Cat Zine Fest will extend its claws at the Cool Cat Collective come Friday, June 27. Premiering as part of Fourth Fridays, it features well over 100 zines from cat lovers and those inspired by felines to create something tangible in a world dominated by digitality.
The scope? Massive: It extends far beyond Long Beach, with zines from across the Atlantic and Pacific debuting right here in the city. The breadth? A true display of the artistic spectrum: From the serious—losing a cat during a refugee evacuation—to the outright bemusing—a “Where’s Waldo?”-like photo zine where you have to find the cat hiding in the picture—to the educational—one which shows a history of LA labor strikes, from Disney in the ’40s to Amazon in 2024.
“Honestly, I just wanted more cat zines,” said co-owner Matt Carr, who operates the space with his wife. “We always had two or three in the shop, but I wanted more—just wasn’t expecting this amount,” he laughed. “We’ve got everything: Zines made by nine-year-olds. High schoolers. Some by professional artists… The scope is truly impressive. We just did a post on Instagram and it… Well, it blew up.”
Cat Zine Fest features over 100 zines from every corner of the world—from Germany to Gaza.
“It’s our first inaugural Cat Zine Fest,” It was just a post on Instagram, and I thought maybe, like, 20 or 30 local people would do it, but for some reason it hit a vibe.”
Perhaps, oh, we don’t know—maybe because of the cats?
“Yeah, I guess so—I genuinely just wasn’t expecting that big of a response,” Matt laughed. “I mean, we have 100 different zines. And they’re from all over the world. Italy. Germany. India, China… One from Egypt. There’s even a memoir from a Gaza refugee who lost her cat during an evacuation. The breadth is beautiful.”
Cool: Cat Zine Fest. But why cats? And why zines?
Cool Cat Collective—ever since opening back in July of 2024—has always had art at its forefront. Its debut exhibit featured the incredible Nick Vargas, offering two limited-edition prints, a handful of originals, and some giclées. Printmaking exhibitions. Their risograph exhibit? It will be shuttering to make way for Cat Zine Fest.
They’ve also long supported the tangible arts. Books. Lithographs. Prints. And yes, of course, zines. So, cats and zines are the perfect combination for space. This sounds more reasonable when we dive into the increasing love for tangible art forms, as both Gen Z and Gen Alpha—the first generations to be raised entirely on screens and digitally—see the worth of stepping away from the digital world.
Even more, and as always, Cool Cat Collective will have a philanthropic component with the sales of the zines. (By the way, some have multiple copies for purchase, and some are single prints.)
“A dollar from every sale goes to our rescue partner,” Matt said. “Plus, we just wanted to do another open-call community show. We might do two per year—it really brings people together.”
So what, exactly, is the Cool Cat Collective for us that don’t know?
“We’re a gallery and boutique, to keep it simple,” Matt told me last year when the space opened. “But everything is cat-themed—it’s very niche.”
And when they say everything, they mean everything. Comic books—with cats. Art prints—with cats. Books, ceramics, home goods, greeting cards, art supplies, clothing, stickers. Turntable scratchers and desktop scratchers. Pins. Candles.
If it’s got a cat on it and some creative flair, you’ll likely find it here. And more artists are on the way: while Vargas kicked things off, the gallery has and will host multiple shows each year, all cat-centered—but often blended with other themes. (Think Halloween. Or goth. Or absurd.)
“It’s kind of surreal,” Jena, Matt’s wife and the other owner, said. “As a teenager, I’d shop on Retro Row and dream about having a space on 4th Street. I used to say I wanted to buy Meow and live in the apartments above it. This is a pretty great version of that dream.”
Cool Cat Collective is located at 2741 E. 4th St. Cat Zine Fest will formally kick off on Friday, June 27, when the shop will stay open until 9PM for Fourth Fridays.
