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Alexander Korovaev 03/17/2020
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A cat is a rather capricious animal, and it is not so easy to please it. She hates drafts, cannot stand sharp extraneous sounds, smells, and is wary of any changes in the house. Therefore, if you decide to make a house for a cat with your own hands, be sure to take into account all its whims. Otherwise, she will simply ignore the new home.
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.
Requirements
The building for cats must meet the following requirements:
- The height of the structure is as close as possible to the level where the animal spends the most time (bedside table, chair, bed, etc.), but should not be less than 40 centimeters.
- There is no unpleasant smell of chemicals in the house, otherwise the pet simply will not accept it.
- The home is suitable for the size of the pet, it should be comfortable in it (the size for an average cat is at least 40*40 centimeters).
- The structure must be strong, safe and stable.
- The circumference of the entrance to the structure is at least 15-20 centimeters.
- The cleanliness of the house must be carefully monitored.
- To make the building, only high-quality, environmentally friendly materials are used so as not to harm the health of its occupant (plywood, cardboard, concrete, cotton).
- It is recommended to build a playground in the home.
- If a scratching post is installed in the structure, access to it should be free. Otherwise, the pet will sharpen its claws on walls, wallpaper, etc.
- In a multi-tiered house it is necessary to make an additional exit. This is how animals arrange their homes in the wild.
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.
General recommendations
There are a number of rules that will help you prepare for work on arranging a hut for a cat.
A small house for your pet
First, learn the most basic ones:
- Before you start building a house for an animal, think about what materials you will use. It is better to use fabric made from natural fibers and natural wood in such work. These materials are the safest for cats. But in any store they are expensive. And Chinese analogues, as a rule, consist of synthetics and plastic.
- You need to clearly understand what kind of house you want to make. To do this, draw it on a piece of paper in advance. Such a sketch will help you not to forget anything. You will also properly plan the purchase of materials and prepare the means at hand.
- This is a fun activity for parents with children. After all, participation in the creative process always brings joy.
Use only quality materials
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.
Plywood forest hut
Let's move on to labor-intensive undertakings - the girl imagines a cat's house based on fairy tales. This is a realistic copy of a Russian hut, through the roof of which a tree “sprouted” and in the spring it turned green with fresh foliage.
To make such a thing, considerable resources and special skills will be required, but as you watch, faith in your abilities strengthens, because the presentation is as intelligible as possible.
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.
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”.
Required materials
Plywood house
An original house can even be made from improvised means or materials left over after renovating an apartment.
If you allocate some money for the “construction” of the house and purchase several wooden slats or plywood, as well as soft and durable fabric for covering, you will be able to make an original design structure that you will not be ashamed to show to guests.
So, you may need:
- cardboard : if you think that the structure made from it will be too flimsy, then you are deeply mistaken; to obtain a durable structure, it is enough to glue it in several layers
- plywood, fibreboard, chipboard or hardboard : with the help of these durable materials you can even build a multi-storey house or palace house
- wooden slats : they can be used as spacers when creating a structure covered with fabric or upholstered in plywood
- PVC pipes and fittings for connecting them : they can easily replace wooden slats, and the structure from them will be no less durable
- carpet, felt or foam rubber : they can be useful not only for arranging a bed, but also for covering the side walls
- durable fabric or fur for making a bed
- any kind of cat toys for hanging
- wooden block for scratching post
- hemp or jute twine for covering it
Do not use highly electrified fabrics for upholstery. They will scare the animal.
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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Select an option
Building a house for a cat will not be difficult; it is enough to take into account a number of factors that take into account the behavior of the animal. If you approach the problem formally, then you can make a house, but it will simply take up space and gather dust. First of all, you should observe the animal to determine where the cat likes to rest. Most cats prefer to climb to heights, hiding in a secluded place, although there are some that simply rest on the floor. In this case, a lot depends on the breed of the animal.
First you need to decide on the choice of design
Design approaches
Not all cats behave the same way, so the approach can be highly individual. It is typical for cats to have two passages into the house, which is associated with the evacuation of the offspring in case of danger, although many owners castrate or sterilize their animals in a timely manner. To build a house, you can use pipes or other similar structures. However, they do not like wide openings, as this leads to a feeling of danger. In this regard, the entrance to the house should be narrow enough so that the animal can crawl into it freely. Most cats prefer heights, and in houses on the floor they can live with their offspring. If cats do not have offspring, then they will choose a larger house located at some distance from the floor, although, as mentioned above, everything is purely individual.
Cats prefer upper floors
Cats will definitely choose a higher place with a good view, as they love to watch what is happening around them. They prefer to be on platforms and are rarely seen lying in the house. For a cat, it is important that there are many areas, and of such a size that the animal can lie on them at full length. Such areas do not need to be fenced, since cats feel comfortable at heights. If owners make fences, it’s more for their own peace of mind, but cats don’t need them.
Place for a cat
If the cat does not have offspring, then cats, no less than cats, love to be on sites and watch everything that happens from above. At the same time, one should not ignore the desire of a cat, like a male cat, to sometimes retire and relax so that no one disturbs them. At the same time, it should be noted that there are breeds that are not intrusive in their behavior and try to retire. Therefore, both cats and cats need a house.
Adding some elements
The term “cat house” should be understood as a whole complex of elements with platforms and other useful additions. As a rule, animals choose the areas they like, and appear on some of them quite rarely. It is quite difficult to determine in advance which of the areas the animal will like, which is why it is necessary to build a whole complex.
Additional, but very useful elements in the cat complex are scratching posts and climbing frames. Scratching posts are vertical surfaces wrapped in ropes made from natural ingredients, while climbing frames are horizontal and inclined surfaces designed to allow the animal to move between different levels of the complex. By the way, scratching posts are also used by animals to climb onto the upper tiers or platforms.
Hammocks and claw pads
A hammock is another element that will not interfere with a cat’s complex. It is a rectangular piece of fabric that is attached to two crossbars. You can make the frame rigid and hem fabric to it, after which the frame is attached to the base at 4 corners.
As an option, it is permissible to hang toys on strings that animals simply adore and can play with for hours.
Cats simply love pipes that are made of fabric. To make the structure rigid, wire is inserted around the perimeter into the ends of the pipe. One end of the pipe should be raised to a certain height, and the second should be left on the floor. There must be a gap at the end of the pipe, otherwise the cat will ignore such an element. Animals can spend a lot of time in pipes because they feel like hunters in ambush.
Fabric pipes
Few people know that cats really like it if you take clothing brushes and attach them to a vertical surface, somewhere at the level of the animal’s back. Cats simply love to scratch themselves on these surfaces, which are made of medium-hard artificial bristles.
At what altitude
For any cat, the higher the resting place is located, the better, since in such conditions they feel safe. Therefore, in such cases, the cat house can be located even under the ceiling itself. Regardless of how many tiers there are in this complex, the top one will be mostly occupied. If there are several cats, then the leader will be located on the top “floor,” but despite this, this “floor” will remain controversial for the animals and each of the cats will want to be the first to occupy it.
Place right under the ceiling
It is believed that the smallest height of a cat's corner is one meter. A low height appears to be safe even for small kittens, but as they age, they will still move to higher tiers when they feel that they are capable of it.
Options for walls
The best option is to place a seating area on the wall, since it can take up about 1 square meter on the floor. Considering our apartments, where every square meter counts, a place for a cat on the floor is quite problematic, but placing it on the wall is not a problem at all, just secure it properly. Several platforms can be secured and connected by transitions from boards, placing them at different angles. As an option, you can use rope ladders, which the animals will certainly enjoy. In other words, there is a huge field for imagination, but at the same time you also need to have desire.
Wall options
Such elements are also called shelves for cats, since they are quite similar to shelves for books, since their fastening is identical. Cats and cats happily exploit such feline complexes.
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.
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.
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.,
Step-by-step production of a complex for two cats
When an owner has two cats, it is necessary to build a house for them taking into account their behavior, and so that they do not interfere with each other. The behavior of cats can be different: some cats are friends and easily get along on the same site, and there are times when one of them dominates. In this case, we can assume that one of them will want to take the most comfortable and highest place. If the cats are not friends, then it is better to separate the platforms, but if they are friends, then you can build one common, but large platform at the very top of the structure.
Materials and finished house
For this design, plywood up to 12 mm thick is suitable, as well as pillars made of wooden beams measuring 50 by 70 mm and at least 4 meters long. You will also need a jute-based carpet, about 2 and a half square meters, and a rope up to 20 meters long. Corners with a side of 15 by 20 mm for the house and 40 by 45 mm for attaching platforms are suitable as fasteners. For fastening to the wall, you can use a pair of large corners, measuring 50 by 50 mm.
Fastening the main elements
The basis is a structure consisting of 3 pillars of different heights: 220 cm, 120 cm and 80 cm. The pillars are securely attached to the base, which is a plywood sheet. These load-bearing elements are placed so that the longest one is as close to the wall as possible in order to securely secure the entire structure. The placement of the posts is marked directly on the plywood sheet using a pencil. The posts can be secured using long nails driven into the back of the sheet, but first holes of the appropriate diameter are drilled for them. For reliability, the pillars are fastened with metal corners of the appropriate size.
Marking
Using the same method, holes are marked in the platforms through which the pillars should pass. It is better to make the holes slightly larger than the size of the posts, since they are still attached using corners. If the holes turn out to be somewhat smaller, then they will then have to be further processed either with a file, or a jigsaw, or sandpaper.
Fastening platforms
Before attaching the platform, it should be tried on and, if necessary, adjusted to size. It is desirable that the platform, and all other elements, be fixed strictly horizontally. To do this, you can use a building level. For reliability, the platform is attached using corners. After this, all platforms are covered with carpet, and this must also be done reliably, otherwise the animals will tear it away from the base.
House assembly
The body of the house is assembled from 4 rectangular pieces of plywood, which serve as the walls of the house, and a hole should be cut in one of the rectangles so that the cat can crawl through it. For the floor and roof, another rectangular section is cut out. To connect all the elements of the house, it is enough to use small metal corners and self-tapping screws. The fasteners must be such that none of the elements, especially the sharp ones, come out, although many of the fastener elements will be located under the skin.
Ship assembly
The most important thing is not to forget to upholster the house from the inside, after which you can fasten the roof, which is also sheathed with the same material. The finished house is attached to the planned location using the same metal corners as in the case of platforms.
Wrapping ropes around poles
The last stage is wrapping the poles with ropes, which will serve as scratching posts for the animals. In addition, design elements for animals will be more attractive. Before wrapping the rope around the pole, it is secured with a bracket. Staples are also used for intermediate fastening of ropes, as well as for final fastening. The rope should be wound tightly, otherwise it will loosen over time. To prevent this from happening, each turn or several are compacted at once with a hammer.
Wrapping poles with ropes
Building a cat house with your own hands does not take much time and can take no more than half a day, although more complex designs take much longer. In the following video you can see how a similar structure is assembled.
How I built a cat house with my own hands. The cat is SHOCKED! /How To Make a Cat House
