Pet owners and architects would have found something of interest at the South Hill Library on Saturday morning: a session on how to build your own cat castle.

Many did. Children’s librarian Susanne Miller briefly worried whether anyone would show up on a busy Saturday morning, but the worry was short-lived. Before long, more than two dozen people had flocked in the door.

The idea for the cat castle building session came from a book titled, bluntly, “Cat Castles,” by author Carin Oliver. “We thought this was the most fascinating thing we’d ever seen because we’re cat people,” Miller said.

The class is being held at other libraries in Spokane as well, and so far, Miller said, it has proven popular.

“You have to use your imagination,” she said.

Among stacks of supplies, including dozens of cardboard boxes of varying sizes, kids and their parents and grandparents got to work.

Christina Dickey and her 8-year-old daughter Lane grabbed one of the biggest boxes in the room and began folding and cutting. They didn’t know what it would look like when they finished, but they knew it had to have a peaked roof. And they don’t even have a cat at the moment.

“This is for the stuffed friends for now,” said Christina Dickey.

“Since we don’t have a cat, I’ll probably get in it,” Lane Dickey said.

Christina Dickey said she likes how the library offers fun, hands-on activities. “I like how they incorporate the books into it,” she said.

There weren’t enough tables to go around, so some families ended up sitting on the floor with supplies strewn about them. They cut, taped, glued and colored as they discussed what, exactly, they wanted to build.

Colin Lambarth and his daughters, 16-month-old Augustine and 5-year-old Lillian, were building a home for their white and gray cat Monti. Instead of picking a large box, they taped together several small ones and created a door for Monti to enter his hideaway.

The door, however, was too tempting for young Augustine. She escaped her father’s grasp and crawled inside, then began crying when she got stuck trying to turn around. Dad came to the rescue, and she sat while her father and older sister worked on their grand design.

“It’s probably going to get destroyed when we get home, but hopefully Monti will get to use it,” Lambarth said.