The Healthy Hearts and Paws Project in Warren opened a new shelter designed to give stray cats a much-needed space to call their own.

The 1,200 square foot building is filled with cozy hideaways, climbing towers, and caring volunteers. Stray cats can heal and live there while they wait for adoption

The organization's CEO Jason Cooke told 21 News that before they had this expansion they had to house cats alongside dogs in their existing shelter, which created challenges for both animals.

"Since we moved here in March, the cat building wasn't done at that time, so we had to make room in the dog shelter. So we didn't have a lot of capacity, and we weren't really operating at full strength at that time," Cooke said. 

The CEO said the number of stray cats they are seeing is growing.

The building has three rooms which includes a quarantine area. There is also a patio for cats attached to the building. 

"We also have an indoor, outdoor 'ca-tio' so that the cats can go in and out without fear of predators or getting loose," Cooke said. 

Funding for the bungalow came from public and private donations. The organization plans to add another dog shelter and a free pet food pantry by the spring.

Bootsie's Bungalow is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.