Some of the hundreds of cats housed at the Denver Dumb Friends League will soon have a little more room to roam after a new cat pavilion is installed this summer.
The pavilion will give the , 2080 S. Quebec St., the capacity to hold about 60 more cats — not a huge impact considering the league houses between 800-900 during the summer — but more importantly, the pavilion will give some cats space to move around.
“It will be a big open space people can go in, and hopefully it increases adoption,” said Megan Rees, public relations manager for the Denver Dumb Friends League.
The 1,300 square-foot structure is under construction and should be finished by July. Workers broke ground Feb. 9. The project will cost approximately $700,000 and is entirely funded by donors. The Dumb Friends League has about 55,000 total donors, with some giving money specifically for this project.
Vice president of operations Duane Adams said that the average cat is with the league for about 22 days.
“What we were missing was this bigger open space for those cats who are used to that,” Adams said.
Currently, the league has traditional housing units for individual cats and some colony rooms for multiple cats.
“Cats are about territory,” said Denver Dumb Friends League behavioral manager Matt Levien. “In a transition shelter, space is the biggest issue.”
The pavilion will have different areas for cats to climb, play, lie in the sun and interact with other cats. If some are deemed not to mix well with others, they will not be let into the pavilion. It will consist of three colony rooms and a large open play area. The area can be opened up on warmer days with a garage door protected with a screen.
“Part of the design is to reduce stress. Cats like to have things they can climb on, open areas,” Rees said.
People looking to adopt a cat will be able to enter the cat pavilion and interact with the cats before deciding on one. Rees said the personality of the cat is the No. 1 intangible that helps get that cat adopted.
“This our way of providing more space, perches and ways for cats to feel comfortable and allow for them to get their needs met,” Levien said.
While it would be cute to see a host of kittens running around, Adams said that is not likely as kittens are adopted in just a day or two.
During the winter, the league has between 200-250 cats in its care. During the summer, that quadruples, but Adams and Rees aren’t sure why. At least this summer, they’ll have a little more space for the cats to run around.
Joe Vaccarelli: 303-954-2396, jvaccarelli@denverpost.com or twitter.com/joe_vacc
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