How to Construct a Cat Tree House
Cat tree houses are structures your cat can climb up and perch on. Those structures are available for purchase at pet supply stores, but a single structure can be very expensive. But the supplies to make your own cat tree house are only a fraction of that cost. Using tree branches, plywood, carpet scraps and a few power tools you can make a large cat tree house in little time, fit for any cat.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Tree branch
- Hand saw
- Sand paper
- 3 paintbrushes
- Household bleach
- Fungicide
- Acrylic wood sealer
- 1-inch thick plywood
- Wood screws
- Carpet scraps
- Carpet glue
- Staple gun
- Sisal rope
Instructions
-
-
1
Select a tree branch to make the main shaft of your cat tree house. Choose a branch that will easily fit into the room where you will be housing your tree house and has a number of larger branches on it that you have a place to attach platforms later on. The branch should be a minimum of 4 inches in diameter to ensure there is enough strength to support the tree house, and the smaller branches should be a minimum of 2 inches in diameter. You can leave the bark on the tree branch or sand it off.
-
2
Use a hand saw to remove any branches less than 2 inches in diameter from the tree branch. Discard any branches you cut off.
-
-
3
Use a large, wide paintbrush to disinfect the tree branch. Soak the end of the brush in household bleach and use the bleach to paint the tree branch. Continue to paint the entire branch until the bleach has thoroughly soaked in to the wood. Leave the branch out in the sun to dry. That will treat the wood by killing insects and mold that might be growing on the tree branch.
-
4
Disinfect the branch using a fungicide by "painting" the wood thoroughly with it. Allow the fungicide to dry completely.
-
5
Paint the entire branch with an acrylic wood sealer. Allow the sealant to dry.
-
6
Stand the treated and dried branch up on the plywood base where you intend the final tree house to be. Attach the base and the branch together by drilling wood screws through the branch and into plywood base. If you intend to keep to keep the cat tree house in one spot permanently, you can screw the screws through the base and into the floor as well. This provides added stability.
-
7
Cut 1-inch thick plywood platforms for your tree house. The number of platforms is up to you. Each platform should be a minimum of 18 inches by 18 inches to allow enough room for your cat to lie down.
-
8
Attach your platforms to the tree branch using wood screws. Drill wood screws through the plywood into the smaller branches. Screws should be placed every 4 inches wherever the platform touches the branches.
-
9
Cut carpet scraps to fit the size of your platforms. Attach the carpet scraps to the platforms using carpet glue and a staple gun.
-
10
Wrap lengths of sisal rope around the base of the tree house. This gives your cats an added scratching post. The sisal rope can be attached using the carpet glue and staple gun as well.
-
1
References
- Photo Credit branch image by Andrzej Thiel from Fotolia.com
