming to the Pasadena Convention Center

CatCon LA, a conference and symposium which organizers call the “biggest cat-centric convention in the world,” debuts at a new location this year – the Pasadena Convention Center. At the first CatCon in 2015, over 12,000 cat lovers from across the globe attended.

Celebrities, both cat and human, are expected to put in appearances at the event, which is scheduled for August 12 and 13, 2017.

This year, the celebrity list grows even larger for this small yet mighty convention. One of TV’s most popular stars, Ian Somerhalder, from the hit CW show, “Vampire Diaries,” will bring his charity, the Ian Somerhalder Foundation (ISF), to this event to be the official beneficiary.

Somerhalder founded ISF in 2010 to offer programs to educate people on grassroot initiatives to help animals, the environment and the less fortunate. The charity’s Emergency Medical Care Grant has helped over 1,000 animals in need. It will donate the money made at CatCon to help cats who have suffered from abuse or neglect and pay for the medical bills and procedures that are needed to help.

“I am beyond excited to have the Ian Somerhalder Foundation participating in CatCon 2017,” Somerhalder tells The Celebrity Café magazine. “As a proud cat person with three rescued cats, I share the kindred spirit we all feel when we get together with other animal lovers. Participating in CatCon marries my love for cats with ISF’s initiatives to help all animals. This is a convention which breaks stigmas, celebrates animals, and gives back to cat welfare organizations. What could be better?”

Each ticket sale at CatCon LA will donate $2 to the foundation and guests of the convention can purchase meet- and-greet tickets to meet Somerhalder. Proceeds from the meet-and-greet will go towards ISF.

Guests at this year’s CatCon will find the Pasadena Convention Center to be a much larger and more practical space for a convention, Celebrity Café reports. Rachael Ray’s Nutrish cat food will be hosting the event and celebrities from past years, such as Lil Bub and Pusheen, will be returning.

During the past two years, CatCon has donated nearly $70,000 to organizations including FixNation, Lil BUB’s Big Fund and Kitten Rescue. Parent company Ticket Out also runs Cat Art Show, an exhibition series that has showcased some of the biggest names in the art world, including Shepard Fairey, Tracey Emin, Norman Reedus and Mark Ryden.

The cat adoptions will be available again this year. Last year alone, almost 100 cats were adopted at the convention.

Tickets have not gone on sale yet but will be available on the CatCon website, www.catconworldwide.com.