Egyptian Eco-Friendly Startup Founder Keeps Stray Cats Warm with Mobile Shelters

This winter’s cold weather is getting harsh for us all. Now, imagine what it would be like for stray animals. As the climate kept changing in Egypt over the last couple of years, we have been witnessing heavy rains and a noticeable drop in temperature, creating even harder conditions for animals in the street. 

 

Egyptian sustainability-conscious designer Ibrahim Abougendy, Founder of Mobikya, a startup focused on green solutions and upcycling, came up with an ingenious solution to keep stray cats warm and safe in winter. In collaboration with Petman, an E-commerce pet supplies shop founded by Aly Zeineldin,  they both created ‘Sheltires’, mobile shelters made of upcycled tires giving animals more protection in winter. Focusing on sustainability and with keenness to save as many stray animals as possible, the mobile shelters were designed to keep cats isolated and shielded from the cold temperatures.

“Stray animals live in very tough conditions, especially in winter where they hide in tires to escape the rain and the cold weather. With the unprecedented climate change hitting Egypt the past two years, we’ve been thinking about effective ways to help stray animals survive the weather conditions and to keep them feeling warm and safe. So together with Petman, we invented the ‘Sheltire’, infinity-shaped upcycled tires with two units as mobile shelters. We made use of tires and other waste materials, such as old wood that people usually throw away, to save stray animals and our planet.” said Ibrahim.

“The infinity-shaped structure stands for the infinite uses of tire that we barely take advantage of, as well as the infinite number of stray animals that face death in winter every year and need our help. The infinity prototype can be remodeled to accommodate up to 5 cats.” adds Ibrahim

These new lovely shelters have been placed in different streets in Cairo with plans to be spread across more locations to test how cats interact with this prototype and proceed with mass production. Mobikya and Petman launched this initiative with social responsibility in mind and with non-profit goals aiming to help make a change.