SEOUL, April 24 (AJP) -The air at KINTEX hums with a different kind of energy this week — softer, furrier, punctuated by the occasional impatient meow. At the “2026 Nyangnyang Punch Cat Show Ilsan,” aisles fill quickly as visitors weave through rows of pastel-toned booths, peering into carriers, testing treats, and pausing for photos with cats that seem, at times, more composed than their human companions.
From the entrance, the scale is unmistakable. Around 140 companies and 200 booths stretch across Hall 7, turning the exhibition floor into a marketplace of feline lifestyles — not just products, but identities. Premium feed brands tout grain-free formulas and tailored nutrition. Designers showcase sculptural cat towers that double as living room centerpieces. Even litter has evolved, marketed with the language of sustainability and wellness.
At one booth, a vendor demonstrates an automated litter system, its quiet rotation drawing a small crowd. Nearby, a seminar space hosts a talk on feline nutrition, where attendees jot notes as if preparing for an exam. Elsewhere, visitors crouch low, coaxing shy cats forward with feather toys — small, intimate moments unfolding amid the commercial buzz.
The crowd itself tells a story. Young couples, families with children, solo visitors — many carrying cats in transparent backpacks or cradling them gently — move through the space with a mix of curiosity and care. Conversations drift between product specs and personal anecdotes: allergies, aging pets, adoption stories. This is not casual browsing. It is, in many ways, caregiving in public.
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