Lawrenceville is joining Pittsburgh's cat tour craze
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Meet Boo, Buckeye, Sugar Cookie and many more cats at Lawrenceville’s Cat Crawl. Photos: Courtesy of Lawrenceville Together
Missed Pittsburgh's first cat walk? You're in luck: Lawrenceville is inviting visitors to stroll the sidewalks and meet the neighborhood's purr-sonalities perched on porches and peeking through windows.
Why it matters: Dogs have long been the neighborhood icebreakers, but cat tours have become a bona fide craze in cities across the country — drawing crowds and raising money for rescues.
Zoom in: The inaugural Lawrenceville Cat Crawl on Nov. 14 will feature felines with names like Colby Jack, Miso Soup, Buckeye and Sugar Cookie.
- Organized by nonprofit Lawrenceville Together, the event will include 18 stops at 14 homes and four local businesses.
How it works: Meet at Iron City Boulders, 143 51st St., between 11am and noon for coffee from Love Birds, chats with Conquer the Colony and Pittsburgh Paw Project. You'll probably meet some cats in strollers and backpacks, too.
- The group sets off at noon, stopping at homes to greet roughly 30 Lawrenceville cats.
- The roughly 2-mile route will wind from Upper to Lower Lawrenceville. A Google Map lists each stop's address and cat's name. Organizers will lead the roughly 90-minute tour by megaphone as residents introduce their cats.
Lawrenceville Pet Supply, Ivy's Ice Cream Pawlor and Kinship Gift will offer pet supplies, treats and cat-themed merch along the way.
- The crawl ends at Black Cat Tattoos, 3439 Butler St., where participants can get flash tattoos by appointment from 1pm-5pm.
What they're saying: Ross Greenberg, communications and membership manager at Lawrenceville Together, said the organization took a cue from the city's first cat tour in Brighton Heights.
- The event complements the nonprofit's programming aimed at supporting local businesses and improving neighborhood life, Greenberg said: "Sometimes building community can be fun and silly."
Flashback: Brighton Heights' cat tour drew hundreds of people in August and raised roughly $8,000 for local rescues. Organizers found inspiration from Minneapolis' Wedge Live! Cat Tour.
Fun fact: An Instagram call for cats to join the Lawrenceville tour drew 56 applications in just 24 hours, but organizers had to narrow the field, Greenberg said.
If you go: The Lawrenceville Cat Crawl runs from 11am-2pm.
- No registration required, and organizers encourage visitors to dress for the weather — cat ears and costumes welcome. A suggested $5 donation will benefit Conquer the Colony.
What's next: Organizers in Brighton Heights and Lawrenceville plan to make the tours annual events, and expect one in Greensburg next spring.