BILLINGS — CatVideoFest 2021, a film that showcased funny, feline frivolity was shown at the Babcock Theater in Billings over the weekend and a portion of the ticket sales went to benefit the Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter.
“It’s a bunch of different funny cat series and short videos all compiled into one to bring cat-lovers together," said Tiffany Smith, outreach coordinator for the animal shelter on Sunday.
If there's one thing we've learned from the rise of the internet and social media, people can't get enough of humorous videos of pet high jinks. The film compiles funny cat videos from people's submissions and other sources around the internet.
The CatVideoFest film has been shown in 200 theaters in the United States and Canada and 100 theaters in Europe, all the while raising money for local animal shelters in the film's viewing area.
Smith said there was a decent turnout for the four show times over the weekend.
"We saw people piling in the doors right before 2 p.m.. People are always welcome to come play with the cats. A little added bonus to coming out to today's shows. Cat lovers of all ages, they seem to love the animals and love coming out and supporting the cats," Smith said.
Smith said the summertime often sees the most amount of stray cats, but it's also a time of many adoptions.
“We always have lots of cats. Especially this time of year. I think just yesterday we had 17 cats come in as strays, so it’s a really busy time of the year for us, but also equally busy with adoptions, which is great," Smith said.
Smith said this is the second year Babcock Theater staff have approached the shelter to be part of CatVideoFest.
“Events like this make those services possible. So it’s definitely a community effort and we’re very appreciative to organizations like the Babcock for helping us help the animals," Smith said.
The Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter is a nonprofit organization that formed in 2007 and took over sheltering companion animals for the city of Billings 2009.
To learn more about the shelter, visit it's website by clicking here. To learn more about CatVideoFest, visit its website by clicking here. And for more about the Babcock Theater, click here.
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