Feral Cats Inspire Architects’ Shelters for N.Y. Jungle

In one corner sat a house built with 300 used aluminum cat-food cans, each stuffed with insulation. Another was made from discarded foam panels, wood and other found materials. It looked like Swiss cheese but accommodated as many as three cats.

These were some of the entrants in the Architects for Animals: Giving Shelter contest, held in Manhattan. Leslie Farrell, who works for Francis Cauffman Architects, founded the contest three years ago to raise awareness and funds for the half million or so cats that live outdoors in New York Citys five boroughs.

No animal should have to live on the streets, Farrell said. They need food, shelter, medical care.

The contest offers no prize. Farrell said the winner gets bragging rights and gratitude. Im thankful for the architects who give up their time to do this, she said.

Zimmerman Workshop built its entry out of a cooler wrapped in sheet moss held together with chicken wire. It was designed toblend in with thegarden environment where it will be placed. M Moser Associates Cat Coop is a series of elevated pods of birch plywood, insulated with compressed foam and carpet.

A video camera will air a live feed of the eventual feline inhabitants, for researchers and general-public voyeurs.

All of the projects will find a place somewhere in New York Citys gardens, parks or backyards.

Working with caretakers for feral-cat colonies -- yes, there are such people -- the architects came up with designs for practicality, aesthetics and not least of all cat-friendliness.

I grew up with animals and really value them, Farrell said. She became more aware of urban feral cats after moving to an upper Manhattan neighborhood. She discovered the nonprofit Mayors Alliance for NYCs Animals, a rescue group that can help and advise people on living with feral cats humanely.

No one seems to know how many feral cats roam the parks and gardens in New York City. The Mayors Alliance says the number of community cats, a population that includes feral as well as domesticated abandoned felines, is somewhere between 500,000 and 1 million.

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Feral Cats Inspire Architects’ Shelters for N.Y. Jungle