P-22's sold-out Greek Theatre memorial shows LA's love for the cat

Los Angeles is grieving the loss of P-22 and sold-out ticket sales to the "Hollywood Cat's" February memorial service show the bond that Angelenos formed with the mountain lion over the years as he traversed the Hollywood Hills.

The National Wildlife Federation is hosting the noontime memorial event Feb. 4, at the Greek Theatre. Two days after the memorial was announced and free tickets were available on Ticketmaster, it was announced that the venue had sold out.

The relationship between humans and the famed cat could be called complicated. P-22 stirred affection, awe, concern, fear, and ultimately sympathy. Many Angelenos outright loved the cat.

P-22 was thought to be 12 years old at the time of his death, Dec. 17, 2022. Officials "compassionately euthanized" the mountain lion after he was taken into captivity due to health and injury concerns.

The decision to euthanize was based on health exam results that revealed P-22 was severely underweight with injuries supporting the theory he was hit by a car: a skull fracture, an injured right eye, herniated organs and a torn diaphragm.

P-22 may be one of the most recognizable names for Angelenos in the cat kingdom, aside from Simba.

And where did the name come from?  P stands for "puma," and 22 meant he was the 22nd cat to get a tracking collar for an ongoing study by National Park Service biologists.

P-22 was not a native to his home territory, Griffith Park. Around 2012, he left the Santa Monica Mountains on a 50-mile trek over two freeways that landed him in the woodsy Griffith Park area. P-22 frequently made the news, when he ate a koala at the L.A. Zoo, roamed neighborhoods, and in his final days killing a chihuahua and attacking other pets.

The memorial will be streamed live.