Pictured is Finn Laska of Finn’s Furever Feline Rescue, along with an adoptable cat named Ruby and a few examples of shelters that will be being made at the upcoming event. Submitted photo

Pip-Skey’s Foundation for Homeless Animals is teaming up with Finn’s Furever Feline Rescue to host an outdoor cat shelter community workshop.

Set for Saturday at 10 a.m. at Jamestown Business College, the workshop event allows for members of the community to help build shelters for area cats, made from items such as totes, styrofoam and straw. These shelters will then be sent out to local shelters in need; participants with community cats in their neighborhood will be allowed to bring theirs home and set it up there.

Chrissy Conklin, president of Pip-Skey’s Foundation, said the idea for the event was brought about by many local shelters and rescues asking for help.

“As Pip-Skey’s, our mission is to support local shelters that intake animals and we fundraise to help them out,” Conklin said. “Feedback we have heard from rescues and shelters is that they are in need of outdoor shelters because they have been asked about them themselves. We kind of talked and had the idea to bring in the community to be involved instead of just doing it ourselves.”

Conklin said the event will help spread awareness of community cats, besides just making shelters for them. Shelters are important for community cats, she added, because they often are in need of places to go during bad weather.

“Depending on where they’re located, there is not always shelter … to get out of the elements,” Conklin said. “Without it, these animals will die because they have no protection from the weather. The shelters are lined with styrofoam and we use straw to help keep them dry and warm, especially at night when it gets colder.”

Pip-Skey’s and Finn’s Furever Feline Rescue will provide all of the supplies needed to make the shelters at the event. There will be stations set up to allow people to assemble the shelters and volunteers from both organizations will be there to instruct and help where needed. The event also serves to inform about community cats, and Conklin said they will be sharing general information. The shelters will then be able to go home with people or to the shelters that have reached out to Pip-Skey’s looking for them.

“People should come because they care about animals and to learn something new,” Conklin said. “We want people to come learn and we want to encourage community support to get this big undertaking done. People will also be satisfied in knowing that they helped to make a difference.”

The goal for the event is to get 20 shelters built. If people want to bring their shelters home, Conklin said they will go over the correct information at the event as to how to set them up, adding that if it is something someone wants to do on their own they should put the shelter in a place that they see the cat often or with low foot traffic. The area should also offer protection and block out the wind.

All other shelters will go to animal shelters or rescues that have reached out for help.

While this is the first time Pip-Skey’s has done an event like this, Conklin hopes to be able to do it again in the future and turn it into an annual event, with a few changes such as doing it in the fall to get the shelters set before the winter weather comes.

Conklin reminded the community that if they see an animal in need to contact people who may be able to help.

“There is a lot of help to be found in the community if you ask,” Conklin said. “If you have something that you want to do, there are lots of resources that can help.”