Feline festival returns with cat-inspired art

A community arts festival celebrating the "psychology, sociology and whimsy" of cats is returning to Kent.

The Festival of Cats, which runs in Margate on 1-4 May, features exhibitions, events and workshops about fine art, poetry, film, performance and craft from 100 local artists.

The event was inspired by T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats and was originally launched as a satellite event for Turner Contemporary's Journeys with The Waste Land" exhibition in 2018.

It has since grown into a Thanet-wide festival which attracts thousands of visitors, say organisers.

Events include an opening night private view at Pie Factory Margate from 17:00 BST to 20:00 BST, with donations going to Cats in Crisis Charity.

Alongside the main exhibition, cat artist Job Muscroft presents The Joy of Cats, a collection of new Kawaii cat paintings at the Job Muscroft Gallery.

Graffiti artist CatNeil presents a new collection of work at Dawnie's Coffee Shop in Ramsgate until Monday.

On Sunday, Travis and Sigrid, a popular London-based duo known for cycling adventures with Sigrid, a deaf Norwegian forest cat, are due to appear at the Pie Factory from 14:00 BST to 16:00 BST.

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