Cat lovers took over downtown Iowa City Saturday morning for the second annual Iowa City Kitty Walk. Organized by Laura Kerr and Aaron Moseley, the event involved a “cat tour” of over 100 people parading through the north side neighborhood and stopping by houses to view and play with a variety of furry felines.
At some houses, sparkly, creative, and informational signs were strung on windows or planted in yards, each featuring that house’s respective cat companion.
“I was surprised when 75 people came out last year, because I thought it was just going to be me and my friends,” Kerr said. “I was excited to do it again, to continue building off of that, and to see streets full of people.”
Kerr first got the idea for the Kitty Walk after seeing the success of a similar Minnesota Cat Tour in Minneapolis. For the past two years, around 12 houses have been invited to appear on the walk, most of which signed up through a Google form on the walk’s Instagram page and had signs in their yards with the phrase “Kitty Walk Stops Here.”
While new cats emerged for the new year, there were also some returners, such as Captain Jimothy, a black cat with a big personality.
“I was just blown away that so many people were good sports about this and that this was really happening. I don’t think anyone expected this,” participant Willie Moseley said.
Willie Moseley, the father of Aaron Moseley, watched in amazement as the crowd, which started with 20 people, swelled to over 100 as more joined. He also enjoyed the sunny and comfortable fall weather, which was perfect for a parade walk.
“I saw them post about it last year, and I couldn’t go, so I was excited they were doing it again,” attendee Steffanie Watson said.
A cat enthusiast, Watson lives in southeast Iowa with her two cats and has been looking forward to seeing the different cats Iowa City has to offer.
RELATED: Review | Refocus Film Festival kicks off with the life-affirming ‘Train Dreams’
Just as last year, the cat community came out to play. At each stop, the crowd gathered as cat owners emerged and spoke about their feline friends. Cats on leashes became the center of attention, brushing up against walkers and receiving gentle pets.
Indoor cats weren’t left out, however, and were highlighted with window decor — such as Eggs, an orange cat with streamers spelling out his name.
“A lot of these cats have fun posters for us to read about, so I think that’s a lot of fun,” Deb Kerr said.
Deb Kerr came to the walk both years sporting a black and orange Garfield suit, which she described as being a hit among her fellow walkers. Throughout the walk, Deb Kerr, who is also the mother of organizer Laura Kerr, stopped to pose for pictures for those who wanted a snapshot of their time with Garfield.
She, along with others on the walk, had favorite stops they were looking forward to.
“I love Captain Jimothy. My cat’s more reserved and isn’t much of a star, but Captain Jimothy is,” Laura Kerr said. “Hearing about him eating plastic bags, and caterpillars — hearing stories like that about the cats is what I’m always excited about.”
This year’s Kitty Walk had some additions from last year. Laura Kerr secured a $500 grant from Resilient Sustainable Future for Iowa City. With the help of the grant, she was able to get each house a yard sign and also helped supply water bottle coolers for different spots along the route.
While setting everything up, Laura Kerr made sure to take note of which houses on the route had cats peering out from the windows, in the hopes of recruiting those felines for 2026.
“We’re trying to curate the route a bit more. It’s very willy-nilly right now, just whoever signs up,” Laura Kerr said. “I have a parade permit this year and am being more intentional about houses that are joining.”
For Laura Kerr, the next step is to keep growing and developing. She also hopes to move some of the promotion off of social media to gather a large audience.
“It’s a goofy, silly, community idea, and it’s a lot of fun,” she said.
Hailey Shaffer contributed to this report.
