How to Build a Window Cat Condo

The ultimate kitty condo

When it comes to taking care of your kitties there's nothing they want more than great places to sleep and sit. With a window level cat condo they get the best of both worlds with easy access to window views, and open and enclosed sleeping spaces. Manufactured kitty condos at department stores and pet centers, however, can cost hundreds of dollars. Fortunately, you can build your own cat condo with little time or expense, so take an afternoon and treat your cat to fun and relaxation.

Things You'll Need

• Four 4 by 4 inch posts, 30 inches long
• One 1-inch thick piece of plywood, cut to 2 by 3 feet
• Hammer
• Nails
• Two 1-inch thick pieces of plywood, cut to 1 foot by 21 inches
• Tape measure
• Pencil
• Two 1-inch thick pieces of plywood, cut to 1 by 1 foot square
• One 1-inch thick piece of plywood, cut 6 inches by 1 foot
• Fleece fabric, 14 by 14 inches square
• Staple gun
• Excess carpeting
• Bailing twine or thick rope
• Super glue
• String
• Cat toy or ball

Instructions

1. Set each of the 4 by 4 inch posts upright, spaced apart in a rectangular shape. Place the 2 by 3 foot plywood piece over the top of the posts and move the posts flush with the edges of the plywood. Nail straight down through the plywood and into the posts to attach.

2. Stand up each of the 1 foot by 21 inch plywood boards on the 1 foot edges. Measure and mark a horizontal line seven inches down from the top edge on each board. Place the 1 foot square plywood between the two boards with the top edge of the square running along the pencil line. Nail through the boards and into the square to attach on both sides.

3. Slip the other 1 foot square between the boards and just under the recently added square to form a wall. Nail through the sides and top to secure. Attach the 6 inch by 1 foot board in the same manner but only set the board up against one side of the box. This board helps form the doorway of the small hiding place inside the condo.

4. Hang the hammock by holding the square of fleece over the top edges of the side boards. Using a staple gun, shoot a staple through the fleece and into the plywood at one inch intervals. As your cats use the hammock, the fleece will stretch, but your cat can't fall because of the platform below the hammock.

5. If you want, carpet the main platform with excess carpet or remnants from a carpet installer. You might want to add carpet to the house feature and sides at this time as well. Wrap bailing twine or any thick roping around at least one of the leg posts and staple to secure it or use all purpose super glue to fasten it.

6. Set the house and hammock piece on top of the main plywood platform and attach it by nailing up through the plywood platform into the sides and back of the house. Finish by adding some kind of toy or ball to dangle on string on the underside of the platform.

Tips & Warnings

• If you notice a little too much wear and tear on the hammock, simple head to the fabric store to get more. If you want something cheap, forgo your choice of pattern and check pre-cut clearance bins for remnants. You can make a simple cat bed to set on top of the platform with any remaining fleece from cutting out the hammock.

• If the twine starts to unravel, don't wait for it to completely fall apart before you replace it. The small pieces of fiber are quick to drift and travel throughout your house.