Do-It-Yourself Cat Posts and Trees

Cats are famous for their inquisitive natures. However, they are also famous for the damage that their claws can cause to couches, chairs and other pieces of furniture. Providing them with a place to sleep, play, hide and scratch can improve the happiness of your cat and extend the life of your furniture. Building a scratching post or a cat tree can be done using a few key materials and some creativity.

Things You'll Need

  • Square pieces of 1-inch-thick plywood
  • Wooden posts in various heights
  • Pile carpeting
  • 3/8-inch sisal rope
  • Staple gun
  • 1/2-inch staples
  • 1-inch wire nails
  • Drywall screws and washers
  • Drill
  • Hammer
  • Utility blade
  • Work gloves
  • Table or circular saw
  • Glue gun
  • Hot glue sticks
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Instructions

    • 1

      Sketch out your idea for the cat post. This will give you an idea of the materials and sizes you'll need before you begin construction. A simple cat post only requires a square base and a vertical post, while more elaborate cat trees can have multiple posts and platforms at varying heights. You can plan to build your cat tree from pre-cut pieces of wood, or use a table or circular saw to cut them to custom sizes.

    • 2

      Lay out the plywood pieces that will become the platforms and base for the cat tree. Measure out enough carpet to cover each and cut the pieces with a utility blade. To cover the base, measure out at least 3 inches more carpeting than needed on each side to allow it to wrap around the sides and part of the bottom of the base. For the platforms, measure twice the area of one side of the platform and add an extra 3 inches on each side to ensure full coverage.

    • 3

      Cut holes in the middle of the carpet of the base, wide enough to fit your vertical posts, using the utility blade. Attach the carpet to the base using a staple gun and 1/2-inch staples along the top, sides and bottom.

    • 4

      Align the vertical posts with the holes in the base. Fasten washers to several drywall screws and use the drill to fasten the vertical posts to the base, drilling into the posts from the bottom of the base.

    • 5

      Cut holes in the carpet pieces for each platform, wide enough to for your vertical posts, using the utility blade. Slide the carpet pieces, plush side toward the base, down each vertical post.

    • 6

      Attach each platform to its vertical post using the drywall screws and washers by drilling from the top of the platform down into the vertical post. This will complete the main structure of your cat tree.

    • 7

      Attach the remaining carpet pieces to your platforms, stapling them in place with the staple gun. Use carpet scraps to fill any holes or the utility knife to cut off excess.

    • 8

      Put on work gloves, take the sisal rope and fasten one end to the base of your vertical post with several wire nails. Slowly wrap the rope around the vertical post, compressing it downwards to ensure that it lies tight against the wood. Once it is coiled to the opposite end of the vertical post, fasten it to the top using several wire nails and cut off the excess. Repeat for other vertical posts, or you can choose to leave them as raw wood.