CatVideoFest Makes UK Debut in Sheffield, Raising Funds for Animal Shelters

Internet cats, from Grumpy Cat to Lolcat, have earned the moniker “unofficial mascot of the Internet”. In 2019, director Will Braden capitalized on this phenomenon by establishing CatVideoFest, an event featuring screenings of online cat videos designed to generate funds for animal shelters. The festival made its first appearance in the UK this year, premiering in Sheffield. Approximately 150 individuals are expected to attend screenings at Sheffield’s Showroom Cinema this weekend, contributing to fundraising efforts for the Sheffield Cat Shelter through the viewing of cat videos. Mr. Braden, who is based in the US, reviews over 15,000 submissions before assembling a 75-minute compilation that includes videos, animations, and internet memes sourced globally. The event is also being screened in various international locations, including Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Singapore. According to Mr. Braden, this year marks the largest iteration of the event to date, representing progress in its “quest to take over the world one cat video at a time”. Kate Hobbs, a community worker, attended the Sheffield event in a cat-patterned dress. She stated, “I watch cat videos online every day and I like to go on the Sheffield Cat Shelter website and read the bios of the cats because they’re often really nicely written and I love hearing about the cats.” She added, “In the evening me and my boyfriend, we often go on Instagram and watch a load of cat videos to relax, it’s a nice part of the day.” Ms. Hobbs has owned her cat, Harry, for 15 years, describing him as, “He’s a beautiful fat, black cat and I adore him.” She recounted, “My mum thought he said ‘Hello’ once. It sounds really good the idea of your cat starting to speak English but actually it’s terrifying and I think maybe that’s part of why they’re so funny on camera because they’re not talking or communicating in the same way.” Her preferred online cat video features a kitten in a non-speaking role. Elaborating on her favorite, she described, “There’s one I really like of this kitten and someone cooking a rotisserie chicken on a spit and there’s medieval music in the background and the kitten is getting excited eating all the meat. And then the caption is something like ‘chill out bro it’s all yours’.” Katie Richardson, whose rescue cat named Galaxy was adopted from the RSPCA, stated her attendance was to support the shelter. She commented, “I’ve always had rescue animals, I’ve had rescue dogs before, so I think it’s really important the work they do.” She added, “I love watching cat videos online. They’re so funny. My favourites are the ones where they fall over or fly in the air.” Unfortunately, she has not managed to record Galaxy engaging in any amusing antics. She explained, “My cat’s quite a lazy girl so I don’t have too many funny clips of her. Sleeping is her favourite hobby.” Milly Guthrie started volunteering at the Sheffield Cat Shelter two decades ago, following her adoption of two cats from the organization. She was familiar with CatVideoFest, having previously seen it in America. She remarked, “I really enjoyed the film. I can remember seeing it years ago when I used to live in New York. People were laughing all the way through it. It’s an interesting and fun idea.” While one of her cats passed away last year, the other continues to be quite active. She shared, “My cats climb up things. We could never have a Christmas tree when the cats were quite small because they would climb up and throw things at each other and at us.” The Sheffield Cat Shelter has been assisting animals since 1897, when it was established by Jane Barker under the name Miss Jane Barker’s Home For Starving Cats. Currently, its main location is in Broomhall, and it operates charity shops at Hillsborough Barracks and Eccleshall Road. Rebecca Hollingworth, the charity’s cat welfare manager, indicated that the event’s primary goal was to increase awareness. She commented, “We didn’t know about CatVideoFest before this year.” She added, “Our own cats and the shelter cats are always doing something fun. So we don’t need to go on YouTube.” Her personal cat, Bradders, exhibits distinctive behaviors. She described him, “He’s a little senior chap now but he doesn’t look it and he doesn’t act it. He’s wonderful.” She further elaborated, “He’s a daddy’s boy and he likes to spoon with his daddy of a night-time. He’ll come into the bed and then he gets in, does a few laps under the quilt, plonks himself on an arm and goes to sleep for the night.” This weekend, three screenings are scheduled at Showroom Cinema, with 10% of ticket sales benefiting the Sheffield Cats Shelter. The film is also slated for a screening at Bristol Watershed cinema later in December.