Cat Condo Plan

Cat condos, towers and trees differ in only a few points. Pet stores sell similar products under all three names. Each has a tall, carpeted or rope-covered portion for the cat to use for climbing, one or more resting pads, and a hiding place or two. However, in many instance, a cat condo has a climbing portion, three resting pads, and two large hiding cubes. Without the hiding cubes, the condo becomes a cat tower, and without the resting pads, it is a scratching post.

  1. Basic Design Considerations

    • According to architects Lucinda Schlaffer AIA and Paul Bonacci AIA, ARQ, "It is helpful to have varied shapes and sizes of animal spaces to accommodate an asocial cat, or a small colony of cats, similarly dogs benefit from a change in environment to work on aggressive tendencies or excessive fear." Cat condos and other cat furniture are particularly important for any animal that will be kept indoors all the time. Decide how many hiding places and resting pads your condo needs. If you have just one cat, a single tower with one resting pad halfway up and one hiding place at the top or bottom will be plenty. If you have a multiple cat household, however, you will need one resting pad for every three cats, and one hiding place for every two cats.

    Accessibility

    • Choose a means of access. Young, agile cats may enjoy resting pads spaced far apart because they can stretch and jump farther. Older cats should have a gentle ramp if pads are not close to each other. Some of the hiding places may need larger openings to accommodate larger breeds, such as the Maine Coon, and older, heavier cats.

    Clearance

    • Make all resting pads wide enough for three cats to pass without touching. This enables one or two cats to lie down while a third continues to climb. Hiding spaces should be large enough to stand, turn around, and stretch full length while lying down. For two cats, the floor space should be at least two feet by three feet.

    Materials

    • Cover the flat surfaces with carpet, and at least one with sandpaper. The sandpaper surface will enable your cats to keep their claws sharpened, protecting the rest of your home. Cover upright portions with carpet or rope. Use a good quality carpet adhesive and allow it to dry overnight before allowing your cats to use the condo.

      Plywood, Masonite (R) or heavy cardboard are all acceptable materials for creating cat condos. Carpet tubes are strong and durable, and can often be obtained for free by asking local carpet installers to save them for you. They can be used as uprights or cut in half horizontally and sectioned to make curved resting pads. Heavy-duty moving boxes can be covered with carpet or upholstery fabric to make hiding places.

    Overdoing It

    • Cat lover Tom Hintz produced a cat condo in which "...18 columns, a total of 158 beads and 19 balls, among other spindle fanciness, highlight the excesses resulting from a near total lack of design control." While poking light-hearted fun at himself, he tells an important truth: it is easy to go overboard when building cat furniture. As long as you are using the project as an opportunity to practice new skills or shake down your latest shop tool, have fun with it. Just keep costs in mind versus what your cat will actually use and enjoy.