Minneapolis condo builders are installing high-speed cages for their cats, as they seek to lure millennials into building condos in their downtown area.
The cages are being installed by Catcina, the Minneapolis-based company that has a string of downtown condominium projects and is one of the fastest-growing developers in the city.
Catcina is working with the City of Minneapolis to install the cages, which are intended to increase the city’s cat population and keep them out of harm’s way.
The company said its cats, who have been confined in their cages for nearly a decade, are thriving and getting better.
CatCina’s CEO, David Bickford, said in a statement that the cages were a key component of a successful downtown condo project in which the company was awarded a $500,000 federal grant to create high-end apartments and condominiums.
The developer hopes to get the project up and running in 2021, he said.
CatCatC.i.l.D., an Oakland, Calif.-based company, recently received $1.6 million from the federal Housing and Urban Development Department to install cages in its downtown condo projects, which will increase the number of cats in the condos.
The cages are supposed to last about five years, with cats allowed to roam freely.
Catcins will also be able to capture trash and waste, Bick Ford said.
The cat cages are a key piece of Catcinas plans to increase its condo production, said Bick Fox, a senior director at CatCina.
In addition to the new cats, Catcinias planned 10 other condo developments that will have cages installed.
The condominium project in the Midtown area is in the process of getting a new cat enclosure, which is due to open next year.
“We are very happy with the progress that has been made with our cages, and we have an exciting future,” BickFox said in an interview.
The city has not yet announced the cages’ exact locations, but Catcilla is using a nearby building, the North End Condominium Development, as a starting point.
The city is also working with other developers to secure the site for the new condominium towers.
“It’s a big milestone for us,” Bicks Fox said.
He said Catcills cage project is the largest condo project Catcillas has ever built.
The project was completed earlier this year, and Catcnais condos are expected to be completed in the next year or two.