Mental Floss

A Taylor Swift–Themed Cat Art Show Is Coming to CatCon

If you can name all three of Taylor Swift’s cats, this is for you.

Ellen Gutoskey|
'Anti-Mew-Ro' by Laura Keenados.
'Anti-Mew-Ro' by Laura Keenados. | Laura Keenados/CatCon

On August 5 and 6 of this year, the most ardent cat lovers from around the globe will flock to Pasadena, California, to participate in CatCon, which describes itself as “the biggest cat-centric, pop culture event in the world dedicated to all things feline.” You can expect an adoption village, contests, expert panels, and lots of pet-friendly products (that everyone’s cats will no doubt ignore in favor of cardboard boxes).

You can also probably expect some Taylor Swift fans—because this year, CatCon’s Cat Art Show is inspired by the superstar. The official title of the exhibition, per a press release, is Karma is a Cat Art Show, a nod to a lyric from Swift’s song “Karma” off her recent album, Midnights.

It’s pretty well-known that Swift is a cat person even outside her fandom, and any self-respecting Swiftie can no doubt tell you all about her three beloved cats. (She has two Scottish Folds named Olivia Benson and Meredith Grey, after characters from Law & Order: SVU and Grey’s Anatomy, respectively; and Benjamin Button, a Ragdoll she adopted after meeting him on the set of her music video for “ME!”.)

Silly as a Swift-themed cat art show may seem, it’s a fairly serious endeavor. The exhibition will feature works by professional artists Britt Ehringer, Evan Lorenzen, Laura Keenados, Matthew Grabelsky, Jason Edward Davis, and Vanessa Stockard. It’s also not the first time the Cat Art Show has chosen a celebrity cat person as its muse: Last year’s edition, titled Uncaged: The Unbearable Weight of Genius Cat Art, was inspired by Nicolas Cage and his Maine Coon Merlin.

sketch of taylor swift with a cat head by matthew grabelsky
An evocative submission by Matthew Grabelsky. | Matthew Grabelsky/CatCon

“Taylor Swift is the ultimate in cat lady cool and we wanted to create works that showcased her iconic purr-sona combined with her unconditional love of cats,” CatCon president and creator Susan Michals said in a press release. “I’m excited to share the phenomenal works these artists have put together.” 

You can browse the exhibition at CatCon and even take a featured piece home with you. All the pieces will be for sale, and some of the profits will be donated to CatCon’s chosen charities: Milo’s Sanctuary and Kitt Crusaders. Learn more about the convention and purchase tickets here.

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