300 people turn out for tour of cats in Minneapolis' Wedge neighborhood

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - While you can't herd cats, you can herd people to look at cats.

Thursday, approximately 300 people turned out to walk around Minneapolis’ Wedge neighborhood looking at cats lounging in the windows of apartments and houses. 

The third annual Cats of the Wedge Tour was created by John Edwards, founder of the neighborhood news site Wedge LIVE!. The tour starts in Mueller Park and winds through the neighborhood, which encompasses the wedge of streets between Hennepin and Lyndale avenues north of West Lake Street and south of West Franklin Avenue. 

In previous years, Edwards has just stopped the group whenever they spot a cat. For this year’s tour, however, he invited cat owners to register their cats on the Wedge LIVE! Website and provide a description he could share with the group. Some owners have even started posting signs in their windows that say “cat here,” “welcome cat tour” or simply their cats’ names. 

Edwards said the tour has been growing in popularity every year, but the publicity prior to this year’s tour did not hurt. FOX 9 previewed the tour Thursday morning. 

Edwards had told FOX 9 he was expecting around 150 people to show up, but the tour drew at least double that. 

At one point, someone called the police to report the crowd, but the tour leaders reportedly smoothed things over quickly. 

Edwards said this year’s tour was the best one they have had yet. 

“People seemed really happy,” he said. 

The tour will likely be back for a fourth year, around the same time next summer. Edwards also said he is thinking of planning a second tour this summer, possibly in the Whittier neighborhood this time. Keep an eye on the Wedge LIVE! Facebook and Twitter pages if you want to join the next tour.