Published by: Ingrid King. Last Updated on: February 1, 2023 by Crystal Uys
Last week, I attended Designs for Felines, a fundraising event for the Washington Humane Society. The event’s purpose was to bring awareness to the Washington Humane Society (WHS) Cat Neighborhood Partnership Program (CatNiPP.) The program is aimed at addressing the needs of thousands of community cats living in the nation’s capital. For this event, participating architectural design firms built and donated creative outdoor shelters to provide cats with refuge from harsh elements.
The event took place on an unexpectedly snowy night at The Blind Whino Arts Club. The venue was visually fantastic, but unfortunately, the lighting inside was terrible. I brought a friend who’s a much better photographer than I am, but even her skills were no match for the poor lighting. You’ll still get an idea of the absolutely amazing amount of creativity that went into some of the design, and thankfully, WHS also gave me permission to use photos taken by a professional photographer for this piece.
The Cat’s Paw was one of the most creative designs when it came to the types of materials used.
The winning design was Meow Luau by Page Architects.
1st runner up was the Cat Crib by the Howard University School of Architecture Design
2nd runner-up was the Cat Cave by Studio3877.
The event raised a record-breaking $17,600 for the program, and best of all, some of Washington DC’s community cats will have some snazzy new digs to call home.
Photos of Blind Whino exterior, Meow Luau and Cat Cave by Bob Walker, used with permission. All other photos by Renee Austin.
About the author
Ingrid King is an award-winning author, former veterinary hospital manager, and veterinary journalist who is passionate about cats.
