How to make your own cat furniture

Pamper your cat! Here is an easy to way to make your own cat furniture. It’s a lot cheaper than the ones you can buy in stores, and best of all, you can design it to fit your home’s color, style and available space. You can add towers and napping beds, and even a scratching pole—a veritable mansion for your pet, all for the price of a few pieces of wood. Here are easy instructions for making your own cat furniture.

How to build your own scratching pad

This is one of the most important cat furniture to have in your home, simply because it’ll prevent your cat from turning your heirloom tables or expensive carpet into his personal scratching pole. It’s also really easy to make! This is what you have to do:

1. Get a piece of corrugated cardboard and an old box (like the ones that are used for holding reams of computer paper).

2. Use a ruler to measure the dimensions of the box: the length and the depth.

3. Use those measurements to cut matching strips out of the corrugated cardboard.

4. Stick the corrugated cardboard strips on the lid. Use strong glue, or add natural twine aroun the box for stronger support.

5. Sprinkle a little bit of catnip into the cardboard to attract the attention of your pet.

How to build your own scratching pole

Some cats prefer using a scratching pole. You can create your own by getting a wooden base and then wrapping a piece of carpet or coiled rope around it. If your cat isn’t paying any attention to it, try hanging a toy from the top of the pole.

How to make your own cat bed

This project is really easy and much cheaper than the fancy cat beds you’ll find on the internet. You don’t even have to be really good at sewing!

1. Get fabric scraps. Trace and cut two large circles

2. Attach the two large cirches, sewing around the edges. Leave a small gap where you can insert stuffing.

3. Stuff the circles with wood chips, fiber fill, or a premade pillow. You can also use plastic grocery bags, but cut them up so that if the cat gets hold of it—you know how curious thy are—they won’t pose a suffocation risk.

4. Close the gap by sewing it or attaching a strip of Velcro or a zipper. Velcro or a zipper will let you change the stuffing or take out the pillow to have it washed.

How to make your own cat tower

This is the equivalent of building a cat version of Disneyland inside your home! It’s fun, it’s cheap, and your cat will love you forever.
1. Gather wood, carpet, and cardboard carpet tubes.

2. Study the designs of cat towers in cat stores for inspiration. Usually, they will incorporate little cubbyholes where they can curl up, places for cats to climb and jump.

3. Build the base the cat tower with 2′ by 4′ sections of plywood. Add cardboard tubes for the ‘pillars’ and the framework. Add more plywood at different levels where your cat can take a nap, or jump and play.

4. Cover the pillars or framework with carpet scraps. This can double as cat scratching poles, and give your cat the option of climbing from one level to another.

Photo from felineforever.com