Schedule Released for 2020 Edmonton Cat Festival: Online Edition

We’re excited to welcome you to #YEGCatFest: Online Edition! We’ll explain how the day will go, thank our sponsors, give you details about giveaways you could win throughout the day, and tell you a bit about the rescues the virtual event will be supporting. 

Marty Chan writes books for kids and plays for adults. His two newest novels are Kung Fu Master and The Ehrich Weisz Chronicles: Metamorphosis, which was nominated for a 2020 Aurora Award. 

At the 2020 Edmonton International Cat Festival: Online Edition, Marty will talk about how his two real-life tuxedo cats inspired his picture book True Story, and he will give a glimpse into the process of putting together a children’s book.

• Learn more about Marty Chan
• Follow Marty on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook

Veterinarians from Pulse Veterinary Specialists and Emergency will walk you through how to do a variety of home care with your cat, including trimming nails, checking teeth, and general health checks.

Pulse Veterinary Specialists and Emergency is a brand new, state of the art hospital that opened its doors in March of 2020. Conveniently located just off the Anthony Henday to provide convenient access for all residents of the greater Edmonton area. Dr. Kim Hawkes, the first veterinary cardiologist in Alberta, had long-envisioned opening a practice that matched exceptional care with compassion and community pride. With this vision in mind, an incredible team of board certified veterinary specialists, emergency veterinarians, animal health technologists and amazing support staff began to grow together to bring this practice to life. Pulse is the only exclusively veterinarian-owned emergency and referral hospital in Alberta.

• Learn more about Pulse Veterinary Specialists & Emergency
• Follow Pulse on Instagram, or Facebook

Janelle Snow (She/Her) of Sundog Strength & Soul (200-RYT) took her yoga teacher training to deepen her practice and through that, fell in love with teaching. Her approach to teaching is creating classes and workshops for everybody and all bodies. She believes yoga has had a profound effect on her physical and  mental health.

Janelle will be leading TWO online yoga practices for the Edmonton International Cat Festival: Online Edition. “If you’ve wanted to try yoga and the only difference you know between upward facing dog and downward facing dog is how your own pupper likes to play, don’t even worry about it – this is CATFEST, after all! Join me and my cat Yogi for some CAT-arunguas, kitten poses and all the other cat puns I can come up with.”

Morning session: Vinyasa – If you’re looking for an at-home workout that weaves movement and breath together, vinyasa is a fabulous practice.

Note: If you’re pregnant or think you might be pregnant, please consult your doctor before practicing.

• Learn more about Sundog Strength & Soul
• Follow Janelle on Instagram
• Follow Sundog Strength & Soul on Instagram or Facebook

Watch adoptable mom and newborn kittens playing, sleeping and just generally existing! Maybe you’ll get the itch to give one of them a furr-ever home after this livestream! Open this stream in a new window to catch a different festival session happening simultaneously to the cute felines.

These cats and kittens are adoptable through SCARS Second Chance Animal Rescue.

Note: This is a different set of cats and kittens than the other Live Cam sessions.

If you just want to watch a curated selection of cat videos, this session is for you! We’ll be putting together a playlist of cat videos from YouTube and just hitting “play” so settle in and catch some funny and sweet videos of our favourite felines. 

Note: this playlist will be the same as the 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Cat Videos session.

Jordan Norman and the Wisdom Teeth are not teeth but they are wise and they do bite. Playing a mixture of acoustic rock and traditional folk, The Wisdom Teeth also throw in some of that 90’s grunge they heard so much about growing up in Edmonton Alberta. The Wisdom Teeth write about what they know, that’s why they talk a lot about the snow, sleeping, and the advantages of calling your mother. Lyrics are one of the most obvious ways The Wisdom Teeth draw you into their songs but don’t forget about the wickedly talented and gorgeous members of the band. Jordan Norman and the Wisdom Teeth have been fortunate enough to have some amazing shows such as performing twice at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, opening for Canadian folk rock legend John K Samson, and other iconic musicians such as Aiden Knight, Rueben and the Dark, and The Rural Alberta Advantage.

Jordan Norman and the Wisdom Teeth’s music is available on every legal and illegal streaming platform. Give them a chance by paying them no money to listen to their music and you never know, you might just find something you like.

Tune in for a special Edmonton International Cat Festival virtual performance by cat-lovin’ meowsician Jordan Norman! 

• Learn more about Jordan Norman and the Wisdom Teeth
• Follow Jordan on Twitter

Alicia Speers is the face behind Heart Felt @heartfeltcalgary. Alicia was born and raised in Fort McMurray, is a proud Albertan, Auntie and Mom. She started making felt toys for her nephews first Christmas and then ventured into cat toys for one of her best friends kitties Billy! Both her nephew and Billy loved them so much she decided to spread her love of felt to the rest of Canada!

Join Alicia for a how-to session on making cat toys! Alicia will walk you through how she makes a simplified version of her paw-pular pizza shaped cat toys.

If you would like to follow along at home you will need:

• A pair of scissors
• A needle and thread
• Catnip, if your kitty can handle the nip
• Polyester stuffing -felt (or your preferred material)
• Print this Pizza Cat Toy Shapes template 

Or, just watch the meowgic happen and instead sign up to be notified when you can purchase a DIY pizza cat toy kit that will provide all materials delivered to you after the event, including access to the how-to video! 

• Follow HeartFelt on Instagram, or Facebook

Watch adoptable senior cats playing or probably sleeping. Maybe you’ll get the itch to give one of them a furr-ever home after this livestream! Open this stream in a new window to catch a different festival session happening simultaneously to the cute felines.

Learn about ARTS Senior Animal Rescue.

Note: this stream features different cats than the other Live Cam: Senior Cats session.

Megan Evans is a cat lover and french hornist (horn-er? hornerist?) with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. She grew up in Vancouver and went to McGill University in Montreal. Megan’s cat, an 11 year old grumpy tuxedo named Jerry, came to her unexpectedly 3 years ago and has since wormed his way into her heart.

Tune in for a special Edmonton International Cat Festival virtual performance by cat-lovin’ meowsician Megan Evans! 

• Learn more about the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra
• Follow Megan on Twitter
• Follow the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook

Join celebrity adventure cat Great Grams of Gary on a live kayak through the Canadian Rocky Meowntains! Gary will be taking your questions and the final 15 minutes of this session will feature virtual Meet & Greet “photo op-PURR-tunities” with Gary fans!

The livestream kayak + Q&A is included with your festival ticket but the “Meet & Greet” photo op-PURR-tunity is a separate, additional ticket (100% proceeds from all virtual festival tickets will be donated to local cat rescues).  

• Click here to get a limited Gary virtual “Meet & Greet” ticket! (Only 20 tickets available)
• Follow Gary on Instagram, Facebook or Reddit

Watch adoptable kittens playing, sleeping and just generally existing in a Medieval-themed kitty play pen display.

Maybe you’ll get the itch to give one of them a furr-ever home after this livestream! Open this stream in a new window to catch a different festival session happening simultaneously to the cute felines.

These cats and kittens are adoptable through Little Cats Lost.

Note: This is a different set of cats and kittens than the other Live Cam sessions.

Nicole is an international portrait and wedding photographer based out of Alberta, Canada. Her influence has branched out far beyond the boundaries of her city, bringing her throughout much of Canada, and on to international destinations such as Iceland, Italy, Switzerland, and Australia. Nicole has built an impressive resume, photographing magazine features, best selling novel covers, internationally acclaimed musicians, music festivals and fashion shows. With innate creativity, unparalleled work ethic, and a passion for the entire craft, Nicole Ashley is not only a photographer but an artist. Her main areas of focus are now intimate weddings and couples portraiture. Not only an artist but as an educator in her craft, she will be hosting and speaking at several awards winning photo conferences throughout the world.

Join Nicole at Edmonton International Cat Festival: Online Edition for how-to tips on taking better photos of your CAT! with a pawtential appearance from Nicole’s cat / meowdel Blanche. 

• Learn more about Nicole Ashley
• Follow Nicole Ashley on Instagram, or Facebook
• Follow Blanche and Charlie on Instagram

This session is for your cat to shine! If you’d like to do a Show & Tell about your furry friend, join this session, moderated by festival founder Linda Hoang. Whoever would like to do a few minutes Show & Tell on camera will be invited onto the virtual stage to introduce fellow cat lovers to your cat. Tell us your cat’s name, age, breed, what kind of things your cat likes to do, funny quirks, interesting points about its personality, reasons why you love your cat, and anything else you’d like to share about your furr-end!

You can do a quick Show & Tell with your cat or take a few extra minutes to tell us more details about your cat if you’d like. 

This could be crazy, ameowzing, awkward or a bit of all those things! 

If you just want to watch a curated selection of cat videos, this session is for you! We’ll be putting together a playlist of cat videos from YouTube and just hitting “play” so settle in and catch some funny and sweet videos of our favourite felines. 

Note: this playlist will be the same as the 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Cat Videos session.

• Sit in on this panel featuring the three cat rescues who will be receiving donations from this year’s virtual event. 

  Get a behind-the-scenes understanding of what it takes to run or volunteer for a rescue, the challenges, successes and opportunities of Little Cats Lost, SCARS Second Chance Animal Rescue and ARTS Senior Animal Rescue, advice on becoming a cat foster family, and more! You’ll also get a chance to ask the panels your own questions. 

  Learn about the rescues the Edmonton International Cat Festival: Online Edition is supporting: 

  • Little Cats Lost
  • SCARS Second Chance Animal Rescue 
  • ARTS Senior Animal Rescue

Janelle Snow (She/Her) of Sundog Strength & Soul (200-RYT) took her yoga teacher training to deepen her practice and through that, fell in love with teaching. Her approach to teaching is creating classes and workshops for everybody and all bodies. She believes yoga has had a profound effect on her physical and  mental health.

Janelle will be leading TWO online yoga practices for the Edmonton International Cat Festival: Online Edition. “If you’ve wanted to try yoga and the only difference you know between upward facing dog and downward facing dog is how your own pupper likes to play, don’t even worry about it – this is CATFEST, after all! Join me and my cat Yogi for some CAT-arunguas, kitten poses and all the other cat puns I can come up with.”

Afternoon Session: Yin – In this hour of practice, you’ll be guided through poses that help release your fascia and deep tissues. This is an excellent practice to tune into your parasympathetic nervous system (the rest-and-digest part) and you’ll be purring throughout this hour.

Note: If you’re pregnant or think you might be pregnant, please consult your doctor before practicing.

• Learn more about Sundog Strength & Soul
• Follow Janelle on Instagram
• Follow Sundog Strength & Soul on Instagram or Facebook

Watch adoptable senior cats playing or probably sleeping. Maybe you’ll get the itch to give one of them a furr-ever home after this livestream! Open this stream in a new window to catch a different festival session happening simultaneously to the cute felines.

Learn about ARTS Senior Animal Rescue.

Note: this stream features different cats than the other Live Cam: Senior Cats session.

Watch adoptable mom and newborn kittens playing, sleeping and just generally existing! Maybe you’ll get the itch to give one of them a furr-ever home after this livestream! Open this stream in a new window to catch a different festival session happening simultaneously to the cute felines.

These cats and kittens are adoptable through SCARS Second Chance Animal Rescue.

Note: This is a different set of cats and kittens than the other Live Cam sessions.

Join artist Heather Simonsmeier as she shows you how to draw cats! How to draw YOUR cat! 

Heather is an Edmonton based artist who specialized in custom portraits and printmaking. Although she is allergic to cats and doesn’t have her own, she loves them so much & enjoys making cat art.

If you’d like to follow along live with Heather, make sure you have a paper, pen, and ballpoint pen or marker handy during the session.

• Learn more about Heather Simonsmeier 
• Follow Heather on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook

Join father-daughter cat lovers Chris and Hana as they make their way around a kitchen showing you how to bake up homemade treats for your cat! 

They’ll demonstrate the recipes below. If you’d like to bake along, pick up the ingredients before the festival! 

• Recipe: Cheesy Cat Treats
• Recipe: 3 Ingredient Salmon Treats
• Recipe: Crunchy Tuna Cat Treats

Join Edmonton International Cat Festival organizing committee Linda Hoang, Brittney Le Blanc, Shereen Zink, Brooke Hunker and Ashley Purdy for closing remarks, festival thank yous, and reminders of giveaway winners.