Philbrook hosted a viewing party for cat videos on the lawn where visitors enjoyed food and laughs.
It’s long been understood that internet cat videos are a major source of entertainment and escape for anyone with access to the world wide web. Last Friday night, the Philbrook Museum of Art held an outdoor screening of a compilation of cat videos. As expected, it was great!
The doors to the event opened at 6 p.m., although the actual showing started at eight. I arrived by seven in the Philbrook Museum area. The streets were lined with cars in front of the lavish homes. Clearly, there are many cat lovers in town.
There was a crowd of people in front of the museum doors. Alongside the cat videos, Philbrook had invited the Tulsa Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to show some of their available-to-be-adopted cats. They had set up a van full of cats for people to see, and, as one might expect, many people were eager to see.
Once inside the actual Philbrook museum, they had set up a burger stall in front of their restaurant. The line was long, but the night was temperate with a cool breeze running by occasionally.
Once I had my burger in one hand and my frosé in the other, I was ready to sit down on the grass and watch. It seemed like most others were too.
Many families with young children attended the event. They were prepped with blankets and fold-up chairs. There were older groups of people too, many joking around about how they were the crazy cat lady. Most people had a drink in their hand.
It seemed rather idyllic. It was a lovely night to watch a bunch of cat videos with strangers who had the same interest. The air was filled with sounds of jaunty music and laughter as people watched cats pushing things off the table, getting into boxes and simply being awkward and crazy.
Cats, as most already know, are strange animals with a unique perspective on life. All of the videos captured the essence of cats. A creature that is both seemingly domesticated and wild. They are all quirky in some way, which makes them so lovable.
I applaud Philbrook for the lovely evening they hosted. In spite of the long lines and difficult parking spots, it was most definitely worthwhile event. There were moments when I heard the whole crowd laugh together in unity.
As silly as it seems, cat videos serve a good purpose in life. They are a universal form of entertainment. The compilation included videos from France, Russia and Greece.
It goes to show that despite major differences, maybe we’re not all that different after all. And, perhaps that’s why these simple videos can garner thousands upon millions of views worldwide.
Wherever there are cats, there are people making funny videos of them.
