Though I’ve attended my share of Star Trek conventions, it wasn’t  until last year that I  went to my first comic-con. Since I’m not really into comics, graphic novels, or gaming,  I never considered what it could offer me. Then I began to hear about the other element of the comic-cons: celebrity guests. Suddenly I was interested! I love meeting the actors behind the characters I watch on television and in movies. Last year, I went for one day; this year I bought myself a 3-day pass!

What I hadn’t realized until I got into the crowd and began really looking around was how much feline representation there was. In my previous blogpost CATS AT COMIC-CON Part 1: The Art of the Cat, I introduced several cat artists. This is the second installment of my 3-part blog about Rose City Comic-con, we’ll go through the vendors’ room and check out all the cat-themed merch.

 The first cat-themed merchandise I came across was Tentacle Kitty, a family of cute little plush toys that combine the head of a kitty and the body of an octopus. I talked to John Merritt, creator of the product, and asked him how such a thing came about. He told me it had begun when he wanted to make his wife something for their wedding anniversary. He combined the two things they each loved the most (besides each other): cats for him, and tentacles, representing her career as a marine biologist, for her.

A start-up tee shirt company I ran into by the name of the Cat Gang had some fun items. Their cat designs are bold and colorful, and come on pins, hats, hoodies, stickers, and without a doubt, tee shirts.

Several vendors who didn’t specialize in cat-themed merchandise still carries their share of cat cell phone cases, sparkly cat ears, cat jewelry, and cat print clothing.

And what would a comic-con be without at least one poster of Cat Woman!

Stay tuned for CATS AT COMIC-CON Part 3: Cat Fans!