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Architects for Animals gives shelter to feral cats
Several feral cat colonies in New York City will be moving into winter homes designed and built by some of the city's top architects.
Wed, Jan 16 2013 at 6:12 PM
The Tin Hut was built out of 300 individually insulated aluminum cat food cans and accommodates up to four cats. It was designed by Kathryn Walton of The American Street Cat. (Photo: Tarmar Arslanian)
There are a million homeless animals living on the streets of New York City, and most of them are cats, according to the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC Animals. But many of these feral felines will soon have a home to call their own, thanks to Architects for Animals.
The organization’s third annual Giving Shelter benefit took place Jan. 10, and many of New York’s top architects participated by building winter shelters for the city’s cats.
Founded by Leslie Farrell, Architects for Animals is a fundraising initiative that benefits the Mayor’s Alliance’s Feral Cat Initiative, a program working to solve feral cat overpopulation through a method of trap, neuter and return.
“Ideally no animal should have to live on the streets, but since they are out there, we feel obligated to help them,” Farrell said in a news release. “All of the firms participating this year are very proud to be part of this life-saving initiative and to partner with the Alliance for the third year.”
Participating architects spent months building their cat shelters, and they worked closely with feral cat colony caretakers to ensure that their structures would be feline-friendly. Each of the shelters will be installed at a feral cat community within New York City.
Check out some of this year’s innovative cat shelter designs below, and don't miss our gallery of last year's shelters.
This shelter features a series of plywood ribs that are designed to integrate with a concrete wall at its placement site. The ribs will be clad with slats of varying thickness to create both an enclosed and semi-sheltered “pergola” space. The exposed sides of the unit will have removable acrylic panels to provide light and allow easy access.
Each of these elevated cat pods can house two to three felines. The multiple elevations are intended to provide the cats with a functional, yet playful experience.
This shelter's placement site has a large feral cat colony, so Francis Cauffman built a 5-story cat high-rise. Each level can accommodate two to three cats, and the levels are connected with a series of landings and ramps, echoing the fire escapes of the surrounding buildings.
This shelter, designed by Stonehill Taylor with a team of students from City College, can accommodate up to three cats. It's shaped from panels resembling Swiss cheese, earning it the name Swiss Cheese Urban Outfit House.
This small hanging shelter is insulated with fabric and designed to accommodate one cat.
Designed by Zimmerman Workshop, this shelter is made of Spanish moss and sheet moss to mimic the garden in which it will be placed.
All photos courtesy of Tarmar Arslanian
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Thank you for caring for the ferals in your area.
THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH for this for our cats!!! it is so wonderful....
What a wonderful project. Keep up the good work.
Thank goodness for the growing compassion for all the homeless animals especially the kitties^..^
According to the Audubon Society, domestic cats are responsible for one third of all wild bird deaths, bringing some such as bluebirds close to endangered. You are not doing Mother Nature any favor by helping feral cats. They are not a native species. If we wish to protect the birds, the cats should be killed.
How dare you say such a thing! No animals should be killed period. Leave nature alone!
If you want to leave Mother Nature alone, don't introduce exotic species into her.
These cats would not be feral if their owners had spayed/neutered them in the first place. The females were turned out because they where going to have a litter of kittens, why?? because they were not spayed. Now that they are feral they are doing what they are suppose to do, hunt so they can live. Don't blame them for something that is not their fault.
All creatures deserve life. I feel sorry for birds too and in the Garden, life was perfect and there was no killing. How is it right to kill cats who are just trying to survive because of humans who don't spay/neuter their cats or care for them properly and just dump off?
Very creative & useful.
Who will be checking up on these abodes and keeping them clean and in good order?
All animals deserve food and shelter. They are God's creatures, too. Reading stories like this makes my heart feel good. Hopefully other cities will follow the terrific example set by New York City. Kudos and blessings to all involved in this project.
I assume cats actually USE these shelters??
What a wonderful and amazing thing for these architects to do! Kudos to all involved!
How can you prevent other animals ie. rats, from using this space.
Cats eat rats and mice
Great! Just beautiful, thank you for posting, I will share this!
Its amazing how God uses His handiwork through others.
I hope other major cities do as well in the future. Go, Boston!
Now if we could do something similar for our homeless humans!
Way to go Kateri!!! There's always one in the crowd trying to rain on someones parade. I sure hope you're not only wishing someone ELSE would care for humans but are doing so yourself?!!!
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