How to Make a PVC Cat Tower

Cats need to regularly exercise their claws. Not only do they enjoy this activity, but it is also necessary to allow them to shed their nail sheaths when new claws begin to emerge. Keeping your furniture intact with cats in the house doesn't have to be next to impossible if you provide your cats with a cat tower to scratch and play on. Buying a ready-made cat tower can be expensive, so many cat owners opt to make their own cat towers. The project is fairly simple and should take only a few hours to complete.

Things You'll Need

  • 10 to 15 sheets of 3/4-inch plywood in desired shapes
  • Drill and drill bits
  • Nail gun
  • Staple gun
  • Jigsaw
  • Utility knife
  • Epoxy
  • Wood glue
  • Carpet
  • Construction adhesive
  • 4 pieces of PVC pipe, 1 inch thick, at desired height
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Instructions

    • 1

      Attach two of the 3/4-inch sheets of plywood together for the base of the cat tower. Firmly roll wood glue onto each piece of plywood with the paint roller. Then use screws at each of the four corners of the plywood to ensure that the plywood sheets together.

    • 2

      Cut perches for the cat tower using the jigsaw and the remaining plywood. Trace the designs for the perches on the plywood and use the jigsaw to cut them out.

    • 3

      Cut the PVC pipe to the desired length. Use epoxy to coat the bottom of the PVC pipe and use the drill bits to carefully attach the PVC pipe to plywood base of the cat tower.

    • 4

      Attach the plywood perches to the top of the PVC piping with epoxy and the drill.

    • 5

      Cover the areas of the cat tower that your cats will be crawling through or climbing on with carpet. Use the utility knife to cut the carpet into pieces that are approximately the same size as the plywood. Use the staple gun to attach the carpet to the plywood. Use construction adhesive to attach carpet to the PVC pipes.