How to Build a Cat House and Catwalk

Cats love to play with anything.

Cats love adventure, hence the saying that cats have nine lives. They enjoy exploring new terrain and playing with everything from a string to catnip mice. Building a cat house with cat walk can be a fun project for the whole family. In the end, the cats will provide endless entertainment as they explore their new play house.

Things You'll Need

• Pet door
• Chicken wire
• Wooden planks or 2 by 4s
• Nail gun
• Plants and garden materials (optional)
• Shelving Brackets
• Hinges
• Door Latch

Instructions

1. Draw a general plan of what you want to build for your cats. A good idea is to start the cat walk at a window. This way you can use a pet door so that the cat can enter and exit the house at will. Starting in a window allows the cat walk to begin high and finish closer to the ground.

2. Install the pet door in a first floor window. The pet door should encase the window, but include a cat-sized opening so the cat can get onto the cat walk. Using plywood or wooden planks, construct the cat walk at a downward slope from the window. It can follow the wall or extend out into the backyard. Nail the wooden planks in place so that it will support the weight of your cat. The cat walk should be supported at the window sill and also at the ground. If the cat walk needs support in the middle, use shelving brackets, which can be found at home improvement stores. Using a nail or screw, connect one side of the bracket to the house and the other side to the cat walk. The bracket should look like an upside-down 'L', with the cat walk resting on top.

3. Construct the cat house by enclosing the outside area where the cat walk ends. Cat houses can vary in size, but should give the cat ample play space. Use the plywood or wooden planks to lay out the area of the cat house. Then using the nail gun or staple gun, connect the chicken wire to the planks on the ground. Connect the planks using the staple gun or nail gun at the corners perpendicular to the planks on the ground--these will be the corner walls. Then, connect planks at the top using the same method. Fill in the open areas with chicken wire so the cat cannot escape.

4. Create a door so that you can also enter the cat house if needed. If the cat house has an open ceiling, you can screw one or two hinges into the wooden planks so that it can swing open from the bottom. If the cat house will have a ceiling, you will need to build a door or at least not staple in an area of chicken wire so that it can be bent back and you can enter the cat house. To build a door, lay out the size using the wooden planks on the ground. Attach the frame using the nail gun. Then put it in place on the cat house to make sure it fits. Using two hinges attach the door. The bottom of the door should rest on the ground and the hinges should attach one side of the door to an existing wooden plank. Secure the door using a latch.

5. Add final touches. Plant flowers and cat-safe plants. You can also tie up string and put some cat toys in the play house. Including a water dish or water fountain is also a good idea.

Tips & Warnings

• Use caution when operating the nail gun or staple gun. Make sure children are supervised during construction.

References

• Cat house Ideas
• Images of Cat houses