How to Build an Easy Cat Tree
Nothing is better for increasing your cat's exercise, agility, play time and self-grooming, than a cat post, or cat tree. Not to mention, your furniture will be protected if your cat has an upright climbing station to draw attention away from table legs and sofa arms. You can build your own cat tree in an afternoon with a few supplies and in no time your cat will be sharpening claws and running up and down the new fixture.
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Things You'll Need
- Carpet or sisal
- 4-by-4-by-6-foot wood post
- Two 1-by-2-foot wood boards
- Four 2-by-2-foot wood posts
- Screw gun and screws
- Staple gun and staples
- Exacto blade
- Work gloves
- Cat toy
Instructions
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1
Cover your 1-by-2-foot base and topper wood boards with carpet, securing it along the underside about 3 inches toward the center along the edges using your staple gun or screw gun. Cut off any excess carpet with your Exacto blade.
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2
Cover your four 2-by-2-foot wood posts with carpet, securing the slightly overlapping seam along the length of the post using your staple gun or screw gun. Cut off any excess carpet on the top and bottom with your Exacto blade. Make sure you also secure the carpet to the top and bottom of the post about 1 inch toward the center around the edges.
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3
Cover your 4-by-4-by-6-foot wood post with carpet, securing the slightly overlapping seam along the length of the post using your staple gun or screw gun. Cut off any excess carpet on the top and bottom with your Exacto blade. Make sure you also secure the carpet to the top and bottom of the post about 1 inch toward the center around the edges.
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4
Screw the 1-by-2-foot wood boards into the 4-by-4-by-6-foot wood post at the top and bottom of the post with your screw gun. The 4-by-4-by-6-foot wood post should be running up the middle from the base to the top resting platform.
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Screw the four 2-by-2-foot wood posts diagonally at the top and bottom of the structure with your screw gun --- two should be on either side at the top and two on either side at the bottom. One end of each 2-by-2-foot post will screw into the 4-by-4-by-6-foot post and one end of each 2-by-2-foot post will screw into the 2-by-4-foot wood boards, forming diagonal support beams for the top and bottom of the cat tree.
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6
Decorate your cat tree with your cat's favorite toys by attaching the toy to the post with a screw or a staple. PandEcats recommends adding a cat toy, or cat nip toy and carpeted tubing for your cat's entertainment.
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Tips & Warnings
If you want to make your cat tree an actual "tree" like fixture, you can use beige or brown carpet or sisal for the base and post, and green carpet for the top platform. You can also do a couple of extending arms with support beams and platforms for a full, leafy tree look to the cat post. Cats International suggests an easy sisal wrap alternative for your cat post, all you do is tightly wrap sisal around the middle wood post or beams for a different texture.
Some sites suggest using adhesives for your carpet, but it is best to use staples and/or power-drilled screws to avoid harm to your cat that can come from ingesting adhesive residue. With heavy-duty, industrial staples and a staple gun the points of the staples will be embedded in the wood and can be pounded in with a hammer if they start to come out.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit orange tabby cat image by Steve Marquez from Fotolia.com
