By Mary Ann Bourbeau
ASBURY PARK – Growing up, DJ Bornschein’s mother was allergic to animals, so he never had any pets. That all changed when he was 32 and moved in with his girlfriend and her two cats.
“I spent my life indifferent toward animals, but these cats won me over,” he said. “They honestly changed my life.” He formed such a bond that when he and his girlfriend broke up, she let him keep the cats, a male Siamese named Moo and a female Tabby named Cleo. Then he added four more to his brood – Clay, Toni, Brian and Bonsai. Eventually, Bornschein started taking in cats in need of adoption.
“Through the power of social media, I was finding them homes,” he said.
He left his job as stage manager for the New Jersey punk rock band The Bouncing Souls and in September 2017, opened the Catsbury Park cat café in Asbury Park. Patrons can come and have a cup of tea, a light snack and enter a glass-enclosed room to play with and hopefully adopt one of the cats inside.
“I said goodbye to the music life to start the cat life,” he said.
Shortly after opening the café, he came up with the idea of organizing a cat convention, which debuted last April in Asbury Park.
“Running events is what I did for 20 years, so it just kind of made sense,” he said.
The 2nd Annual Catsbury Park Cat Convention is set to take place April 13 and 14 at Convention Hall and the Paramount Theatre, and it promises to be even bigger and better. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet celebrity cats Lil’ Bub, Klaus, Sir Thomas Trueheart, Lil’ Brian and Monmouth County’s own Stache and Teddy at various meet-and-greet events.
“People are over the moon about the meet-and-greets,” said Bornschein. “It’s a chance for people who follow these cats on social media to meet and interact with them. Some of these cats have more than a million followers, and people are excited to get a photo with them.”
The convention includes DJs, games, activities, seminars, a magician, comedians, contests and presentations on various feline issues including special needs cats. A tattoo artist will be on hand giving cat tattoos.
“The cat tattoos were a huge hit last year,” said Bornschein. “We had a waitlist of more than two hours. It was our biggest surprise.”
Courtesy Catsbury Park
The Wonder Bar and Asbury Lanes are hosting shows that include cat comedy, cat trivia with comedian Jim Norton and a live Catty Corner podcast. There will even be a concert – Tragedy: an all-metal tribute to the Bee Gees, with some classic cat-themed tunes mixed in. Also on the bill is the IamMoShow, featuring the internet’s premier cat rapper.
“It’s PG, very kid-friendly,” said Bornschein. “He raps about rescue cats and adoption and how it’s cool to be a cat guy. He has been our most requested guest throughout the year.”
Visitors can take part in cat yoga at The Asbury hotel, attend a Q&A with a panel of cat behaviorists, and learn how to open a cat café or what it takes to foster cats. More than 120 vendors will be selling cat-centric items such as catnip, toys, T-shirts, beds and artwork. There will even be an artist who makes custom jewelry out of cat whiskers.
“It’s pretty wonderful stuff,” said Bornschein.
The weekend will be topped off with Lil’ Bub’s Big Show in the Paramount Theatre, where the celebrity feline will host an actual talk show, interviewing actor/comedian Fred Armisen and musicians Kelly Deal, Steve Albini and Blasko. In previous episodes of his online talk show, Lil’ Bub’s guests have included Whoopi Goldberg and Michelle Obama.
“It’s a giant production,” said Bornschein. “The cat sits at his desk and the guests sit in tiny Bub-sized furniture. There’s a screen above Lil’ Bub’s head where his owner types the questions. There will also be a musical performance on Bub-sized instruments. It’s going to be very unique and cool.”
Most importantly, the Monmouth County SPCA will facilitate adoptions on- site in a large, custom-made cat lounge. Last year, more than 5,000 people attended the Catsbury Park Cat Convention, and the nonprofit organization raised more than $40,000 for feline charities. Among this year’s beneficiaries are Milo’s Sanctuary, Jersey Shore Animal Foundation and the Tinton Falls Humane Society.
“The money we raise is literally going toward saving lives,” said Bornschein. “We appreciate all the support from the community.”
The Catsbury Park Cat Convention kicks off Friday, April 12 with a concert at the Wonder Bar featuring The Love Cats: “A Tribute to the Cure.”
Tickets for the convention are $25 adult/$15 child for one-day admission and $45 adult/$25 child for both days. Some events, including meet-and-greets, require an additional fee. For more information, visit catsburyconvention.com.
Arts and entertainment reporter Mary Ann Bourbeau can be reached at mbourbeau@tworivertimes.com.
