CoroKitty_DIY_FeralCatShelter1

Industrial Design student Chris Peterson from Houston, Texas found a way to incorporate cats into his thesis project and I think he could really be on to something. He created a line of DIY shelters for feral cats called Coro Kitty. His goal was to develop plans for attractive, functional outdoor cat shelters that anyone could make with simple, inexpensive materials. What a brilliant idea!

CoroKitty_DIY_FeralCatShelter2

These designs are all made with plywood and Coroplast, a corrugated plastic material commonly used for signs. You can purchase sheets of Coroplast in all kinds of colors, or you can usually find old signs (like political campaign signs) that can be recycled. Chris used the CNC machine as school to cutout the plywood pieces, but all the designs could be cutout with a jigsaw.

CoroKitty_DIY_FeralCatShelter3

Chris has been refining the design and experimenting with a few different shapes, while keeping his very worthy goal in mind:

“This looks like a craft project, but the idea was to try and make something that can be easily replicated rather than design something that needed expensive tooling and may not actually be realized. I’m hoping others will take this design and continue to make it better and share what they’ve done.”

CoroKitty_DIY_FeralCatShelter4

Chris really did his research and carefully thought about the needs of both the caregivers and the cats. Some of the structures can be attached together to create a multi-unit shelter and all of the designs can be insulated for winter use.

CoroKitty_DIY_FeralCatShelter5

CoroKitty_DIY_FeralCatShelter7

Visit Chris’s blog at corokitty.wordpress.com for more details and to stay up-to-date on his latest ideas.

CoroKitty_DIY_FeralCatShelter8