Robin Byrd (left), executive director of Lake Norman Lucky Cat, with Kitty Kottage builder Jim Smith

Feb. 20.  Retiree Jim Smith, 76, recently turned his love for animals and building projects into a worthwhile hobby to help feral cats.  After just a couple of prototypes and some internet research, the “Kitty Kottage” was born.  The exterior is raised off the ground with a small cat-sized opening.  The interior has room for up to seven cats.

Robin Byrd, executive director of Lake Norman Lucky Cat, a Cornelius-based volunteer organization dedicated to improving the welfare of community cats, is all too familiar with the site of shivering cats, huddled under whatever shelter they can find.  Winter temperatures can be life-threatening for these animals.  Lake Norman Lucky Cat has helped provide shelters for the cats in its managed colonies throughout the Lake Norman area.

Smith’s design exceeded Byrd’s expectations.  “These are going to make a difference in the survival of so many cats and will last for years!” she said.  Smith has built four of the Kitty Kottages so far.  Some of the structures will replace less efficient shelters, including dog houses, providing several of the area’s feral cats with shelter for the first time.

Dog houses that are replaced will be donated to a local organization that works to get dogs off chains and into fenced yards with dog houses.