Secret Spot: Denver's Cat Alley

Have you ever turned a corner in a city and felt like you stepped into a different world? That’s exactly what the Downtown Denver Partnership sought to do with a series of art installations in alleyways. If you’re a fan of felines, one work in particular will give you paws — er, pause.

Alley Full of Cattitude

Cutting down an alley in Denver’s Larimer Square, you might not notice them at first. Your eye will catch one cat perched on a windowsill, and then another on a light post, and another on a fire escape. If you stop and take in your surroundings, you’ll see and hear that you’re not alone. Hundreds of cat sculptures inhabit this alley.

Larimer Square alley in Denver with "Alley Cats" art installation — This normal-looking alley is home to 300 cat sculptures

Reconsidering the Furr-miliar

Artist Kelly Monico installed “Alley Cats” as part of a series that activates alleys through art. Between Us: The Downtown Denver Alleyways Project was created by the Downtown Denver Partnership and the Downtown Denver Business Improvement District to encourage people to notice overlooked spaces.

“This is part of work to re-imagine part of these public spaces that have been underutilized,” Kate Barton, Downtown Denver Partnership

The cat alley is one of five alleyways featuring public art. Other works include “Alley Freshener,” a giant air freshener by Carlos Frésquez and “Public Bodies” by Frankie Toan, a series of colorful shapes suggesting the alley as a place to socialize.

Cult of Purr-sonality

Cats were an obvious subject for an alleyway. Monico placed about 300 decorative cats on and around the alley’s buildings. From stretching sleeping, the cats interact with each other and with their environment. It’s a playful commentary on our cat fancy throughout history — from Ancient Egypt to internet cat memes. The work also explores the bond between humans and animals and its connection to well-being.

Once the cats stop you in your tracks, you’ll notice they are speaking. Cat sounds play through speakers in the middle of the block. If you kept hustling by you might assume the sound is coming from real alley dwellers, but when you look around you’ll notice that you’re surrounded.

"Alley Cats" art installation by Kelly Monico in Denver

“… if you can make people a little uncomfortable, that’s a great piece of artwork.” – Kelly Monico

As a cat lover, this was right up my alley. After noticing the first few kitties, I spent a solid 20 minutes admiring the placement of the cats all along the alleyway. The work was unexpected and mischievous, just like my feline friends. Not a cat fan? According to Monico, “I think any type of emotion is a good thing.”

A cat by Kelly Monico snoozing in Denver's cat alley

“The idea is that it’s sort of an Easter egg,” Monico told 9News. “If somebody sees one, you start to look and it leads your eye to another and there’s more and more cats.”

Art can make us rethink our expectations and give the furr-miliar a closer look. If not for the furr-endly hosts, I would never have spent so much time appreciating this alley. [End of cat puns]