How to Make a Climbing and Scratching Tower for Cats

If you share your home with a cat, you already know they love to scratch their claws on carpets and furniture. They do this to keep their claws in shape and get rid of old pieces of claw, to mark their territory and to stretch and release energy. Providing your cat with its own scratching post can save your furnishings. Combine a scratching post with a tower the cat can climb, sleep on and play on. There are many designs from which to choose. A simple style is two platforms with posts and a scratching post connecting them. So spend a couple of hours making your cat a climbing and scratching tower.

Things You'll Need

  • Two pieces of particleboard or plywood 20 by 22 inches
  • Four wooden posts 30 inches long
  • Carpet
  • Sharp knife
  • Staple gun
  • Staples
  • Sisal rope
  • Glue
  • Hammer
  • Nails
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Instructions

    • 1

      Look at cat climbing and scratching tower designs on the Internet so you know what your finished product will look like. There are plenty of free cat tower designs on the web. The important features are a sturdy base that will not allow the tower to topple, a scratching post area that is high enough for the cat to scratch full length and a top platform they can climb to and where they can sit.

    • 2

      Cut a piece of carpet 24 by 26 inches, using a sharp knife. Use it to cover one piece of the particleboard or plywood. This will be the base. Wrap the carpet around the sides then turn it upside down and staple the carpet onto the bottom of the tower base. Ensure that staples are driven all the way into the wood.

    • 3

      Create the scratching post by winding the sisal rope around one of the wooden posts. Attach the rope to the post with glue at the start and end. This post will be one of the uprights between the base and the upper platform.

    • 4

      Attach the four posts to the base by placing each one in a corner of the base and using a hammer to drive a nail through the underside of the base into each post. Sit the base on the ground so the four posts are sticking into the air, then place the upper platform on top. Hammer nails through this platform into each post to secure it. Check that the construction is secure by trying to push the upper platform from side to side. If it wobbles, use more nails until it is rigid.

    • 5

      Cut a second piece of carpet the same size and use it to cover the upper platform so that the heads of the nails are covered. Wrap it around the side and staple it from below as you did for the base. Because the uprights are in the corners you will have to use the knife to carefully trim the carpet near these so that it sits snugly.

    • 6

      Hang a cat toy or feather from the upper platform and introduce your cat to the finished project.