For five winter days, despite freezing temperatures and snow, craftsman Seid Hota came to Ledići and worked from morning until night so that an old barn could gain a new, gentler purpose. For a symbolic fee, guided by the wish to leave a lasting good deed behind, he took on a task that went beyond his usual construction projects.

Although he usually works on large buildings and turnkey construction projects, this time he chose to invest his knowledge and time in a space designed exclusively for children and cats — a small, warm corner where, during winter days, those who often share a similar fate will spend time together: children without parental care and cats who have no one of their own.

The barn, built long ago, was successfully adapted and insulated by Seid using mineral stone wool donated by Knauf Insulation. The remaining materials were provided by Foundation Second, with the hope that donors will respond and help raise the additional 2,500 KM (1,250 EUR) needed to fully equip the space.

Mini Cat Barn is a small house of almost 9 m², located in front of the Small Family Home in Ledići, which operates within the Home for Children without Parental Care Sarajevo. It is intended for the cats that have lived in the village for years and regularly visit the home’s courtyard, as well as for the children who share their time, play, and care with them every day.

For children who have often been left without the warmth and security of a home, spending time with cats has special value. These are small, quiet relationships that impose nothing, yet teach so much: empathy, responsibility, tenderness, and a sense of belonging. Cats that belong to no one become their regular visitors, and the children become their safe hands and familiar voices.

Mini Cat Barn was conceived as a space that will allow warmer, safer, and more dignified shared winter days — without big words and without unnecessary things, just what is needed for the meeting of children and cats to continue in a natural and beautiful way.

Thanks to the work of craftsman Seid Hota, the donation from Knauf Insulation, and the dedication of Foundation Second, this small space already carries a big message: that warmth does not come only from walls and insulation, but from the relationships built within them.