Dear Moviegoers,

Allergies to felines aside, the documentary Cat City did little to sway my feelings either way on the issue of open and roaming community cats. From time to time, I enjoy stories of how people from decades ago would deal with strays in rather colorful ways, and I am a supporter of animal health & welfare programs, but in my neighborhood? Outside my home? They’re a minor annoyance to me if anything, and a film about Chicago’s efforts to live with and/or control their own cat population was never going to register with my general opinions.

However, Cat City works best as a portrait of the people on the ground, doing their best to help the animals by whatever methods and laws allow. TNR (Trap, Neuter, Release) programs are discussed at length as a solution to contain and maintain these feral and sometimes friendly animals. We see everyday and relatively average individuals team together to advocate and to take action on behalf of the cats and for their neighbors who prefer to have them around. There are no “cat ladies” in Cat City, just certified caretakers and elderly feeders.

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The flipside is presented by a few scientists, data collectors, and bird watchers, who refer to cats as “invasive” to the surrounding environment. Only at the end, with a monologue by a researcher, is any kind of middle ground stated. For its duration, Cat City is all personality, much like a, well, cat. There’s fun, there’s yearning, there’s genuine sentimentality, and there’s real-world depiction - showing the situation for what it is without dressing anything up. Unlike a cat though, the film has no claws, presenting its tale of two kinds of people more like a foreign novelty and less like a resource for connecting with others.

Sure, we see plenty of cats, and we see plenty of trapping action. Sure, we get to know some of the individuals and groups helping out and what their missions are. And sure, there’s some little talk as to how TNR policies can be detrimental. It’s all just not enough. More information? Maybe. More people? Ok. More cats? We have our fill, thank you.

Cat City appears to strive for understanding across the animal rights spectrum, but it doesn’t show a passion for the issue or provide a reason for its importance other than that some communities are somewhat involved. I wish the documentary was as excited about anything else as it is about capturing footage of cute cats. Anything else would’ve been welcome. It’s still cute though. 2.5/5

Cat City is screening at the 2024 Green Film Festival of San Francisco. The film can be viewed on their virtual portal until October 27th.

Sincerely Yours in Moviegoing,

⚜️🍿