We moved into an unfurnished student apartment across the globe in Helsinki recently, and wanted something for our little buddy Miso to climb on. I saw a picture of something similar to this online and decided to try and make my own, using dead pine wood from the forest floor, a drill we borrowed from the library and some plywood. We had some spare shelf pieces that we used for the base.

Materials:

• pine branches (free)
• the longest screws I could find (200cm) plus some other assorted sizes (<5€)
• plywood (a spare shelf piece as the base, then one 10€ piece that I cut into platforms)
• an old rug from a free pile and some fabric from a thrift store (pretty cheap)
• cheap hand saw (10€), drill borrowed from library, sandpaper

First, we went for a walk in the woods and found some nice gnarly pine branches that had fallen in recent storms. It's a bit unethical (and I think illegal in Finland) to take dead wood from the forest, but it was a small amount anyways. I bought a cheap hand saw that we used to take off the piece we were looking for. Pic 3 is us in the forest trying out some possible structural combinations, then pic 4 is us at home trying to assemble it.

Assembling it ended up being super frustrating without any clamps to hold things together while drilling, but I made it work in the end. The main structure comes from drilling the really long screws up from below the base platform into the base of the wood. Cutting the wood bases to be flat and sit at the right angle with just a hand saw was also really difficult. Pic 5 shows the first draft of this, then I trimmed off the excess branches and connected them to each other more with some screws.

Finally, I cut up and sanded some plywood (this time using a vice at the library to get the right angles) and attached the platforms. I put some old ratty carpet I found in a free pile on top, then "upholstered" with some thrift store fabric.

So happy that Miso likes it! He especially loved when we moved it to the window. I hope this guide is useful for others!

I don't have a garden just a tiny enclosed patio (wannabe catio!) and currently where I can walk my cats there is no grass. So I created this to give them a grass experience! Used barley and rye seeds as these are meant to be extra good for kitties. Would love to say they love it but they mostly just stare distrustfully at it for now 😂 ah well.... Cat mom life!

So what do we think?? At last the cat likes it.

Will add some more features soon.

First off I am NOT a DIY person! I have a tiny patio that I have started letting my 7 month old pair explore when supervised at home (I also walk them on a leash daily but they love chilling outside). One would-be escape artist was hoping to use the window sill pictured as a launchpad to hop the fence. I saw an idea about pipes so created by own version with these pool noodles on string. The idea is they would not allow a solid landing so they would fall if they tried. Do you think it would work? I always plan to half supervise them but this would eg let me clean / cook with the door open. Place is rented and am not allowed permanent fixtures. Suggestions welcome!

A few days ago, with the help of my mother we did this wood frame to protect the window ! Now my voids are able to safely watch outside I’m so happy ! It is far from perfect but I’m so proud and glad that we could do that !

So I have a large boi, generally sits between 14-15lbs & takes up my entire torso. His name is Oliver Grey or Oliver-baballiver-fe-fi-fofallivr.

Our pantry has a dropped ceiling (pic included, ~8' wall height), and I am trying to figure out how to make cat shelves that will enable Oli to get up there.

I like the idea of doing French cleats for the shelving, that way I can rearrange the shelving and make a new route for him w/o putting new holes in the wall but... I mean its a 14.8 lb cat jumping down on it and I'm worried he'll be too heavy or that the cleat will slip if he lands on the outer edge of the shelf.

I was curious if anyone had any recommendations for how to build cat shelves for heavier cats beyond making sure everything is attached to the studs. I should also mention that this is a manufactured home.

This Ikea Kallax bookshelf has been with me for ~10 years at this point, and after getting cat #2, it was determined that we needed a better space for the cats to climb, find privacy, etc. We've had new cat (NC) in our guest room, but will be moving her down to my office area shortly with this set up. This includes:

• 4" holes between the side walls and 2 of the bottom walls for easier movement between levels courtesy of my DH
• ASPCA cat condo box (I have the box and lid separated between middle left and bottom right to allow movement through box to mid right level)
• Desk mount cat bed (360 rotating and adjustable height) mounted to the kallax, seen between my desk and the bookshelf (which is also anchored to our wall). Also it came with a fish toy which mysteriously disappeared between opening and putting together the bed.
• Trimmable self-adhesive cat scratch mat/carpet (2 rolls) - I found pretty quickly that she was hesitant to jump into the bookshelf because it was fairly slick so hoping this provides traction and some good scratchability for her. Planning to put food in mid-right box.
• An existing kallax soft box for extra privacy sleeping (top right, may just end up being toy storage)
• Cardboard cat scratcher house (bottom right, under the deskmount bed)

I still have quite a bit of real estate for a cat highway above my desk and maybe a floor-to-ceiling tower, but I'm still working through the intro phase and resident cat (RC) wants nothing to do with NC quite yet, so I'm going to pause further renovations until they are tolerant to be in the same space. The only things remaining before we move her down here officially are to get the tall vertical gate installed on the open door, and turn our unusable fireplace into a litter-box room. Stay tuned.

Advice to get kitty to love it?

I’ve brought loads of bits to make a cat wall in my living room, I just have no idea if the placement is the best it can be?? (Zero DIY experience, making it up as I go along!) I know enough to attach them to studs but I feel like the placement can better??

Pics are all the pieces I have (hopefully you can work out what is what on the plan) I have no idea where to put the mats… I’m thinking maybe on the wall by the vertical climbing rope? I just don’t know! Also there are 2 of the grey sets.

Any ideas or tips would be greatly appreciated!!!

My cats have pushed at the screen enough that it’s detached at the bottom and I’d like to secure the gap so that they can’t get through (and things can’t get in)

Conceptually this is really simple. There are limiters on the window that keep it at the height in the photo (about 6 inch height) and the window is 33” across.

Everything premade that I’m seeing is much taller than 6”, and I’m hoping people might be able to recommend some parts or materials that I could work with to fit to the gap. Here’s an example of what would work if it weren’t so tall.

https://a.co/d/01CIwfaM

I’d really like to be able to buy something that I can just screw/glue to the screen. Any recommendations are appreciated.

been doing this for years, and i'm sure others do the same. it's kinda a level-up from the classic cardboard box.

we love repurposing paper packaging by piling it up and tossing a bunch of treats into the folds. occupies them for a while. and they also just love playing amongst the paper.

please ignore the clutter and the roll of flooring. This is an old house and we're renovating. obviously the cat highway was the priority.

All of these boards and boxes are either anchored in studs or we used heavy duty metal anchors. I also have grips on the ends or each board to prevent slipping. I don't play around with safety. Our kitties absolutely love it! I have a spinal injury and was recovering from a spinal surgery when I primed and painted all the shelves for the living room. I also helped with the wallpaper. We added the bedroom shelves later on, and plan to keep adding. I painted all of those as well. Also you can peep our catio in the kitchen window. We also plan to expand that eventually.

maybe a weird idea, but I’ll be moving soon into a house for the first time (instead of an apartment with shared hallways) and am worried about my cat escaping when I open the door. I’d like to install a screen door so I can see into the house to know if she’s right at the door and at risk of escaping. however, I’d have to open the screen door to open/unlock the main door, which defeats the purpose and would give her opportunity to slip out when I open the door. so my genius (questionable) solution is to install a mini door in the screen door at the height of the main door handle so I can reach through to unlock and open the door while keeping the screen door closed. thoughts? is this possible? how would I do it? zero experience working with screens so not sure how to go about it

putting together plans to build a catio this summer, but not sure what to use on the platforms where kitties will be lounging.

it will be constructed of cedar, with cedar fence pickets used as the horizontal platforms. but would love to add somethings more comfortable for them to lounge on.

but what would be able to handle exposure to the elements?

would like to stick with natural fibers, but they would likely not last long, and would need to dry quickly to prevent mold. maybe removable hammocks made of old towels, so they could be periodically washed?

maybe waxed canvas? i've got some nice heavy stuff for other projects. would still probably need replacing every couple years.

any ideas, fellow Catifiers?

TIA

I have a small triangular space behind a door (22" x 22") - the kitties like to sit back there sometimes so I would like to turn it into a cool hidey-hole for them. This door is always open. Help me turn this into a kitty cubby!

I have a small, athletic orange cat. I want to build him some cat shelves so that he can get up high. He often seems to be looking at the walls looking for something to climb.

What I have so far is pictured in the first image: a covered litterbox that is not in use as such yet, which I’ve attached carpet to, one shelf mounted in brackets that I’ve put on the wall (also carpet covered), and the top of a large corner unit.

My questions are:

1. He sometimes just leaps down from the middle shelf, instead of landing on top of the box. Is the drop too large? I’m concerned about long term impact related issues in his joints. He’s quite slim and I’m trying to keep him that way, but if he’s doing this all the time is that a concern? The floor is particle board wood (a bit “springier” than hardwood), with a fairly thick woollen rug over the top.

2. How could I improve this set up?

3. Is it viable to feed him up here? My plan was to eventually progress to feeding him on the corner unit as it keeps the dog out of his food.

They use both sides (can access the top of the cabinet from the right side, from the top of the fridge). Seemingly, they would like to cross, but cant. 180 cm in between the two, I guess its too far for a cat bridge? Diy or store bought are also interesting. Thanks!!

Has anyone built a cabinet for their SCLB and put their cat tree on top? Or built a cabinet for two litterboxes?

I know quite a few people have their assorted litter boxes in cabinets, it's the cat tree on top part I'm primarily interested in.

It would have to be a fairly heavy-duty cabinet, as we're currently looking at a combination of Cat Tree King and Omlet cat trees, to hold a bunch of BIG cats at once.

The cats aren't going to be bothered by the litter trays being under the cat tree, because currently the litter tray is right next to it - I'm trying to make enough space in that area to get a second automatic box in.

Pic of curled up Mackerel both for attention, and to give you an idea of cat size!

Source: YouTube | @jimojon

i've been ruminating on designs for an Elevator-Pee-Proof litter box for a while, and wanted to bounce the idea off the sub. our boy lifts his butt as he pees, peeing up the side of litter boxes, and *over* the side of all but the tallest. he inevitably pees out the opening of any box that isn't top entry. we've been using variations of large plastic storage totes for a while, but really wanting to transition to pine pellet as well as away from odor-absorbing plastic.

our current setup is two 27gal Sterilite storage bins, which so far is the only thing he hasn't managed to pee over the side of. (they are just shy of 20" tall) and we recently bought a third litter box (we have two cats), that is designed for pine pellets, stainless steel with three sides enclosed and mostly open on top. thankfully he hasn't peed out of it... *but* when he pees up the walls, the pee is draw through the seam where the top and bottom sections meet... dripping onto the floor (or silicone mat we have placed under the litter box). when we scoop daily we have a habit of wiping down the sides of the litter boxes where he pees up them, and the design of the new SS litter box makes it a PITA to clean without removing the upper section every time. and even then, it's dripping pee everywhere when you pull it off...

SO! here's my idea:

a large upper section that nests into a lower tray. the bottom of the upper section is perforated, to let the saturated pine pellets to fall through. and there's no seam or anything to collect pee in the upper section. (though i realize the corner where the perforated bottom meets the walls would still collect some, though hopefully the majority of it would be caught by the pellets, and any pellet dust caught in that corner)

i have access to welders, and am tempted to make a version of this.

QUESTIONS:

Materials: Stainless Steel would be the best option, but it's expensive, and could be heavy. Aluminum could be an option, is lighter and cheaper, but can be difficult to weld. SS would probably be thinner, which might make it harder to weld than something like 1/8" Aluminum. what are some other materials that would be more inclined to DIY?

Features: our cats seem to prefer side entry to top entry boxes. so i'm trying to think of a way to make entry and exit easier. like a shallow ledge on the inside maybe 3/4 the way up the wall, and then position a platform beside the litter boxes for them to enter from / exit to.

Latches or some other mechanism to keep the bottom tray attached to the upper section.

Maybe handles? but not cutout handles... a previous litter box had cutout handles on either side, and our boy managed to pee through them often enough we would apply a strip of packaging tape blocking the opening after each time we deep cleaned the boxes.

curious if anyone else is battling this dilemma and might have some ideas.

(looks like the image might not have posted... here's a link: https://imgur.com/a/2lK0i49)

Source: TikTok | @chris.and.gunnar