The 2013 Architects for Animals: Giving Shelter event produced some very creative designs for outdoor cat housing. Take a look as some of these submissions from various NYC architectural design firms who participated in the daylong event held on January 10 at the Steelcase showroom in midtown Manhattan.
Keeping the needs of two user groups in mind — both the cats and the caretakers — each team created a unique shelter that will actually be used by feral cats living in New York City.
The event benefited the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals and its NYC Feral Cat Initiative project. This year’s participating architectural firms included H3 Hardy Collaborative Architecture; Francis Cauffman Architects; M Moser Associates; Callison Barteluce; Stonehill & Taylor Architects, with a team of students from City College; Zimmerman Workshop; Kathryn Walton of The American Street Cat (TASC); and Pilot Projects Design Collective.
To see more photos of the event and the other designs, visit the New York City Feral Cat Initiative Facebook page.
Photos by Tamar Arslanian of I Have Cat; Shari Cartun; and Dana Edelson.
I like the new kitty modules and I think my kitties would like them too
keep the ideas coming……….
That last one looks promising, but needs more support if a 20# tom jumps into it, or more than one cat. Plastic can shatter in the cold, too.
It is very encouraging to know that architects love cats, too, and are willing to design for ferals. I am not certain after reading this, though — are any of these designs actually going to be used (and who by) or are they just offering up the designs in hope that they will be used?
I like them but they should have had a small bootcamp for the architects and have them go out into the field and see that having things high up are good for some cats but an injured,sick or old cat will have trouble jumping. Also the entrance holes may be too big and it will not be warm enough inside. I read that a cat may not go into a structure with one entrance incase of a predator. They need a second way out but one of the holes should be covered from the inside for insulation.
If people go out to the colonies and feed in the middle of the night and watch the cats and you can see that what is really needed is a camouflage structure that is weather proof, insulated and that is light enough if you know how to disassemble it but heavy enough so someone can not remove it. I have an aquaintance who bought 3 $80.00 each dog houses and put them out in the colony for the cats and the girl at the pet store must have told someone becuase the next day they were gone.
Structures for low income areas that would actually work would be amazing. Bright colors and flimsy ledges dont work outside.