CatCon is the convention with cattitude

About Us

CatCon is the biggest cat-centric, pop culture event in the world dedicated to all things feline, with a community of cat lovers that spans the globe. Part expo, part symposium, CatCon engages, educates and entertains thousands of fans, featuring the latest in groundbreaking products and ideas for cats and their people. Since its inception in 2015, the annual two-day immersive experience has welcomed over 100,000 attendees, and has been featured in over 1,000 outlets around the world, including The New York Times, BuzzFeed, Reuters, Vanity Fair, and Glamour.

Our Mission

CatCon brings together individuals who share a profound love for felines, providing a space both online and in person to celebrate, learn, and engage while making a positive impact.

Giving Back

Since 2014, Ticket Out, Inc. (parent company of CatCon and Cat Art Show) has donated over $375,000 to Ashley’s Kitten Academy, Ferndale Cat Shelter, FixNation, the Ian Somerhalder Foundation, Kitt Crusaders, Kitten Rescue, Lil BUB’s Big FUND, Luxe Paws, Milo’s Sanctuary, North Shore Animal League America, Odd Cat Sanctuary, Planned PEThood, Red Rover, and TinyKittens, and has helped 1025 cats find their forever homes with onsite groups Best Friends, spcaLA, and Pasadena Humane.

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Our Core Values

Inform, Educate and Entertain:

Through engaging seminars and activations, we strive to educate and inform people in entertaining and outside the box ways.

Shelters Far and Wide:

We support animal shelters, both local and nationwide, in all of their efforts from adoption to feline healthcare to spay/neuter.

Adopt Don’t Shop:

We vigorously promote “adopt, don’t shop.” Each year, millions of adoptable dogs and cats are euthanized in the United States. When you adopt instead of buying, you’re saving lives.

Debunking the Cat Lady Myth:

We are changing the negative perception of the “crazy cat lady” and proving that it is possible to be hip, stylish, and have a cat, simultaneously.

Our Team

SUSAN MICHALS

Creator, President

Susan Michals is the creator of CatCon and Cat Art Show, the two biggest cat-centric, pop culture events in the world. Previously Michals worked as a television producer (NBCUniversal) and casting director/line producer on numerous documentaries, including the acclaimed French films, This is Orson Welles and The Women Who Created Hollywood – both Cannes Film Festival debutsA former journalist, Michals has covered the intersection of art, culture and celebrity for outlets like The Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair, and The Huffington Post. In 2019, her first book was published, Walter Chandoha. Cats. by TASCHEN. She has spoken at numerous events, including SXSW. She has one cat, a Maine Coon, named Miss Kitty Pretty Girl, and a Poodle mix canine, Buddy. 

CAROLE MCMANUS

Executive Producer, Director of Marketing

Carole is a marketing and social media strategist with a history of building some of the most successful online communities on the Web, including Yahoo and BabyCenter. Her former clients include Frito-Lay, Del Monte, Johnson & Johnson, E*TRADE, HBO.com, Edmunds.com, Cisco, and Oncology.com. Carole loves cats, but her dog, Chuggles, prefers the company of humans.

MICHELLE BOROK

Executive Producer, Director of Exhibitor Services

Michelle spent 7 years working with artists and creators in Giant Robot’s galleries and stores in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York as a curator and the Director of Retail Operations. She managed all of Giant Robot’s event appearances, including San Diego Comic Con and New York Comic Con. She lives in Darkhan, Mongolia, with her husband, daughter, their Catboss George, and their Dogboss Gilbert.

BOARD OF ADVISORS

DR. MARTY BECKER

Founder, Fear Free

Dr. Marty Becker, “America’s Veterinarian,” is the founder of Fear Free, an initiative to “take the ‘pet’ out of ‘petrified’” and get pets back for veterinary visits by promoting considerate approach and gentle control techniques used in calming environments. He was the resident veterinary contributor on “Good Morning America” for 17 years and is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the American Humane Association as well as its Chief Veterinary Correspondent. He has written 25 books, including three New York Times best-sellers. His special fondness for older pets has led him to a spot on the Advisory Board of The Grey Muzzle Organization, which is dedicated to helping homeless senior dogs. He practices at North Idaho Animal Hospital because he loves veterinary medicine, pets, and the people who care for them.

JV HOGAN

General Counsel 

John “JV” Hogan represents a range of clients, from individuals to startups to international companies. He focuses his practice primarily on representing business owners. JV earned his undergraduate degree at the University of California, Los Angeles and his juris doctorate at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. He is a Loyola High School graduate and supporter, and has been voted Top Attorney by Pasadena Magazine since 2014.

SCOTT STULEN

CEO and President of Philbrook Museum of Art

Stulen is the CEO and President of the Philbrook Museum of Art, former Curator of Audience Experience and Performance at the Indianapolis Museum of Art and Director of mnartists.org at the Walker Art Center. He is also the co-creator and producer of the Internet Cat Video Festival launched at the Walker Art Center in 2012.

LAURA UCHTMANN

Brand Marketing Consultant 

Uchtmann is an independent marketing consultant with over twelve years of brand management experience in the pet industry. She started her career working within top brand teams at FURminator, Royal Canin and Hill’s Pet Nutrition, and now leverages this experience to help brands launch new products and create integrated marketing programs that connect with the pet owner.