London Tube Station Replaces Its Ads With Pictures Of Cats

Written by: Adri Sandoval
Adri Sandoval is the Special Projects Manager for iHeartDogs and iHeartCats. Her work has deepened her love for animals, fostering a strong passion for rescue and animal advocacy.Read more
| Published on September 13, 2016

Are you sick of being bombarded with advertisements on TV, in magazines, and even on your commute to and from work? If you’re a Londoner, or a well-timed tourist, you can enjoy a break from being pummeled with ads, at least while you’re in the tube station.

A photo posted by @claire86hazell on

Glimpse, described as, “a group of friends who want to use creativity for good” on their website, thought the public needed a change. They launched their inaugural project called Citizens Advertising Takeover Service (CATS) in order to replace subway ads with photos of felines by crowdfunding through Kickstarter.

A photo posted by Paradise Road (@londonpubcats) on

Thanks to 683 backers, the project raised £23,131 (about $30,847) in order to make this feline fantasy a reality. The cat pictures cover 68 advertisement spaces and will be on display at the Clapham Common station for the next two weeks. 

A photo posted by Paradise Road (@londonpubcats) on

“We aim to make positive social change feel attractive to millions more people. Instead of focusing on the problem, we show ‘glimpses’ of a better world that’s possible,” explains Glimpse’s website

A photo posted by @aliceinbeardland on

While bringing smiles to commuter’s faces is certainly a job well done, perhaps the best part of this initiative is its goal to raise awareness to help shelter cats. The CATS project has partnered with Cats Protection UK and Battersea Dogs & Cats Home to feature pictures of felines who need forever homes. The Glimpse website provides resources to those who are interested to helping shelter animals like the ones posted on the station walls. Now there’s one type of “advertisement” we can really get behind!

A photo posted by Daria Lanz (@darialanz) on

While the pictures will be taken down in a couple of weeks, we hope this is the beginning of a new kind of advertising, one that makes the public feel good about their lives and about positive change.

“We hope it will help people think a bit differently about the world around them, and get inspired to change things for the better,” the Glimpse website says. 

A video posted by Daria Lanz (@darialanz) on

Would seeing pictures of cats on your commute brighten your day?