Do-it-yourself cat house: a detailed master class on how to make it yourself, selection of materials, types of construction

Hammocks and beds

A small hammock for cats looks original and cute, similar to a real one, designed for humans. The fabric can be hung anywhere by securing it firmly at the four corners. For example, a hammock under a chair will allow you to watch your pussy during moments of relaxation.

The bed is an original bed for pets, made in the form of baskets or boxes. For the comfort of the animal, a soft mattress is included. A mustachioed friend will appreciate such a piece of furniture and will be happy to relax there.

Decorative finishing

Now that the entire structure is fastened together, you can start decorating. The boxes are different colors so I will have to drape them. First, I will cover them with thin white cardboard.

You can also use watercolor or acrylic paint to prime the surface - any light color will do for this, you don’t have to use white.

I carefully glue the sheets. If there are protruding edges of the paper, I quietly trim them to the desired length.

Next step: I drape it with burlap. I measured the box with a tape measure and wrote down all the measurements on a piece of paper. As the saying goes: measure twice, cut once (see diagram above).

I will sheathe only on two sides, since these are the front sides, they will be visible. You don't have to worry about the rest.

I mark everything on the fabric and make cutouts from burlap. I put them on the product and pierce the cardboard with an awl (or screwdriver) in advance to make it easier to thread the needle. I do preliminary fittings on site.

I did not drape or seal the box with the window, since it matches the color well.

Advice: if the needle has a sharp end, be careful with your fingers. As with the awl, use a block of wood or a book with a thick cover. Take your time. It’s better to do everything thoughtfully, avoiding mini-injuries and mistakes.

Booth houses

A cozy nest for a cat where she can be alone. Such a building is a full-fledged house with a roof. The stores offer models of different sizes and areas. Some of them include an external or internal scratching post. This practical move on the part of the manufacturers will protect the furniture from the sharp claws of the pet. An important advantage is the beautiful appearance of the booth. If desired, owners of domestic cats will be able to decorate the house with additional safe elements.

Requirements for a cat house

When choosing a design, it is recommended to take into account the needs of the animal, which may depend on the breed, age and character. Therefore, the cat house must meet the following requirements. The design should be:

• safe;
• fenced;
• durable, reliable, the house should not fall when the cat jumps;
• capable of supporting the weight of an animal (if you have a kitten, you need to study the maximum weight of an adult representative of this breed) or several pets at once;
• as closed as possible;
• suitable in size (if there are several cats, then the house should be such that several loungers fit in it);
• easily accessible for the animal, while it is worth taking into account individual characteristics, some of them like heights, while others feel more comfortable closer to the floor;
• cleanable, the material should not easily absorb odors, because they can scare away the cat.

A cat should feel comfortable in its house

Scratching posts, hanging toys, and hammocks would be useful for a cat's house. This will save space in the room. It is advisable to provide as many different holes and lying surfaces as possible to give your pet a choice.

Built into furniture

Universal pieces of furniture that include sitting areas for the cat. This could well be a closet with three compartments, two of which contain the owners’ personal belongings, and the third section is equipped as a resting place for a mustachioed friend. A good idea on how to make a house for a cat is bookshelves, where scratchers love to sleep.

Such models can hardly be found in pet stores, but loving owners will always come up with something to make a house for a cat from. They are ready to allocate a free part of the furniture for the rest of their furry friend.

Safety precautions

Before we begin building a cat house on our own, I want to remind you of the important principles of handling sharp objects.

Be extremely careful when working with a utility knife. Try to cut on a hard surface. When cutting, take your time. Be careful not to get your fingers caught under the blade. Do not point the blade towards yourself - the cutting occurs strictly away from you. This also applies to scissors.

When you pierce the workpiece with an awl (or a screwdriver), it is best to do this with rotational and translational movements. And you don’t need to use your hand as a support on the back side! Take a wooden block or an old book with a thick cover.

Compact furniture

This piece of furniture will be appreciated by owners who love to photograph their pets. Their sleeping places are real beds or sofas, only of miniature size. As a decoration, the crib is covered with a bedspread of unprecedented beauty, the pillows are embroidered with multi-colored patterns. A miniature crib that has become an exact copy of the owners’ bed will look impressive.

How to quickly and easily make a home for your beloved pet

Manufacturing Instructions

If you want to easily and quickly make a home for your beloved pet, the instructions will help you, which describe all the stages of production.
So what might you need?

Large cardboard box. The size of the house will depend on the size of your cat, but on average it should be a house of 0.35 * 0.5 meters. What height should it be? The cat should freely enter the house and at the same time it should be comfortable to lie/sit in it. Scissors, glue, paper cutter. Soft material for upholstery - in this case, foam rubber, or voluminous soft fabric/batting will help you out, and an unnecessary old jacket or blanket will also do.

Fabric for decoration - it is better to give preference to dense natural fabrics with calm colors; the use of bouclé fabric, faux fur and carpet is allowed. If you manage to find a box of the right size, then you should prepare it before starting work, namely, remove the labels and clean it with a stiff brush. If the box is very large or made of regular sheet cardboard, it may be worth cutting it out and assembling it. Now draw a hole on the end part, which should be large enough so that the cat can easily enter the house. If you have a kitten, circle a saucer on a piece of cardboard. After this, cut out the hole with the prepared cutter

If something turns out uneven, don’t worry, just make the diameter a little larger. Be sure to pay attention to gluing all the joints, since the house must be reliable and durable so that your tail can feel comfortable in it. It is better to carry out this process using tape or regular glue - all parts of the box should be glued to each other, and if necessary, the joints should be sealed with strips of paper or fabric. Next, you should thoroughly dry the product before the next manufacturing steps. Cover the house with soft material

To do this, use the material that you chose in advance and superglue, although it can be replaced with regular adhesive. It is also possible to sew fabric to cardboard, but keep in mind that the option with paper clips is definitely not suitable, as the kitten may accidentally start gnawing on it and get hurt or get caught with a claw, which will also be painful. After the house, which has been covered with soft material, has dried, you can move on to the penultimate stage, namely upholstery. First you need to make a pattern with allowances and then carefully glue the inside of the house. Try to keep the seams as small as possible. It is best to cover the seams with a large amount of overlapping fabric. And the last thing - all that remains is to sew a small pillow and a blanket from light material (observation - cats adore the terry fabric from which they make dressing gowns for the house, apparently a reminder of their mother). No, the cat, of course, will not cover herself with a blanket, but she will be able to crush it herself as it is convenient for her and create a warm nest.

As you can see, sewing a cat house using a pattern is not that difficult, but this is a standard option. Let's find out what manufacturing tips there are.

General recommendations

For what reasons is it worth making a house yourself and not buying houses from a pet store?

• Yes, the issue of saving is clearly not the least important issue when it comes to making a cat house. Have you ever found out how much a really good cat house costs? From 12,000 to 20,000 rubles. The amount is impressive, and not every pet owner can afford it. Naturally, there are products on sale at a lower price, but usually they are made in the Middle Kingdom, and responsible owners will not risk the health of their beloved pet.
• Originality of design. Some people want to create a unique piece for the interior, while for others the size of the house is important, while others may have dreamed all their lives of creating a real cat palace that is 100% safe and durable.
• The love of making everything with your own hands is a great reason to make something for your cat. After all, you must admit that we now work so rarely with our hands that some people try to specifically find a reason, and one of them is to benefit their beloved cat, and this is far from the worst thing to do (better than swans made of tires).

Cardboard house

The main advantage of a cardboard house is the variety of models. Cardboard houses are assembled in the form of a birdhouse, castle, tent, cave. And that is not all…

It is possible to assemble a cardboard house yourself. On the Internet you can find sample templates that will help you get the job done right. But do not forget that a house made of such material is not durable. Having played out, the pet can easily destroy its building. Owners should not be upset. You can always make a new “fortress”.

Tent made from T-shirt and hanger

Having only a piece of cardboard and tape at your disposal instead of a whole box, you can quickly build a camping home for your pet. The frame will be flexible hangers or pieces of thick wire twisted together, and the awning will be the same unnecessary T-shirt from your own wardrobe.

The tent structure is more stable compared to boxes, because an angry “Schrödinger’s cat” can easily overturn its container.

Simple cardboard house

The simplest option that even a third grade student can handle. The main thing is to carefully follow the instructions on how to make a house for a cat.

You will need:

• Textile;
• cardboard;
• scotch;
• colored paper;
• scissors.

As a basis, you need to choose a box of such a size that the cat not only fits there, but can feel freedom. Fabric is needed for interior decoration to give coziness to an animal’s home. The design of the facade depends on the scope of the owner’s imagination.

Assembly instructions:

You need to cut out the bottom and top of the first box, then spray paint from a spray bottle. It is advisable to complete the drawings and take the dimensions of the house for your furry friend. It is important not to forget to cut out the windows and the entrance to the home.

The parts that have been cut out are connected using adhesive tape and the roof is installed. You can decorate parts of the house with colored paper, making something like tiles. At this point the assembly process ends and the cat can celebrate a housewarming party.

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Step by step instructions

You don’t have to buy a ready-made house - you can make such a corner for your cat yourself.

Option one: Simple house

1. Choose a box in which the animal fits freely, even stretched out to its full height. Make a hole for entry. Place a stencil or plate on the cardboard wall.

2. Trace with a pencil. Then a round entrance is cut out along the contour.
3. A roof is made from the top of the box. The cardboard is cut off both from the entrance side and from the opposite side. This provides ventilation inside the structure. Then the sides are connected with the edges on top. They are fastened with a stapler or glue. A pillow is placed inside.

Option two: Cocoon house made of rings

To make such a “cocoon” you will need a compass.

Procedure:

1. Draw the outlines of the disks onto the cardboard using a compass. In total, you need to draw 7-8 groups of circles of 4 disks of the same size. The largest disks (7 pieces) should have a radius of 21.5 cm. The remaining disks should decrease in diameter by 2 cm. 7 disks of the smallest and largest size should be set aside. From the rest you need to cut rings 4 cm wide with a knife.
2. Cut out the discs using a stationery knife.

3. Assemble the tower halfway. To do this, put the disks on top of each other.

4. They make an entrance. Outline its borders and cut it out with a knife.

5. Place a pillow in a completely dry house or cover the floor with a cloth.

This option is perfect not only for an adult cat, but also for a kitten.

Option three: 2-storey apartments

A 2-story house is suitable for an active cat. To make it, it is better to use hot glue. You will also need door and window templates.

Detailed instructions:

1. Select boxes for the first and second floors.
2. Attach the templates to the boxes in the right places and trace their outlines with a pencil.
3. Cut out window and door openings with a utility knife.
4. Cut off the 2 upper flaps located nearby from the first box.
5. Do the same with the second box, but from below.
6. Glue the doors to each other in each box.
7. Draw triangles on the two smaller flaps at the top.
8. Glue them from below to two adjacent sashes to form a roof.
9. Glue or fasten the top and bottom boxes together.
10. Lay a rug inside the house.

Tent

Instead of the usual house, you can pitch a tent for your mustachioed friend. It is desirable that it be mobile. This model will also make it easy for a skilled owner to make a similar design.

You will need:

• Old jacket;
• cardboard;
• wire 0.4 mm.

Assembly instructions:

From copper wire we construct two identical frames in the shape of an arc. We install the frames on thick cardboard from 4 corners. A jacket is put on top, the sleeves of which are fixed at the back. The neck of the sweater will become like an entrance to the tent. If you wish, instead of an unnecessary sweater, you can buy thick fabric in a calm color and use it as the main material.

Process of creation

To start making a cat house with your own hands, you need to determine its future location. It is more logical to put everything on the top of shelves, cabinets, refrigerators, since furry ones like to be high up, and the product will not take up precious space on the floor. I chose a place in the kitchen.

Due to the fact that the shelves are much higher than the refrigerator, the house will have to be placed accordingly. First, I’ll try everything on the ground, then I’ll start marking and cutting. I recommend drawing a diagram first (example below).

So. I take a big box. This will be the entrance. I'll outline it with a pencil and cut it out. You can completely remove the piece of cardboard, or you can leave something like a door to make it more fun for the cats to squeeze in. I will also make a cutout on the top to make it even more interesting to climb in and play.

Next I take a smaller piece. This will be a corridor from the “hall” (aka entrance) to the “bedroom” (naturally, the cats don’t care what you call it). It is better to take a larger manhole box to make it easier for animals to pass through it.

Let's mark the entry point from the corridor on the bedroom box. And as a finishing touch, we’ll make a large window in the bedroom, so that it’s convenient for those with a mustache to watch from above. For beauty, I’ll make it in the shape of a cat’s face.

This is done very simply: I take a compass and draw a circle. Now we finish drawing the ears with a pencil. The muzzle is ready!

Now I take scissors, a stationery knife and cut out the remaining holes, remove everything unnecessary - but I don’t touch the “ears”, since these will be the attachment points.

Once all the “doors” are cut out, it’s time to start connecting the hall, hallway and bedroom. To do this, I take a needle with a thick eye and nylon/canvas thread.

Why is it important to stitch when it's easier to tape? It is indeed easier, but this design will not last long, since the cats will not be careful in the new shelter. And the thread will hold the structure together, if not for centuries, then certainly for several years.

To fix the structure, I use tape at the clipping stage (I took reinforced tape for clarity). Armed with an awl or screwdriver, I pierce the places where the needle and thread will pass.

Important: make a larger knot so that the thread does not slip through the hole. Start stitching from the inside so that there are no threads or knots sticking out on the front part.

Advice: the most important thing is to be patient. The main difficulty is that everything falls out of hand, the boxes move apart, the cutout turns out to be uneven, and so on. Don't worry or be nervous. This is the advantage of building a cat house with your own hands from boxes - you can always start over by simply taking new material.

Corrugated cardboard house

The idea of ​​​​creating such a house came to the minds of the inventive Japanese. There are no difficulties in making a home for a pet and it will please cats of any temperament. The house looks like a beehive due to the combination of raised cardboard lines. The craft can be given different shapes. The most popular are spherical shapes. The ribbed structure of this type of cardboard will allow the cat to sharpen its claws at the right time.

You will need:

• Cardboard;
• PVA glue;
• soft bedding.

Manufacturing instructions:

You need to cut circles out of corrugated cardboard. The size of the circles must follow the bending lines of the future house. Then the elements are glued together with ordinary office glue. For the comfort of your pet, it is advisable to lay a pillow inside the ball.

Plywood house

It is possible to build a house from plywood. You need to prepare the necessary material and carefully carry out all stages of the work, following the step-by-step instructions for creating a house yourself.

You will need:

• Fastening tool;
• carpet;
• beam;
• rope;
• sandpaper.

Construction method:

The house model consists of a lift and a miniature booth. Elements of the house are cut out of a piece of plywood - the roof, a small ramp and walls. Be sure to sand the edges of plywood elements. Then, using staples, the parts of the house are covered with fabric and fastened.

The base mounted to the booth must be slightly wider than the main structure for making the ladder. The legs are attached to the base. A shelf is attached from above to a beam wrapped with rope using a tool.

You can look at pets endlessly. We must love them and create comfortable living conditions.,

Required materials and tools

When planning to make a house for your pet with your own hands, you need to stock up on the necessary materials and tools.

Advice!

The main thing to remember is that all devices must be of the highest quality, without a strong odor and pleasant to the touch.

At the slightest discomfort, the pet will simply refuse to use the prepared house.

To make a comfortable place for a cat you will need:

1. Cardboard. Both plain and corrugated sheets, as well as ready-made boxes and crates, are suitable here.
2. Sharp cutting objects (knife and scissors).
3. Stationery (ruler and pencil).
4. Glue. Particular attention should be paid to the choice of this particular ingredient. It should not have a pungent odor, since the four-legged pet has a very acute sense of smell.
   

   It is important to check the packaging for confirmation of environmental safety.

5. Upholstery. When choosing a material, you need to concentrate on density and softness.
6. Internal lining. It must have water-repellent properties.
7. Wide tape.

Photo of a homemade cat house

Dimensions and shape

In order for a cat to want to live in a house made for it, you need to take into account a number of points

It is important not to make a mistake with the dimensions of the product: they must necessarily correspond to the parameters of the animal. The main thing is that the pet fits in this structure, lying on its side, and ideally it should have enough space for stretching after sleep, and for a claw point

For a pet of average parameters, a cubic structure is suitable, the width of which will be at least 50 cm, and the height – from 30 cm. Then the entrance should have a width of no more than 15–20 cm, otherwise the animal will not feel safe.

Age

It is better to make not just a house for kittens, but a play complex. Such animals are active and require room to move. Older cats are calmer, and classic housing in the form of a house with a flat or 1-2 pitched roof is suitable for them.

Habits

If the animal is an adult, then it will not be able to change its habits, so when making a new house you need to try to preserve as much as possible the dimensions, location of the entrance and other parameters of its previous home.

What materials can be used

A variety of materials can be used in production. I will describe all the elements of the product and tell you what materials these parts can be made from.

Sleeping area

There should be a rigid frame with a roof (if you are making a house) or without (if it is more of an open or partially open bed) and a soft bed. To make a frame you can use:

• tree;
• cardboard;
• plastic;
• light metal tubes;
• plywood and chipboard;
• textile.

Litter

sewn from fabric and filled with printed material:

• foam;
• padding polyester;
• straw;
• foamed polystyrene or other special granules.

A claw sharpener is made from a piece of wood and winding - you can use synthetic ropes and natural jute or hemp.

House with all amenities

The most popular, but not the easiest to make yourself, are houses that have everything necessary for cats.

• There is room here for a whole gaming complex for a friend.
• Such houses must have an observation deck where cats love to lie down, the house itself, a scratching post, which is also a staircase to the top, and favorite toys.
• Many owners add a hammock to such houses.
• You can assemble a gaming complex from wood and metal fasteners. A small log is used as a scratching post, which is covered with twine.

A warm pillow must be added to the house for the cat to sleep on. Housing of this quality is difficult to make and requires some knowledge.