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Over the summer I was asked to help out designing a special catio for Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh. Not only does this catio give the cats at the shelter some wonderful outdoor time, but it also commemorates a very special person who was lost in a tragic accident.

Emily Hoffman, 34, passed away in 2023 after sustaining injuries in a car accident. Emily was a devoted animal lover, foster and guardian to her beloved cat Sheldon. Emily’s family wanted to remember her special connection to cats by creating this catio for cats to enjoy during their stay at HARP.

The catio shell was built during a recent facility renovation, however it was just an empty space. The Hoffman family along with HARP staff and board members wanted to design a space the cats would really enjoy and that would be easy for staff and volunteers to maintain. They started by adding frosted panels to the bottom of the metal mesh walls, since the catio is in a high traffic are near the main entrance. This gives the cats some privacy when at ground level, making it less stressful for them to be in the space.

Any Catification in a shelter, and especially in an outdoor space like a catio, requires that all items be durable and easy to sanitize, so I came up with a design using the Omlet Freestyle Outdoor Cat Tree, similar to the one I used on my own catio. The Omlet cat tree system is completely customizable, it’s extremely durable and easy to clean, plus it uses minimal floor space, making it perfect for a small space like this. We also attached some shelves directly to the metal mesh, creating lots of raised surfaces for cats to perch on and watch people coming and going from the shelter.

Omlet has a tool on their website that lets you design a custom cat tree, adding and moving pieces around until you get the perfect design for your project. Here are the two trees we used in the HARP catio.

The Hoffman family had a ribbon cutting ceremony in July for the grand opening of the catio. Our friend Carolyn from My Three Cats, an advisory board member at HARP and part of the catio planning committee, was in attendance with other members of the HARP staff to celebrate Emily and her legacy of helping animals.

“We are deeply honored that the Hoffman family chose to celebrate Emily’s memory through a legacy gift that brings joy, comfort, and enrichment to the cats in our care. Thanks to their generosity, our renovated catio now offers a serene outdoor haven where cats can climb and play on shaded steps, laze on ledges, observe (and be observed by) our visitors, and feel the warm breeze through their fur. It’s a beautiful reflection of Emily’s spirit and her deep love for animals. Her legacy will live on in every purr, every stretch, and every peaceful nap shared in that space.”

— Dan Cody, HARP Executive Director

I’m glad I was able to help out a little with this special project and hope that it brings years of enrichment and joy to many cats in memory of Emily. If you are in the area, please stop by Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh and visit the new catio!

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