Patrick Eddington, a Utah-based artist and high school art teacher, had an unusual hobby that he pursued for much of his life. Called the “Cat Project,” Patrick asked countless writers and visual artists, from Kiki Smith to Marcel Dzama to Ray Bradbury to create or share an existing cat-related work and send it to him with the eventual goal of putting it on display one day.

“This project is a labor of love,” Eddington wrote of his endeavor in a 2004 letter. “It will culminate as a large book and traveling exhibition. It will also help Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. I’ve asked individuals I admire to create cat-related works. They are not the typical cat images but creative works.”

Unfortunately when Eddington passed away, he never fulfilled his dream of showcasing his cat art collection. Now his family is auctioning off his cat art with proceeds benefiting the nation’s largest no-kill animal sanctuary.

To see more cat art from Eddington’s collection, click here.

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