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All the United States Michigan Detroit Monumental Kitty

Monumental Kitty

This feline raises a friendly paw at drivers barreling toward the freeway.

Detroit, Michigan

Added By
Jessica Leigh Hester
Email
Been Here
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Hey there!   jessicahester1 / Atlas Obscura User
Hey there!   jessicahester1 / Atlas Obscura User
The sculpture was built by Jerome Ferretti.   jessicahester1 / Atlas Obscura User
Pedestrian ramps flank the kitty.   jessicahester1 / Atlas Obscura User
Detroit Kitty not feeling well in March 2019   danielr / Atlas Obscura User
state of the kitty, April 2019  
kitty is presently in a very sad state such that it’s not really worth seeing.   infinitylimitedcorp / Atlas Obscura User
As of April 22. 2023 the site has been cleaned and a fabric brick blanket added to the debris pile.   lawrenceabrahamson1 / Atlas Obscura User
Boo boo kitty. Very sad.   Booizzy / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
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About

One of Detroit’s most beloved felines isn’t curled up on a windowsill or lazing on fresh laundry—it’s gazing out at motorists shuttling down a fairly unremarkable service drive en route to the freeway.

Wide-eyed and perky-eared, the brick sculpture known as Monumental Kitty has been charming drivers since 2010. It was installed by the local artist Jerome Ferretti, who once earned his stripes as a journeyman bricklayer before venturing into fine arts.

The cat was intended to enliven an otherwise ho-hum stretch at the edge of the Corktown neighborhood. Convinced that the overlooked median could use a little love, local residents enlisted Ferretti and crowdfunded the money to bring the kitty to life.

Passersby sometimes pull over and scramble to stand on the cat’s domed head. Out of the ground rise a tail and a paw, the latter outfitted with nails made from strips of stone.

Though the cat’s not as splashy as some of the city’s other public art projects—from the sprawling, polka-dotted Heidelberg Project to the industrial Lincoln Street Art Park—it’s a much-welcome addition to the concrete rivers bisecting a city dominated by cars.

Update: As of April 2019, the cat has been largely destroyed. The paw and tail remain, but the head exists only as a pile of rubble. A handwritten sign reassures visitors that kitty's ears, eyes, and mouth are safely stored until she can be restored.

Related Tags

Roadside Attractions Public Art Sculptures Cats Giant Animals Animals

Know Before You Go

This feline basks in the sun (or snow, or rain) beneath the pedestrian bridge near Cochrane Street and I-75. If you want approach the cat on foot, your best bet is to pull over into one of the lots on the West Fisher Service Drive.

Community Contributors

Added By

jessicahester1

Edited By

Booizzy, danielr, infinitylimitedcorp, mrosegrech...

  • Booizzy
  • danielr
  • infinitylimitedcorp
  • mrosegrech
  • lawrenceabrahamson1

Published

September 11, 2018

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Monumental Kitty
1548 W Fisher Service Dr
Detroit, Michigan
United States
42.3348, -83.070831
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