Seeing a homeless stray animal on the road, shivering in the December cold, hungry and thirsty, always breaks my heart. I try to do my part, however, sometimes a community effort is needed to look after these little creatures. In South Korea, the number of stray cats has increased exponentially over the years. However, the lack of public awareness regarding animal homelessness has led to very little public support for these lonesome animals. So, national petshop chain Molly’s Pet Shop collaborated with the ad agency Cheil Worldwide, including designers Seontaeck Kim, Jungbin Lee, and Joohee Lee to bring to life, the Hood House.

The team collected padded winter clothing and upcycled them into portable cat shelters! Inspired by the dome-like shape of igloos, the little hooded dome homes have been equipped with a roof, a bed, bowls for food and water, as well as an extra waterproof cover. Customers came to Molly’s Pet Shop to voluntarily buy food for the stray cats, and they were presented with the Hood Houses! 2000 Hood Houses were created and given away. The customers then spread the homes throughout Seoul, setting up comfy cribs for the cats during the cold winter season.

The Hood House is quite simple to set up. You open the box and remove all the components required to set it up. You fit the round frame that comes along onto the base box. Insert the cushion into the round frame, and pull out the inner cover. Fix the hood onto the inner cover, and attach it to the frame. Then place the waterproof tent-like cover over the Hood House, and attach it to the home’s corners. Fill up the bowls with food and water, and let a kitty seek shelter there in peace!

Initiatives like these are game-changers and can make a humongous difference in the lives of our furry friends. I can’t wait for Hood House to find its way to countries all over the world!

Designers: Seontaeck Kim, Jungbin Lee, Joohee Lee, Molly’s Pet Shop and Cheil Worldwide