Posted on by John Edwards

3rd Annual Wedge Cat Tour, June 27

The 3rd annual Cats of the Wedge cat tour is happening on June 27 at 6:30 PM. The tour meets at Mueller Park in Minneapolis. If you’re not familiar with this strange event, every year we put up a date and time on Facebook and people really show up to be led through the neighborhood for the purpose of viewing window cats.

What is the origin of the cat tour? If you spend any time walking through a reasonably dense neighborhood like the Wedge, you come across quite a few cats staring at you from all those windows. For several years, I have posted cat pictures to social media from my personal walks through Minneapolis neighborhoods. I’m not sure how that ended up becoming a tour, but many people show up and therefore we must continue doing it.

When did you realize that cat tour hype had gotten out of control? Last week, I received an email from a pretty big Minneapolis landlord making the case that a proposed ordinance limiting pet deposits would spell doom for the cat tour: “How is this good for the cat tour?”

Real email I received last week.

Who is nationally-heralded cat tour guide Chet Wedgely? In the same way that newsman Clark Kent takes off his glasses and becomes Superman, I (John Edwards) keep my glasses on and become super-newsman/cat tour guide, Chet Wedgely. Chet has received heralds from places such as cheezburger.com and others.

Does Chet Wedgely own any cats? Chet owns no cats.

Who is Cecco Di Wedggio? Fictional character and noted designer of the Cats of the Wedge fashion line.

Can I register my cat for the tour? Wedge residents are encouraged to register their cat for the cat tour. While we can’t guarantee you will be included on the tour route, it does increase your chances. Use our online registration form.

Here’s one registrant’s response: “Nanette Cleopatra Philivant is an orange, long-haired diva queen. It is a privilege to lay your eyes on this feline goddess.”

Register your cat for the tour!

Is the Wedge really home to “the densest concentration of window cats known to exist in the Upper Midwest”? No study has been produced to refute this assertion.

Will there be fabulous prizes? There will be a contest with a prize. We are encouraging all guests to make their own rally signs for the cat tour to communicate to Wedge residents that we come in peace and mean them no harm. Lettering on your signs should be large enough so that cats can read them from approximately the distance between a typical window and the sidewalk. The winner of the cat tour sign contest will receive this fabulous cat tour tote bag.

How many people are expected to attend the 2019 cat tour? It’s hard to say. But the response on Facebook has been significantly above previous years.

Where will cat tourists park? The only thing preventing us from having a truly unmanageable mob scene is that Mueller Park has no parking lot. Thank God for the parking crisis. On the other hand, a walking tour might attract the kind of person who is willing to park and walk a block or two. I recommend that cat tourists take the bus or ride their bike if they’re coming from outside the neighborhood.

How long of a distance does the cat tour travel? About 1.5 miles.

What does the cat tour teach us about our world? I have learned that what people care about aren’t the 100 year old single-family homes, but rather the apartment cats. Facts and figures about dead white people and the mansions they built aren’t anywhere near as important as living cats!