How to Make a Feline Wheelchair

When your cat is missing its back legs, building a feline wheelchair gives your cat a new freedom and mobility. The feline wheelchair is sturdy, affordable, and provides an increased quality of life for any cat that uses it. Purchasing a professional feline wheelchair from a pet supply store commonly costs hundreds of dollars; building one at home cuts that price to a small fraction, and allows your cat to enjoy a rich, happy life of enhanced movement and exercise.

Things You'll Need

  • 13-by-6-inch plastic box
  • Heavy duty shears
  • 2 pieces of plywood, 6-by-6 by-1/2 inch
  • 3 rolling casters, 2 inches tall
  • Screwdriver
  • 12 screws, 3/8-inch
  • Tape
  • 1 screw, 1 1/2-inch
  • 1 washer
  • Cat harness
  • Adhesive hooks-and-loops fastener tape
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Instructions

    • 1

      Cut away one end of the plastic box with the shears so that the cat can lay lengthwise in the box. Trim and smooth the side opening so that cat isn't poked by any uneven edges.

    • 2

      Screw the three rolling casters in a triangle pattern onto one piece of plywood with the 3/8-inch screws. Tighten them until all three are sturdily attached.

    • 3

      Tape the plywood piece, caster-side down, to the bottom of the box. Lay the cat's body in the box, with its head and front legs extending out of the box's opening. Encourage the cat to use its front legs to move the wheelchair. Adjust the position of the plywood piece on the bottom to suit the cat's size, weight and center of gravity.

    • 4

      Lay the second piece of plywood inside the box, directly mirroring the position of the plywood taped to the box's underside. Screw through the center of the top piece of plywood with the 1 1/2-inch screw, through the floor of the box, and through the center of the bottom piece of plywood on the underside.

    • 5

      Secure the center screw by firmly tightening the washer onto the bottom of the screw, protruding from the center of the base plywood.

    • 6

      Cut two 3-inch strips of the hooks side of the hooks-and-loops fastener tape. Peel away the adhesive backing, and stick them on each side of the box's opening, at the level of the cat's chest. Fasten the harness on your cat, and place the cat into the box.

    • 7

      Thread a long strip of the loops side of the hooks-and-loops fastener tape through the ring on the front of your cat's harness. Press the ends firmly into the two stationary strips of hooks on the sides of the box.