Ginger and white cat Fruitcake slept on top of my sleeping bag, with my legs tucked inside. Kitten Seer hopped onto my chest, stretching her little black fluffy limbs while I scratched her chin. Large, white, long-haired cat the Big Lebowski settled into a loaf position by my head.
Did I really sleep when I slept over at Tail Town Cats, a Pasadena rescue cat adoption lounge and event space, for its first-ever Slumber PAWrty, one of several events for its fifth anniversary and birthday in July?
Not a wink.
But I was happily surrounded by Tail Town’s 39 loving and free-roaming cat residents, all up for adoption and curious about humans staying overnight in their 2,000-square-foot domain. Tail Town’s main room is filled with stacked cat beds, an exercise wheel, two huge rectangular storage benches sprinkled with doughnut-shaped beds, and cat-themed art on the walls. I laid out my sleeping bag on one of the benches. Appropriately, I wore cat-themed pajamas.
Tail Town prides itself on being a community builder. Its fundraiser art shows, with themes like “Kittens in Wonderland!” and “Under the Sea,” draw huge crowds and showcase the work of artists from all over L.A. County. The volunteer-run nonprofit also boasts a unique array of creative events, like Meow N Paint, Meowjong, Purrlates and Kitty Bingo, where cat lovers can paint, play, exercise and just hang out with one another and cuddle friendly felines.
The cats mostly range in age from 8 months old to 2 years old, with some as young as 4 months — and adult guests are free to cuddle, hold and move them around. Visitors must be at least 6 years old, with those under 14 accompanied by an adult.
When the Eaton fire roared through the area, Gwendolyn Mathers, Tail Town’s executive director, and a group of volunteers evacuated the cats, who stayed at volunteers’ and foster cat parents’ homes for two weeks. The lounge turned into a go-to hub of donated pet supplies for pet owners impacted by the fire.
“There was an incredible outpouring of support from all over Southern California, and we served hundreds of impacted families,” said Mathers, who wore a shirt at the slumber party emblazoned with “Camp Counselor.” “Our uniqueness is a credit to our amazing volunteers.”
Mathers has been involved with Tail Town since 2021, when Tail Town’s owner Carol Warren, with her daughter, opened the lounge. A longtime cat rescuer, the former vegan chef with an arts background started out as a volunteer, then later became an employee. She leads most of the popular cat-themed art sessions.
“Our cats are so friendly and interactive with guests,” said Mathers. “We select a variety of kitties. It’s a good balanced dynamic of personalities, age ranges and energy levels, so they can all cohabitate in a healthy, happy way. We think about behavior, exercise, enrichment and diet.”
The idea of hosting a slumber party, she said, was inspired in part by the 2006 movie “Night at the Museum,” except with cats.
“We wanted to tap into the teen nostalgia of sleepovers, and things we always wanted to do at sleepovers, but never panned out in the way you imagine in movies,” said Mathers.
When the slumber party started at 8 p.m., the eight attendees gathered in Tail Town’s front lobby, home to resident fluffy cat queen Miss Yvonne and office manager Grizzly Bear, a brown tabby. We ate vegan pizza and clipped on sequined cat ears.
In the main lounge, cats like Fruitcake and Seer’s lookalike kitten brother, Oracle, surrounded us as we created paper fortune tellers. One fortune, written on the inside of a flap, said, “You will meet a new cat!” Tuxedo kitten Asher jumped onto a table and tried to pull away my paper creation. Then we applied temporary cat tattoos onto our arms, channeling our inner teen.
When it came time for Spin the Bottle, we sat with a group of kitties. Each of us took turns spinning a bottle until it pointed to a cat, who joyfully received cat treats. Ginger kitty Gino made a beeline for many.
“My favorite part about Tail Town is the different cat personalities, and when the cats get adopted,” said volunteer Darlene Zobel, petting a white and brown tabby, Hana, on her lap.
Roughly 600 cats have been adopted since Tail Town opened. The outfit partners with Kitten Rescue Los Angeles, a nonprofit that rescues and adopts out homeless cats and kittens. The cats are all fixed, vaccinated, tested for FIV/Felv, microchipped and treated for fleas and worms.
“While they’re here, this is their home,” Zobel said. “People need to be respectful. If the cats want to cuddle, cuddle them. If they want to play, play with them. Just get to know them.”
After Spin the Bottle, volunteer Tosca Minotto, a.k.a the Tarot Nerd, led several activities, including tarot card readings and swinging a rainbow moonstone pendulum over a pendulum board, stenciled with “No,” “Yes,” “Maybe,” “Rephrase” and “Wait.” Attendees asked the board questions like, “Is Asher the best cat ever?” The answer? “Maybe.”
Volunteer Laurie Bolewitz whipped out a journal and read to us original spooky stories she wrote. “It was a hot and muggy evening in northeast Pasadena,” the ominous tail — I mean tale! — began.
For Truth or Purr (Dare), led by Mathers, we passed around a bin of prompts. Mathers tapped into her creative side when she got the Dare prompt to “Have a deep and meaningful conversation with an inanimate object for 60 seconds.” She animatedly talked to a teal spinning cat track toy, while polydactyl-toed kitty Orbitz lounged behind her in a basket.
Later, we watched the 1988 animated film “Oliver & Company” projected large onto a wall. At midnight, musician Melanie Cebula played her tune “Purr-fect Lullaby,” tapping on her steel hand pan as soothing notes filled the dark room.
Fruitcake got comfortable on top of me and lay there for seven hours. Tuxedo kitten Paolina bounced onto my chest and licked my fingers. Occasionally, I heard cats chasing each other.
Zobel, who actually slept, was flanked by several kitties. Small ginger cat Marigold snuggled with her for hours.
In the morning, as we ate vegan doughnuts and watched cat cartoons, kitten Asher plopped onto my lap and purred loudly.
“This is an amazing place,” Zobel said.
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