Two friends are combining their loves of animals and crafts to help local pets in waiting at the Seattle Humane Society.

Bellevue residents Shirley Nicholls and Janet Martin began knitting and crocheting small blankets for cats at the shelter some months ago and staff and animals have taken notice, according to Amanda Walde, media relations specialist for the shelter.

“It’s so great what these ladies do,” Walde said. “We always have more cats than dogs and these blankets are a great comfort to them when they get here.”

To date, the women have made more than 50 of the small blankets, now scattered throughout the cat’s rooms.

Nicholls and Martin, both said they started their outfit out of their love for pets.

“I thought it would help adopt them,” Nicholls said. “I thought it would help settle them and they’d be happier.”

Using donated yarn, the two women either knit or crochet small, “fairly simple” patterns and end up with a roughly one foot by one foot blanket, she said.

“My husband watches politics and I’m bored to tears so I knit,” Nicholls said. “There’s no certain patter to them, just straight rows with some nice colors.”

According to Walde, the blankets come at an ideal time.

For all of December adoption fees for cats at least one-year-old are waived. And with animals on the way, potentially from other parts of Washington, California or Hawaii, it’s important to find them the right home, Walde said.

“We like to think of it as our way of giving back to the community that’s given so much to us,” she said.

For more information about adopting a pet, visit www.seattlehumane.org, call 425-641-0080 or visit the shelter at 13212 SE Eastgate Way, Bellevue.