Cat Lovers Show 2019 in Melbourne 

We were extremely lucky to take part in one of the major events this year – Cat Lovers Show in Melbourne. Traditionally, the show took place in Melbourne Royal Exhibition centre, where we were lucky enough to showcase our Kitty range products alongside some of the leading brands in the industry, such as PetBarn, Cattitude and others.  We were also delighted to meet some of our wonderful clients in person and tell them the story behind Queenie’s Pawprints. So, here is a brief report on how it all went.

Our participation in this year’s Melbourne Cat Lovers Show was a part of our ongoing collaboration with the Animal Rescue Freecycle – a Sydney based group where volunteers from NSW, QLD and other parts of Australia come together to help and support animal rescues. They donate, they volunteer to transport donations across the state and even interstate, they use their crafty skills to make things for the rescued animals, including rescued wildlife. Knitted Pinguin and lamb jumpers, cat beds, koala mittens and joey pouches – these are just a small number of things that these wonderful people make and distribute across rescue groups. Their job is especially important during this summer season, when so many animals have suffered from the devastating bushfires and are in need of our help and support. Part of our job was to spread the word about the ARF in Victoria and bring more animal lovers on board. 
Another big part of our mission on the show was to raise funds for the Mini Kitty Commune rescue through selling Queenie’s Pawprints products from our Kitty range and introduce our brand to the cat lovers in Melbourne. And it looks like we’ve nailed it! The sales were going great both days and the only one regret we have is that we didn’t bring enough stock! Our kitty bowtie collars were among the most popular products (especially the Christmas themed ones) and we ran out of stock pretty quickly. So when the cats show was over, on the way back home to Sydney we were travelling light 😀 

 However, the most rewarding part of our participation came later and made us cry happy tears. The money that we raised from purchases at the Cat Lovers Show were donated to the most beautiful cause – they were used towards purchasing an incubator for the Neonatal Kitten Rescue Project in Hobart. It will be used to save newborn kitten orphans and premature born kittens, who would otherwise have very low chances of survival. Trish from Neonatal Kitten Rescue was super excited. Here is what she said: “I’ve been hyperventilating and crying happy tears! This will be lifesaving for our teeny tiny, super fragile little crew. No way we could afford it!  Thank you sooo much!!!” And the most beautiful part is – it will be named after Queenie! This moment is so emotional and it brings happy tears – Queenie will be saving little lives even after she’s crossed the Rainbow Bridge! It was our first fundraising campaign and it could not have brought a better outcome. We truly hope that this is just the beginning!