Very exciting personal news–I’ll be taking the lead on Meow Mixers this kitten season for Washington Humane Society! I’m both thrilled and terrified I’ll make a cake of it. The first one is scheduled for Thursday, April 21 in the evening (likely 7-9 although the times aren’t nailed down yet).
If you’re in the DC area and thinking of adding a cat to your heart, please come! The events are open house style with snacks and soda so you can nibble while meeting great cats. There are usually both kittens and adult cats, although we’ve been known to focus on one side of the age spectrum depending on that Mixer’s theme. One of my favorites was a Baby Shower Meow Mixer where mama cats had reduced adoption fees. We also did one with more senior kitties and gave a free cat bed out with adoption of senior cats.
I’m having a hard time keeping my brain from just staying in hyperfocus on the events. I’ve been debating themes, flyer and tweet ideas, blog posts, restaurants to approach for free snacks… The “good” side of my ADHD is coming out for this one!
My personal favorite flyer idea for the first event, although I’m worried it might be just due to my weird humor, is my boyfriend’s idea of a grayscale, noir-style image and the words “They’re coming…” with a small explanation below that kitten season is starting up and we’ll be overloaded with cats and kittens so now is the time to come in and meet the first of the season’s awesome litters. He wants these as postcards which I can easily envision, but I’m fairly sure that would be too expensive. I also received permission from Randall Munroe (awesome XKCD artist) to use his Cat Proximity comic on a flyer (I think it’d be suitable for flyers at local dives and indie places). So I’ll want to use that at some point. If you think any ideas I’ve mentioned are awful, please tell me! I have my first planning meeting the first week of April and hope to come to it with a full plan of theme, flyers, sample tweets, blog posts, possible partners, etc. Maybe we can do a small door prize or raffle (25c tickets? I want it to be really inexpensive) if I talk with my local (favorite, has shown tons of support for WHS, and just has amazing people!) pet supply shop, Living Ruff.
I did make sure that one of my friends, an amazing volunteer who has been at the shelter longer than I have and has worked events in the past, would be available to help. I figure there’s no shame in making sure I have support I know for the first event. I’ve helped with these events in the past and done quite a bit of work on them, but I’ve never fully taken the lead on a Meow Mixer before so I want to be sure I have support I know I can count on.
I hope all of you are doing well in your kitten season preparations. Also, if you observe Lent, many wishes for a blessed Lent. I didn’t attend Ash Wednesday services but I did rub my forehead against an ash-colored kitty which counts in my mind.
Squeeee!!! How exciting!! Great ideas and xkcd is one of my very favorite web comics, so I think THAT idea is super fantabulous!!
Bethany, this is terrific news!!!
Thanks, Hubble 🙂 I adore XKCD and the artist was incredibly nice when I emailed to ask if I could use the image. He apparently really does love cats. Must be something about science and kitties.
I was going to squee was spacepaws beat me to it (by ahem several days.) So exciting! I admire people who can organize these things–the one time I was put on a committee for the Christmas party at work it was a big challenge for me. Go girl! Go cats!
I passed the posting to my mother, cause she attends all these sorts of things in Vancouver. In case she's seen any coolio ideas in her day.
Thank you, London! Squees and advice are always welcome.