DIY Cat Climbing Tree

Materials

• If this is your first time building a cat climbing tree, you may want to begin with a simple design. Consider building a simple carpeted post with a top perch. After you are able to master this design, you can move on to more advance multi-tiered cat climbing trees with a variety of perches. For the simple design, obtain a carpet tube, which will be the "trunk" of the climbing tree. Carpet tubes can be easily obtained from carpet stores; they tend to discard the heavy-duty cardboard tubes and will give them to you for free.

  You also need a base for the climbing tree. You can use an inexpensive sheet of plywood or particleboard. You can also use the plywood or particleboard for the climbing tree's perch. Purchase fake fur to wrap around the perch; lamb's wool is ideal for the perch. Finally, you need about two 100-foot rolls of jute rope.

Assembly

• Measure accurately before cutting the carpet tube. Make sure that the tube height is not beyond what the plywood base can support. A 4-foot tall carpet tube is ideal for a 3-foot-by-3-foot plywood base. Be careful when cutting the tube because you will be using a powered circular saw. The perch that sits atop the carpet tube should be about 14 inches square. You can affix the lamb's wool to the plywood base with a staple gun. Finally, use a hot-glue gun to attach the rope around the carpet tube.

Tips

• Attaching the carpet tube to the base and the perch can be a bit difficult. There are a few different methods. You can obtain metal "L" braces that you will screw into both the plywood base and the bottom of the carpet tube. Use the same technique for the perch and the tube. Alternatively, for a more streamlined design, you can cut round pieces from plywood and glue it to the top and bottom of the carpet tube. You can then screw or nail the tube to the base and the perch through the plywood pieces that you attached to the top and bottom of the tube.