Building a cat house is different than building a dog house in that cats are most often indoors & also need the ability to jump, sharpen their claws & be agile. Here are some design options and things to consider when choosing your cat house plans.
There are many pre-fab cat houses on the market but they are expensive & may not fit your tastes. Your cat may have similar feelings. (We all know that cats are not pets, they just agree to tolerate you in exchange for food & warm lodging). These are probably the reasons you are building yours yourself.
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There are three general designs available when it comes to cat house plans. One is the traditional dog house type, the second is the cat tree type, & the third is a kitty condo made from carpet tubing or molds for concrete pillars. If you are very ambitious, you can combine elements from all 3 designs!
Many of the materials required to build your own house from a set of cat house plans are very inexpensive & the end result will be superior to anything you buy at the pet store. In addition, you will have the satisfaction of knowing you did it yourself.
Nearly every set of cat house plans you can get will require carpeting. You should be able to save money by asking your local carpet dealer for their carpet remainders. May times they will just toss them out in the dumpster. You can also purchase plywood remainders very cheaply in this manner at Lowes or Home Depot. You can also get the cores from rolls of carpet, probably for free, to use in your cat tree houses. Another inexpensive option when you need a larger diameter tube is a concrete pouring form for pillars.
When placing carpet on a square or rectangular piece of plywood, cut it so there is about 5 inches of extra length on each side of the plywood. Place the carpet carpet side down, & center the plywood on the carpet. Trace the plywood with a marker, & then tack the down the carpet to the centered plywood with a staple gun. Now take a utility knife & cut a square section out of each corner of the carpet. you can now fold the carpet under & tack it snugly to the underside, much like you would wrap a Christmas present.
The concrete tubes & carpet roll cores can be used whole. Or the larger tubes can be cut into 3 equal sections to create curved perches. The curved pieces will require a little more creativity to cover in carpet, but it can be done.
Plywood rounds can be used to create multiple stories inside a concrete tube. You can cut a section out of the round to allow the cat access & use plywood ramps to connect the levels.
Finally, you may want to use some sisal or jute rope on some of the round surfaces to give kitty a place to sharpen claws. Adding cat toys placed on strings to strategic places will keep kitty active & energetic.
Cat House Plans - Options Abound When Building Your Kitty's Dream Home! Lowes Build
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