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Last weekend, as neighbors were out and about enjoying the fresh, warm breeze or playing flag football, a large crowd gathered at Smith Playground, so large that you would think a celebrity had been spotted in the area. What you probably wouldn’t have suspected, though, was that the celebrities in question were the neighborhood cats.

On Sep. 19, neighbors gathered for the inaugural “Lower Allston Cat Stroll.” Allston resident Ashley Lesperance, who organized the cat stroll, originally expected 50 people to attend since it was a new event, but in the end, about 300 people turned up on Smith Playground (235 Western Ave).

The stroll itself lasted roughly 90 minutes with about 30 planned stops to see cats. As attendees paraded through Lower Allston, some wearing cat merchandise and bringing their own cats, many stopped to take pictures, pet felines and make friends with fellow cat lovers. 

With groups passing by, some owners brought their cats outside to the street, while others sat on cat trees in windows. Lesperance announced the cats’ names and gave brief biographies over her megaphone as attendees passed each stop. Her own two cats — Daphne and Elbert — were appointed to kick off the stroll. 

Some owners smeared cat food on their windows to keep their cats in place and encourage them to lick the glass as people walked by. One of the cats, Winona, could not be initially spotted through the window, but she soon bounded into position, prompting a collective cheer from the crowd. A sign beside another cat, two-year-old Beanie, listed her interests and fun facts. These details gave attendees a taste of each cat’s personality. 

In addition to cats and houses on the map, there were also “bonus cats”— cats that weren’t an official stop but attendees saw them in windows, or their owners brought them outside for the event. 

Lesperance, who grew up in Massachusetts and moved to Lower Allston a little over a year ago, created the stroll in partnership with the Allston Village Main Streets. 

Allston Village Main Streets (161 Harvard Ave #11), a volunteer-driven nonprofit organization that assists the neighborhood’s businesses and cultural community, supported Lesperance in this new-found project by securing parking permits and connecting her to sponsors and the Boston Police Department. Genesis Lara, the project manager for AVMS, said they were there every step of the way to support Lesperance as she executed her creative vision.

“She was so ambitious about this kind of concept she created,” Lara said. “She had all of these ideas, and we were like, ‘We’re so happy to help in any way that we can.’”

While most had expected to mainly see cats from afar, many attendees brought their own little ones in strollers and pet carriers. These close-up kittens became a huge focal point, as crowds grew around them. 

This event caught the attention of people from near and afar. The event’s Instagram @lowerallstoncatstroll amassed nearly 2,000 followers. Ronda Morra, a Newton resident, came with her family and their two cats, Zeppelin and Stevie Nicks. The stroll “had been on our calendar for, God, like, six weeks,” she said. 

“We rarely get a chance to bring the cats out, ” Morra said. “There are so many dog events and pet costume contests and stuff, but there’s never cats.” 

When asked whether she would attend again, Morra said, “We already talked to the organizer. We said, ‘You are having this next year, right?’”

“Today was pure joy,” Lesperance said after the stroll ended. “Every time I felt a little overwhelmed thinking about the next stop, the crowd would cheer on a cat that came outside, and it would reenergize me.”

“I definitely want to make this annual. I want to grow it next year,” Lesperance said. She said next year’s stroll might expand to include more megaphones and staff. She also hopes to organize the crowd in waves. 

But the event was more than just a cat stroll. Lesperance partnered with local pet stores and vendors, who provided attendees with cat-related products and pet-adoption information before the stroll. Some of these vendors included local pet food supply shops — like Happy Tails Market and Wellness Pet Company — and Molly’s Bookstore (305 Western Ave), which had cat-themed merchandise and stationery. 

After the stroll, attendees could walk to the after-party hosted at Sloane’s, a local American restaurant next to Smith Playground (197 N Harvard St). There, there was a raffle for a $400 discount on an adoption fee from the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

“I love how inclusive and open-minded [Allston] is,” said 29-year-old Dakotah Feil, who was tabling for the Allston location of Molly’s Bookstore. “I feel like everybody is welcome all the time and we can have events, like this cat-walk, with so many people showing up, which is just so special.”

Alongside the vendors was a “Cat Toy Swap” box, where participants could bring gently-used toys that their cats neglected and leave with a new, different toy. Lara was holding a toy for her own cat that she got from the box before joining the stroll.

“There’s a lot of cat toys that she doesn’t end up using, and I’d rather give it to someone who might not be able to afford as many cat toys,” Lara said. “Everyone wants to support their cat with treats and all the toys possible.”

In the end, whimsy, happiness, and a sense of community marked the event. 

“Oh, it was the best,” Morra said after the stroll. “I mean, if you need endorphins, be around a cat, right?”

This story is part of a partnership between Allstonia and the Boston University Department of Journalism’s Newsroom program.