In this article we will share ideas, methods and current tips on how to make a cat house with your own hands. Step-by-step instructions with photographs, detailed explanations of the production process and master classes will help you quickly and easily create an original cat house. Choose the option that fits perfectly into your interior.
Set for cats with scratching posts, a bed and a hanging toy
For games, sleep and relaxation, as well as for sharpening claws, you can build a cozy cat house with your own hands, which will not only decorate the room, but also bring benefits. This ideal complex for a cat will not take up much space. A spacious house is suitable for a large fluffy or pregnant cat. A vertical scratching post, a soft bed and a dangling toy will be great entertainment for adult animals. A cozy house and an inclined scratching post will be a favorite place for curious little kittens.
Materials required for the base of the structure and the house:
- Fibreboard (hardboard) 40x122 cm (for the base);
- Chipboard 44x61 cm (for the roof of the house);
- Chipboard 55x44cm (for walls);
- 7 slats 3x4x37 cm (spacers for walls);
- pipe with a diameter of 11 mm, length 60 cm;
- 2 bars (for pipe stability);
For the bed:
- Chipboard 44x30 cm;
- Fibreboard 44x30 cm;
- foam rubber measuring 44x30 cm;
For scratching posts:
- rope made of cotton materials or jute, about 110 mm thick, 15 m (for a vertical scratching post);
- rope or fabric (for an inclined scratching post);
- toy;
- board 18x41 cm;
Additional materials and tools:
- fabric or fur for covering;
- saw, hand or electric jigsaw;
- drill, screwdriver;
- knife, scissors, sandpaper;
- stapler for furniture, hot glue gun;
- tape measure, pencil, chalk, marker.
The process of making a cat house with your own hands
The first step is to cut out chipboard and fibreboard from existing materials rectangles: for the base of the house, walls and beds. The required sizes are listed above, but you can independently determine the size that suits you and is comfortable for your pet. On both rectangles for the walls of the house you need to draw circle from radii of about 27 cm. The most convenient way to do this is with a compass, but not from the center of the rectangle, but just below. You can use a marker if you attach a rope to it and hold it in the center of the future truncated circle.
One wall of the house will be solid, and on the second wall you need to draw circle-holes for entrance and several windows. It's original to make them look like a cat's footprint. We will make the large circle 22 cm in diameter, and the small ones 5.5 cm.
DIY cat house step-by-step instruction yu Photo
Small side circles should be placed at a symmetrical distance from great circle(equal to 17.5 cm). And the central small circle should be placed a little further.
The next step in building a cat house with your own hands will be sawing out. Carefully, using a drill, jigsaw or other suitable tools, you need to cut out alternately small and large circles.
Next, we combine both walls of the future house and mark the places where we plan to fasten them with slats. In our example, these are 7 points. They are most conveniently made by drilling through them so that the marks are visible on both panels.
At all marked points we drill holes for self-tapping screws. This is where the slats will be attached.
Preparing the slats: plan, smooth the edges, remove roughness. For stability, the bottom slats can be made thicker.
We fasten both parts at seven points using prepared slats and self-tapping screws.
DIY cat house step by step instructions. Photo
Let's prepare wall fabric house. It should be slightly larger than the walls themselves. For the safety and comfort of the cat, it is better to choose fabrics with cut pile so that the animal does not get caught in the claws. You can use faux fur or other materials.
Pieces of fabric using a hot glue gun glue it to preparing the house. It is best to use glue without a strong odor; the cat probably will not like it.
On the front side of the house we cut holes in the fabric in the right places, bend it and carefully secure it along the edges.
We place and glue on the base for the complex (in the place where the house will stand) foam rubber. Its size should correspond to the distance between the two side bottom slats of the house. This will be the first bed; next to it we mark with a circle the place for the vertical pipe.
We completely cover the entire base of the structure. cloth.
To keep the fabric firmly in place, it is better to secure it with staples using a furniture stapler. If there is fabric on the sides that begins to fray, it needs to be wrapped. Next, we secure the structure on top using a sheet of fiberboard.
Let's prepare roof house. We mark the allowances on the fabric with chalk and paste it over a sheet of fiberboard.
We take two narrow pieces of fabric and glue them to the inside of the two lower ribs. If you are using colored fabrics, you need to use the base color here. 
Connecting house with foundation. At this stage, it is important to choose self-tapping screws of the optimal length. They should hold the house firmly, but not protrude beyond the base. 
We hide the slats under the fabric. 
We place the fiberboard rectangle on the roof of the house and fix it with a furniture stapler. 
Using small scissors, we hide the staples in the fabric. 
We ennoble inner part house. Glue the fabric of the corresponding color. 
The DIY cat house is almost ready. There are only parts left: scratching posts and a bed. 
Let's prepare pipe made of cardboard, plastic or wood and two bars of slightly smaller diameter. This guarantees the stability of the structure. In our example we use plastic pipe and wooden blocks. 
We firmly insert and secure the bars in the pipe; this can be done with glue or self-tapping screws (depending on the materials used). 
From rectangular sheets of chipboard and fiberboard we cut out identical semicircular parts for beds.
We string a piece of fiberboard onto a pipe, having previously made a hole. This part will cover the glued fabric underneath. 
On the underside of the bed we prepare holes for self-tapping screws. We connect the bench and the block fixed in the pipe. 
Turn the house horizontally. We place the pipe parallel to the floor, place any objects under it to determine a suitable place to attach the scratching post. 
We make marks on the bottom of the base, make holes for the screws, and screw the pipe. In our version, we made four holes for better fastening. 
The very bottom of the pipe can be cover with cloth. Cats usually sharpen their claws by extending their paws upward. 
We cut the foam rubber to the required size and glue it to the bed. 
Take a rope and attach it to one end toy, and we fix the other side with a furniture stapler on the side to the base of the bed. 
We completely cover the top of the bed with fabric, making allowances for bending it. We glue the fiberboard part so as to beautifully hide the edges of the fabric.
We deceive the pipe with a rope, periodically securing it with glue. 
Cooking inclined scratching post. We trim the lower part so that it touches the base. Cover both ends of the board with fabric. 
The DIY cat house is almost ready. We wrap the central part of the inclined scratching post, on which the cat can sharpen its claws, with rope or cloth. We place the board on the base of the complex and secure it to one of the slats between the walls of the house. 
Using our master class, you can independently complement and complicate the design, increasing its size and number of components. 
Scheme of a cat house in the form of a castle
Standard playgrounds for cats usually take up a lot of space in the apartment. It is not always possible to allocate an area to install such a structure at home. But if the desire to make your pet happy haunts you, then we suggest doinglean-to housefor a cat with your own hands. And not just a house, but a whole castle! It is convenient to place it anywhere on the wall. You can make any number of towers and connect them together with ladders.
If there are small children in the house or there is a dog in addition to the cat, then such a hanging complex with a scratching post will be the mustachioed purr’s favorite place. There the cat can sleep peacefully without being disturbed.
Materials required for the construction of towers:
In addition, you will need construction tools, such as a saw, a hand or electric jigsaw, a drill, a screwdriver or screwdriver, a furniture stapler, a stationery knife or scissors, a pencil (marker) and a tape measure.
Planning and preparation stage
In our example, the dimensions of the turrets have a base of 34x34 cm, a wall height of 45.5 cm, the upper tier begins at a height of 30 cm from the lower base of the wall. Therefore, to build towers we will need: a base, a side wall (size 34x44 cm), two small side walls(size 30.5x44), shelf 30.5x30.5 cm, two slats 5.5x44 cm, two slats 5.5x23 cm. The chipboard sheet is about 1.5 cm thick.
To make a cat house beautiful, comfortable and functional, you need to think about the size of the turrets. They should look harmonious in the room and be high enough for the cat to stretch and move around inside. If the cat play structure will include two-tier towers, then the size of the upper base should allow the cat to curl up in a ball and feel safe due to sides.
DIY cat house step by step instructions
From chipboard sheet cut out 9 rectangular parts according to the previously indicated dimensions.
Let's draw outlines of the tower: battlements, three pieces, 6.5 cm high and recesses.
We take a large side wall, divide its side into 5 equal segments and put marks. (A side is 34 cm, divide it by 5, we get 6.8 cm). We take smaller side walls, place them on top of the first wall, and place thin side slats at the edges. Then we transfer the marks from the bottom wall to smaller walls. This is necessary to ensure that all the teeth are the same size.
We transfer the marks from the ends of the wall to its horizontal line, draw a line of 6.5 cm. By connecting the dots, we get a ready-made drawing of the teeth.
Carefully along the lines cut out the teeth jigsaw
Next we do it at the tower entrance, its width will be 20 cm, height 25 cm. We measure the same distance from the center up and down, mark the required dimensions with dots. If desired, you can round the top line. In this case, you can set aside a segment of 12.5 cm from it. Draw an arc.
Let's do jigsaw entrance according to the drawing.
We connect the side wall with the front wall with self-tapping screws.
We attach the second side wall in a similar way. For convenience, you can put between them shelf.
We turn the tower over and add a base, which is also secured with self-tapping screws.
At a height of 30 cm from the base, we make marks, recesses for screws and attach the shelf.
We fix two side horizontal and two vertical slats on the side, covering the sections of the walls.
Cutting off a piece fabrics a little more than the height and width of the tower, try it on and adjust the size.
We secure the fabric with glue or a furniture stapler, carefully shaping and folding the edges. In the area of the teeth, leave about 1.5 cm for the hem. It is important that the glue does not have a strong, repulsive odor.
Using a narrow long piece of fabric (about 6.5 cm high) we glue the teeth on the inside. Carefully seal the ends.
For side entrances We prepare the fabric with a reserve, try it on and cut it, then glue it.
We formalize ends at the entrance, and finally we fix another piece of fabric from the bottom of the tower.
We select foam rubber parts for the beds, wrap them with fabric on the top side, fasten them with glue.
We fix the lower part of the foam bed with glue to the shelf, paying special attention to the edges.
We put fasteners on the back of the tower and hang it on the wall. We add at will scratching post ladder, which can be created similarly to the first method by wrapping a rope around a board or pipe.
To make it convenient for a cat to climb into its house and crawl along the turrets, you need to come up with bridges between the towers. This could be a piece of wood covered with fabric. Using both a scratching post and bridges in the design, it is important that there is a gap for the cat against the wall.
This is how easy it is to make an unusual cat house with your own hands. If desired, you can build several towers different sizes, hang them near the floor or high near the ceiling. If you place the structure around the entire perimeter of the house, then it is better to make entrances to the turrets on three sides.
DIY entertainment complex for cats
Another option to allocate a place for your pet is to create an interior detail in your home that is interesting for the cat and unusual for you. WITH entertainment corner your pet will always be busy, even in your absence. We will show you how to make a three-tier complex for a cat.
Required tools:
- two tables of different sizes on low legs;
- rope, fabric or fur;
- stapler, glue;
- toys and decorative items;
- screw and screws;
- dye.
Step-by-step instructions for an entertaining corner for your pet
The first step will be table preparation. They should be disassembled, legs, shelves (if any), tabletops should be unscrewed to decorate and improve. In our case, we use a fur piece - a large piece of fur. We want to use it to completely cover the shelf from the table. To fix the fur should be folded down.
We also decorate a small tabletop using this method, securing the fur underneath with a stapler.
Table legs make great scratching posts, you just have to wrap them with tight ropes. You can wrap all the legs, or only part of them. To secure the rope during the winding process, you can fasten it with staples.
We suggest painting the remaining legs and other parts of the tables a different color with safe paint.
After the paint has dried, you can assemble all the parts.
We will place our smaller table on a large table, taking into account where the scratching posts are facing, so that it is convenient for the cat to use them. The top table can be glued, secured with screws or self-tapping screws.
The final touch to decorating a cat bed with your own hands is to add toys and entertainment accessories. These could be hanging toys on ropes, a glued pot with a flower, or a piece of carpet for claws. Fantasy is limitless.
Do-it-yourself multi-story cat house
Building a multi-storey complex for a cat will require a little more time and patience, but the beauty that will result in the end will delight the little resident of the house and its builder. In such a complex you can sleep, pamper yourself, and sharpen your claws.
To make such a complex you will need:
- chipboards;
- electric jigsaw;
- fabric and rope;
- tape measure, pencil, scissors;
- entrance/window templates;
- glue;
- pipes made of plastic or cardboard;
- self-tapping screws, door hinges, screws, corners.
Do-it-yourself multifunctional six-level cat house step-by-step instructions
The very first step is to prepare base complex, house And lower compartment with an entrance that can be of any shape (circle, oval, rectangle).
We chose a figurine in the form of a cat's head, traced it on a sheet of chipboard, and then cut it out jigsaw
We assemble five rectangles of any size box house, in our version its length is 80 cm, height 30 cm, width 55 cm. The main thing is that the cat is comfortable.
We hang it on the remaining side part loops for the future door.
We attach the door to the house on screws.
We will have pipes between the floors, so we attach furniture corners to their base, with the help of which it is easy to attach the pipe to the base.
Thus, using pipes and chipboard panels, you can build several floors of different shapes and sizes. At the same time, holes should be left in them for the cat. The layout of the cat house depends on your imagination.
From the side or between levels to a multi-story cat house can be attached stairs. You can simply make it from ordinary boards. The ladder can be placed at an angle by turning the legs from below at an angle of 45 degrees. This element can be attached to the house using furniture corners.
On the top of the house a house with gable roof. Its base will rest on several pipes, it is better if they are symmetrically located for balance.
We cut out pieces of suitable size from chipboard boards, form them into a structure, and secure them with screws and furniture corners.
One side of the house or roof can be placed on hinges, not only for the cat's entertainment, but also for the convenience of opening and cleaning the home.
In our version, we made a house with a side entrance and a door on the roof.
Most top floor(that is, the attic) can be located right under the ceiling or you can make a kind of step from it to the closet.
Using another pipe and a mini chipboard panel, we connect the cat complex to the top of the cabinet.
Decorative finishing
When completing the construction of a cat house with your own hands, it is important to decorate it beautifully and make it a beautiful interior accessory.
We wrap all the pipes with rope or rope, secure them at the bases and at the tops with glue.
Roofs, walls, side and internal sides paste over carpet
We measure each detail, make the necessary holes in the carpet, try it on and fix it.
It is convenient to use a furniture stapler at corners and in places that are difficult to reach for gluing.
If you wish, you can trim all the parts in one color or use several different ones. We painted the roof of the house in green.
Special attention should be given to corners, ends and joints. It is good to use a furniture strip at the ends in the area of the holes. It is smooth, bends easily and takes the desired shape.
The master class on building such a complex is very simple. Anyone can do it. Your cat will appreciate such a gift.
DIY soft bed for a cat
Cats love to sleep, they always look for the softest, calmest and most comfortable place in the house. Give your mustachioed beast his own place to sleep and relax. You can make a cat bed with your own hands in just a couple of hours. This method does not require male skills; there are no complex details in the master class.
Materials for making a bed:
You can choose any size and shape for the bed. This method is also suitable for making a dog bed.
Step-by-step instructions on how to make a cat bed
Choosing a place where the bed will be located affects its shape. You can place the future structure in a corner, on a window or under a table. We will make a classic oval shape. For ordinary cat A size of 40 or 50 cm in length is suitable.
An important step is choice of fabric. It should be pleasant, easy to clean and safe for your cat's claws. You can choose a color that matches the main shade in the interior.
We're drawing oval shape on a sheet of fiberboard. This can be done in two ways.
The first method is without using a compass. Draw a straight line and divide it in half with segments.
We fix the side points with push pins or pins, and put a thread on them, tied at both ends. Using a pencil, pull the thread left side to make a triangle. Let's put an end to it.
Using the same tension, draw a line around the buttons to get a nice oval.
Another way to get an oval shape is to draw it using compass.
We draw a segment, divide it into equal parts, put points A and B at the end of it. Using a compass, draw two circles with centers at the end of the segment, with a diameter up to points A and B, respectively.
Above the intersection of the circles we draw arcs from the top points of the circles to each other. We get an oval.
We transfer it to the fiberboard panel and cut out This shape has 2 identical figures.
We measure and design the sides. For this we take foam rubber. Its length is equal to the length of our oval (135 cm), and its width will be 10 cm.
From a piece foam rubber we form a side. We fold a piece of foam rubber along its entire length in half and secure it with glue.
Let's prepare textile, with which we will cover the foam rubber. The fabric should be a few cm wider in order to make it convenient to glue the structure to the bottom of the base of the bed. We chose a width of 14 cm.
Glue the foam side and a piece of fabric together.
We fix the resulting side to the bed, leaving a free edge of the fabric on the outside.
We complete the semicircle by connecting the two ends of the side.
At the bottom of the bed we fasten the fabric from the side.
To hide this part of the structure, we cover it with a previously prepared fiberboard part.
We issue in the inside of the bed. Cut out the foam rubber to shape. We apply and try on the size, it should be slightly smaller than the diameter of the couch.
We wrap the foam rubber with fabric, making allowances. We fasten them from the bottom.
Apply glue to the remaining part of the foam rubber that is not covered with fabric and place the soft part in the center of the structure. You can do without glue, then the foam rubber should be completely wrapped in fabric and sewn up with thread.
A compact and soft place for the cat is ready!
Master class: cat house out of a box
One of the most favorite pastimes for cats is searching for secluded corners or containers where they can sit comfortably. Even the simplest small shoe boxes instantly attract the attention of cats. What a joy they will be to receive a house from a large cardboard box!
You can make a house for a cat from one large cardboard box (from under equipment) or from several small boxes. For this you will need:
- scissors or stationery knife;
- hot glue gun;
- ruler or stencils (for windows);
- self-adhesive paper, paint or fabric (for decoration);
On the walls of the box you need to draw and then cut out windows and entrances; they can be of any shape and size. For stability, it is important to reinforce the corners, bottom and side walls with tape.
To make the house look like a real one, it is better to make its roof gable. To do this, you need to work with the top of the box, consisting of 4 rectangular parts (a continuation of the walls). The two wide parts will become slopes, and the two narrower parts will become pediments (triangular parts of the walls). It is most convenient to secure the collapse of the house hot glue.
Using this method of building a house for a cat with your own hands, you can make one house or entire tunnels, if the territory allows. The structure can be painted or covered with colored paper or wallpaper on top. If desired, you can insulate it inside and out with various materials: foam rubber, carpet or fabric, and add a pillow for softness.
From an old T-shirt
One of the most elementary ways To make a house for a cat at home is to build it from wire and an ordinary men's T-shirt.
For this you will need:
- cardboard or piece of plastic;
- 2 metal hangers made of thin wire;
- pliers;
- T-shirt or other clothing with sleeves and collar;
- pillow or foam rubber;
- pins or glue.
Let's prepare house frame. Using pliers, we straighten out ordinary clothes hangers and install them on a cardboard base crosswise in the form of arcs. At the top, both wires need to be connected with tape. We will pay special attention to securing the arches in all four points at the base. You can pierce the cardboard, bend the wire a little with reverse side and secure it with tape. You can glue fabric to the base, put foam rubber or a pillow for softness.
We put the T-shirt on the frame, stretch the fabric on top, fold it down and pin it. The T-shirt should be positioned so that the opening for the collar forms an entrance. If desired, it is easy to leave windows on the sides of the house from the sleeves or make additional holes.
Other ideas for creating houses for cats with your own hands
You can make original cat houses with your own hands from wicker basket. Two baskets will make a cozy bed in the shape of a pearl, and you can put a soft pillow on the bottom.
A cat-shaped house with sewn on ears, eyes, tail and a hole resembling a yawning mouth. It is better to sew such a house from dense fabric that holds its shape.
For a children's room or hallway, a cat house made from colored wooden cubes. You can make several inputs in the form geometric shapes and positively decorate the outside of the cubes.
A noticeable detail of the interior will be a cat house - wigwam with shelves. You can assemble it from wooden or cardboard boards fastened horizontally and vertically, lay a soft blanket inside, and hang fabric instead of walls.
The easiest way to do wigwam for cat- connect several sticks in the form of a cone, fasten them well at the top and at the base. Then cover the house with fabric, make an entrance and windows.
You can make a cozy house for a cat with your own hands if you felt it or created it from fabric (carpet) mini round house. Then make a cutout and decorate it along the edge with a knitted scarf.
The cat will like it hanging fabric house in the shape of a cone with one or more inputs. The main thing is to make a soft bottom. This composition can be hung anywhere.
Decorate the apartment with a laconic home for a cat in the shape of an egg. Smooth and hard on the outside, but soft due to the bedding on the inside, the house and its owner will take center stage on a window or shelf.
Vertical house with scratching posts and a cylinder in the center very compact and functional. The cat will be able to hide inside or frivolously lie down on the top bed, watching what is happening around.
A cat is a cozy and homely animal with whom you don’t feel lonely. But cats can get bored too. That is why modern pet stores are replete with a variety of fun toys for pets. However, not everyone can and wants to spend money on low-quality and short-lived entertainment. Yes, this is not necessary, because you can do it yourself, the main thing is to know how to make a toy for a kitten with your own hands.
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Why do pets need toys?
Finding itself in an unfamiliar place away from its brothers and mother, the kitten initially experiences stress. And then, gradually getting used to it, he begins to feel bored, because before he was surrounded by the same kittens and they certainly weren’t bored there. But cat games not only relieve pets from boredom, but are also educational in nature. Why do kittens need games and toys?
There are several important reasons for this:
- Games develop in cats the skills they need to live. Kittens get a lot of positive emotions during games, because this is an imitation of their hunting life and the pursuit of prey. Play is a physical exercise that is good for their health.
- A bored pet means damage to your property. Kitten like Small child, if you don’t keep him busy playing, he will damage the wallpaper or furniture. Spending time with a toy will help animals release their energy, which will allow several cats to coexist quite peacefully in the same apartment. This brings the owner closer to the pet and helps the animal realize who its owner is and feel love for itself.
- So, cat games contribute to the development of cats both physically and psychologically. They allow kittens to develop harmoniously and make life easier for their owners. That is why, along with purchasing a kitten, you need to immediately worry about buying toys for it. But if finances do not allow you to do this, then you can make or find a toy for your pet yourself.
Homemade toys from scrap materials
All cat owners know that they love everything that rustles and moves. Often, their toy can be a hand that scratches and moves along the carpet. The main thing in cat toys is movement and pleasant tactile sensations for cats. The game for these animals is hunting. The more forbidden the item, the more they like it. Even the simplest candy wrappers and paper for a kitten are a wonderful toy. Toys can be divided into several categories according to their nature.
Paper
Homemade paper toys for kittens are all kinds of candy wrappers, simple sheets of paper that have been crumpled up and thrown on the floor. All cats are individual, some need to tie a candy wrapper on a thread and lure their pet, while others just need to throw a crumpled piece of paper on the floor and the fun begins. Here you should watch your pet and try it.
Newspapers can also become valuable toys for cats. Cats love to crawl under the spread of a paper newspaper, rustle the pages and crumple them. Thus, paper, even toilet paper, is the simplest toy for a cat.
Boxes
Boxes are a separate category of toys for kittens. There is even a story that if you want to catch a cat, just place an open box in the middle of the room. What cat would miss such a moment and not try to sit or lie down in a box? Videos and photos of these fun moments can be found on the Internet. And if you cut a couple of holes in such a box, then you can’t even take the box away from the cat. It's so much fun: jumping, climbing or squeezing into an ordinary box!
Natural
You can also collect toys for cats on the street with your own hands, no matter how strange it may sound. This category includes cones, acorns, chestnuts, nuts and other round things. True, then when cleaning you will have to take it all out from under the cabinets or sofas, but the positive emotions from cat play are more important?
Bunnies
You can use a mirror to send sunbeams across the floor and neither the cat nor the owner will be able to stop. We'll have to entertain her until the sun goes down. You can also use a laser, but you will have to buy it.
Available means
Everything that is bad will become great homemade toy for a kitten. For example, they happily move pens, pencils, clothespins, balls and spools of thread, pill bottles, etc. around the house. Anything that rolls, rustles or moves will be doomed to eternal kitten play.
Handmade
You can make toys for cats with your own hands using fabrics and cat pathogens. For example, a sewn mouse with a long tail, covered with lint and stuffed with catnip, would be an excellent option. A ball filled with foam rubber or mint will also do a great job of entertaining your pet. He will be able to play with the ball even in your absence. Photos or videos of making such toys can be found freely available on the Internet.
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You can make your own toys for kittens from plywood. For the toy, you need to take four rectangular pieces of plywood as walls and two long pieces for the bottom and lid. Cut holes in each of them, smoothing their edges with sandpaper. Glue or pin all the pieces together to create a box. After that, all you have to do is show it to your pet and throw a ball or marble there in front of his eyes. He will definitely be interested in where the ball went and will begin to get it.
There is a video about the creation of such a box on the YouTube video hosting site.
Purchased toys and their variety
If you make toys for kittens with your own hands and don’t really want to waste your time, you can go to the nearest pet store and buy something there that will allow the kitten not to get bored and have fun. Today the choice of toys for cats is simply huge. There are purchased toys different types, electronic lasers and fishing rods, tracks and mice are popular, which make the pet jump and chase tirelessly.
You can find simpler toys in the form of mice of absolutely incredible sizes and abilities. Mice can ride, squeak and they are always very pleasant to the touch with long tails and long fur. Kittens especially enjoy running into such claws. You can find plastic, rubber and textile mice. You need to focus on your kitten’s preferences.
Fishing rod toys or toys simply hanging from elastic bands. You can simply hang these on the doorknob and watch your cat jump. The advantage of such toys is that you won’t lose them or roll them under the sofa.
Interactive electronic cat toys are especially popular today. These include maze feeders, massage centers and interactive fishing rods. They all allow to a pet play and have fun without your participation. Such fun includes the “Happy cat” cat toy.
Track toy “Chase the ball”
This toy is a design that has a groove and a ball, and a scratching post. The principle of the game is very simple: the kitten tries to catch the ball, which constantly eludes him along the groove, and, if desired (which will certainly arise), sharpen his claws on the scratching post. Thanks to this track, the cat will spend time actively and the furniture in the house will not suffer.
Pets need attention and toys for them are not a waste of time and money, but show care and love for the pet. After all, they need it.
Video “The ideal toy for a cat”
What a toy for a fluffy should be like and how to make it with your own hands, watch in this video. Do something nice for your pet!
Today, the behavior of cats has been studied sufficiently, so owners personal experience are familiar with their habit of sharpening their claws. However, one should not think that they act this way only to annoy their masters. This happens on an instinctive level. Their nature requires this. Do not forget that cats are predators, although they differ in size from their wild relatives. This explains the urgent need to sharpen the claws. Owners who know what they will face before bringing a cat into the house must first purchase a scratching post so that it will help preserve the furniture in the house.
Living in wild conditions, cats and their relatives for sharpening claws use tree trunks. Since their claws are constantly growing, and at a high speed, they must sharpen them, otherwise it will be difficult for them to move while hunting. In some animals, claws can grow into their paws, causing cats to feel severe pain. Therefore, they need a hard surface so that they can sharpen their claws without experiencing discomfort.
Pets are limited in this regard, although if there is an ornamental tree growing in the house, they can use its surface to sharpen their claws. However, if there is no suitable item in the house, then the owners need to resolve this issue as quickly as possible and purchase or make a scratching post.
What is the purpose of this device? Many cat owners have the incorrect impression that their pets intentionally tear up carpets or sofas. However, in reality, everything is not so: cats only follow the call of nature, maintaining their claws in proper condition. A person cannot change this situation. All that remains is to do everything possible so that cats can do their “manicure” without harming their home environment.
If you realize the urgent need for a scratching post, then you should not rush to the pet store and choose a suitable device for sharpening claws. Any owner can make the simplest version of this device on his own. This will allow him to save a lot, as well as get an additional reason to be proud of himself.
Why is it better to make a cat house with your own hands?
If we consider the design of store-bought scratching posts, their stability is ensured by a retractable stop. In other words, most of these devices look like a house that is placed discord between floor and ceiling. Seeing such a pipe, young cats will definitely have a desire to climb onto it. However, if they do this too often, over time the device will begin to wobble and at some point fall.
Plastic pipes are used to make the supports of the scratching post, but it is not able to provide this device with sufficient strength. In addition, many devices are designed for use in apartments with standard ceiling heights. They are equipped with a stop of a strictly defined length. In apartments with a high ceiling, it will not be possible to use such devices, so the owner will have to think about purchasing a custom-made scratching post. Naturally, its cost will be much higher than ready-made models. However, it is not necessary to spend a lot of money on this device, because you can make a cat house yourself, saving a lot of money and time.
DIY scratching posts for cats
To begin with, it won’t hurt to take a closer look at the cat scratching post. You should know that the cat house must have certain characteristics so that it can effectively perform its functions:
Project planning
Before you start making your own scratching post, the following issues need to be resolved:
- draw up a design layout;
- prepare necessary tools;
- purchase building materials.
It is imperative to decide which option cat house you will make: portable or stationary. If a young, active cat lives in your home, it is recommended that the structure be secured to the floor to give it greater stability.
It is also worth paying attention to the color of the decoration of the cat house. To do this, focus on the design style of the room where you are going to install the claw sharpening device. Make sure that the upholstery material not only looks beautiful, but is also durable enough. Calculate the height of the device in advance, correlating it with the characteristics of the animal. The size of the scratching post should be sufficient for your pet to stretch out to its full height when it wants to sharpen its claws.
If you live in a small apartment, then you can choose one of the following options for making a cat house:
- rope post;
- personal rug on the wall;
- forest thicket;
- corner design.
How to make a scratching post for a cat with your own hands: materials for making
First of all, to you materials need to be prepared to make a cat house:
DIY scratching post: step-by-step instructions
Once the necessary tools and materials are ready, you can begin assembling the cat scratching post with your own hands. Master class on making a cat house with your own hands described in the following steps:
- Base of the structure. It will require wooden boards, the length of which is calculated taking into account the size of the pet. If you are making a scratching post for a short animal, you can use 40 x 40 cm boards. big cats It was convenient to sharpen the claws, it is better to take boards 50 x 50 cm. We take the prepared upholstery fabric, for example, carpet, and spread it on the floor, remembering that the wrong side should be facing the ceiling. We lay a board on it. Then we mark the required amount of fabric: to do this, the board must be positioned at a distance of 5 cm from the edge. Next, we treat the pattern with glue, and then apply it to the board. To ensure that the material holds well, we additionally secure it with nails.
- Vertical column. Here we need furniture corners. With their help we will install a plastic pipe to the base. However, first you will have to check the dimensions of the pipe and, if necessary, adjust them. When determining the height of the pipe, it is necessary to proceed from the size of the animal, but it should not be lower than 50 cm. When the pipe is installed, we wrap a hemp rope around it from below. At the very beginning, its free end must be fixed to any corner. During winding, the rope should fit as tightly as possible to the pipe, this guarantees its integrity during use by the animal. The other end of the rope must be fixed in a hole that will have to be made in the upper part of the pipe.
- Sun lounger. You can make the scratching post more functional by placing a lounger on top of the pipe. It is made by analogy with the base. The difference is that the space between the board and the fabric is filled with foam rubber. It will be pleasant for the animal to lie on this stand. When the bed is ready, it is fixed to the end of the upper pipe using furniture corners that are secured with screws or nails.
You can also offer many other ideas for making a scratching post with your own hands.
rope post
If you don’t want to bother making the cat house described above, you can make a simpler option - rope post. The master class for creating it looks like this: we will need a wooden beam, a plastic pipe or a board. You need to wrap a rope around the base. This must be done very carefully so that each turn is adjacent to each other as tightly as possible. For greater strength, the rope is secured with nails, driving them in at a distance of 10 cm from each other.
By following these fairly simple steps, you will have an excellent tool for sharpening claws. So that the animal can start using the post, it is placed on a heavy, stable base and fixed to it. This will allow you not to worry that your cat will be able to turn the device over while sharpening its claws.
If desired, you can add a padded shelf to the end of the pipe. Having played enough, the animal will begin to look for a suitable place to rest.
Personal rug on the wall
You will bring joy to your pet if you make for him such a version of a scratching post as personal rug mounted on the wall. This design will be of interest to those owners who do not have the time or desire to make bulky devices for sharpening claws. Making such a rug is simple, since you will need very affordable materials for it: wooden planks, carpet, felt or other dense upholstery material and self-tapping screws.
So, let's move on to the master class. First, we take the fabric and cut out a flap from it, which we hang on the wall, fixing it with strips. They are attached on all sides so that the structure takes the shape of a square or rectangle. When you get a small cat in your house, you can easily teach it to use this device. If you are making a scratching post for an adult animal, then you can let him know what it is if treat the rug with your pet's favorite scent.
forest thicket
You can also do it even simpler, without spending a lot of time and effort on making a special device for sharpening claws. While walking, try to find a dry tree without leaves or a thick branch with a large number of knots and branches. The branch will serve as an excellent material for making a scratching post, which can turn into a real gymnastic corner for an animal.
Corner scratching post
This version of a cat house for sharpening claws can act as a wall for your pet to climb on.
For greater clarity, we will describe a master class on making this device. To make it, you will need boards that must match the width of the door jamb. On top of them attach thick furniture fabric or wind rope. When the claw clipper is ready, it is attached to one side door frame. Usually it occupies the entire height of the opening. Having access to such a device, the cat will have the opportunity to sharpen its claws, as well as perform other movements necessary for development - to pull itself up, climb up and down the door frame.
The cost of a homemade scratching post
Making a homemade scratching post is very profitable, since the costs in this case are 3 times less than if you purchased the device in a store. In addition, a homemade claw clipper is superior to its store-bought counterpart in terms of its performance characteristics. It is distinguished by such qualities as increased functionality, stability and reliability.
Conclusion
Every cat owner knows that their pet regularly has the urge to sharpen its claws. To prevent the animal from causing damage to the furniture in the house, it is recommended to ensure that there is a special device in the house - a scratching post. Moreover, you don’t have to go to a pet store for this, because you can make it yourself. If you follow the step-by-step instructions for creating this device, you can make it at minimal cost functional and reliable device for your pet. If the owner does not have enough time, then he can choose more simple options scratching posts, which will allow him to save even more.
