How to Create a Cat Condo

A luxurious cat condo is the ideal way to treat your pampered pet to her own space for playing and sleeping, while providing a diversion to keep her from clawing up your own furniture and drapes from boredom. Store-bought scratching posts and play areas are pricey and may not fit in the corner you have designated for the project. Making a cat condo yourself provides for unlimited freedom to create a one-of-a-kind tower for your cat.

Things You'll Need

  • Carpet tubes
  • Plywood
  • Carpet
  • Carpet glue
  • Jute rope
  • Staple gun
  • Staples
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Instructions

    • 1

      Sketch out the size and shape of your cat condo. Most condos include a flat area for sunning or sitting, one or more enclosed spaces for sleeping, a scratching post and dangling toys. Your cat's personality will determine the type of space you want to build. If she prefers sleeping in small spaces, include a dark cubbyhole for her to curl up in. If she loves to scratch and climb, construct a tall tower with a series of scratching posts available.

    • 2

      Construct the basic frame for your cat condo. Cut a carpet tube to the desired lengths for support posts or scratching posts. You may want to make every exposed post a scratching area. Construct enclosed cubbyholes from chipboard or particle board. Use a sheet of plywood for the base. Nail the pieces together securely, and ensure that no exposed nails are left on the construction.

    • 3

      Cover the pillars with jute rope. Staple one end of the rope to the pillar, about 2 inches from the top. Pull the rope up to the top of the pillar and begin winding it tightly around the post. As you work your way down, the rope should completely cover the end point where it is stapled to the post. When you reach the bottom, secure with a knot and staple the bottom end of the rope to a surrounding area of plywood or particle board.

    • 4

      Cover flat areas of the cat condo with carpet. This will also cover the ends of the jute rope. You may be able to obtain carpet scraps for free from a carpeting store if you aren't particular about the color or material. Glue the carpet to the plywood or chipboard with carpet glue. Secure the edges of each carpet piece with a staple gun.

    • 5

      Attach cat toys to string and staple these to the undersides of various platforms, so the toys dangle enticingly for your cats to play with.