Minnesota Man Starts Cat Tour in His Historic Neighborhood as a Joke. Now, Hundreds Show Up Every Year (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Cat tour attendees (left), One of the cats on display.Photo:John Edwards/Wedge Live

John Edwards/Wedge Live

Minneapolis residents have sparked a tradition that’s gaining attention around the country.

John Edwards, the organizer behind the Minnesota Cat Tour that takes place each June, started#CatsOfTheWedgein 2017, an idea born from his sense of humor and penchant for posting cat photos on Twitter.

“When I walk around — I walk a lot for transportation — it’s in a densely populated neighborhood with a lot of apartment buildings. It’s also a neighborhood that has a lot of historic buildings and architecture, homes that were built in the 1890s or earlier. So there are the historic home tours and as a way to poke fun at that, I thought, ‘Why don’t we have a cat tour?’ " he tells PEOPLE.

The idea “started small” as “Something where people walk around the neighborhood and check out the cats that are always in the windows.”

“It stayed small, just like 20 people or so, for the first couple of years. None of the cats were pre-registered. It was just whoever happened to be in the window. I didn’t realize it could be something big until 2019,” Edwards shares.

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Pesto and Parmesean pose with their owners in the window.John Edwards/Wedge Live

That year, the event grew into “the first really big one, where hundreds of people showed up.”

“This built momentum. People saw all thecats in the windowsand a lot of people started posting to social media about it. We made it on the local morning show and there were a bunch of local articles written about it. Since then, it’s gained momentum into what it is today.”

Edwards says that the turnout year after year has been “surprising” for him, with over 500 people coming out to visit 20 stops in June 2024.

Crowd on the streets of Minneapolis for the cat tour.John Edwards/Wedge Live

“I don’t think it’s just about the path. It’s about gathering together in a large group of people and being together in the outdoors. There’s something magical about taking a walk together as a group in the streets of the neighborhood.”

Edwards also says it serves a good purpose for the locals.

Since the idea has gone viral in recent years, Edwards says that other places have reached out, inspired and interested in starting cat tours of their own.

“I do think soon we’re going to start seeing them in other parts of the country. I hope none of them steal Minneapolis' glory. After all, it’s the place where it all started.”

Work on the Wedge LIVE Cat Tour 2025 is already underway, with dates set and a grand marshall named. Cats can also be registered for the tour at this time.

“At this point, I’m not worried about the people showing up because the people turn out every time. We do get a little nervous about whether thecats will come out,” Edwards admits. “Will I have enough registration? Will there be enough cats? It’s a lot of people to have to disappoint if they don’t but so far it hasn’t happened. We’ve grown every year.”

source: people.com