How to Build Your Own Cat Play Tower

Indoor cats love to climb and play just as much as outdoor cats. However, when your house is full of nice furniture, expensive collectibles or other things you'd rather not have ruined, a playful cat can cause lots of damage. That's why it is important to provide your cat with some furniture of its own. You can purchase cat towers in stores, but that can get expensive. Fortunately, you can just as simply and inexpensively build your own cat tower out of something as simple as a step ladder.

Things You'll Need

  • 4-foot folding step ladder
  • Tape measure
  • 2-by-4 wood stud, cut to length
  • Hammer and nails
  • 12-inch diameter cardboard concrete mold, cut to length
  • Sisal rope
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Instructions

    • 1

      Open the ladder and stand it up as if you were going to use it.

    • 2

      Measure the space from the right-hand front leg to the right-hand back leg of the ladder and make a note of that measurement. Repeat this on the left side of the ladder.

    • 3

      Cut or have your wood stud cut into two pieces that match the lengths you recorded.

    • 4

      Nail one end of a wood stud to the back right-hand leg of the ladder, and nail the other end to the front right-hand leg. Repeat on the left side of the ladder. This creates a brace to keep the ladder open at all times, and when you've finished the ladder should look like it's skiing.

    • 5

      Place the cardboard concrete form between the legs of the ladder, and nail it into the wood stud braces to secure it. This makes a tunnel for the cats to play inside.

    • 6

      Wrap every exposed area of the ladder with sisal rope, including the steps, the legs, the braces and the tunnel. Secure the ends of the rope to the ladder by tacking with a nail. Wrap the rope tightly on each surface, as the cats will climb and scratch the rope and can tear it loose if it is not wrapped tightly enough.

    • 7

      Test the new tower for safety, making sure the braces and tunnel are secured to the structure and that the rope is snugly wrapped on the structure. Once everything checks out, you can allow your cats to play on the tower.