homemade cat tower

Not sure if this is the right forum for this, but I see other posts with questions and pictures of cat trees, so I'll give it a shot. I was looking for something fun I could make cheaply for my foster cats and kittens to play/sleep on. I came upon some pics of a cat tower built out of dresser drawers and set out to make one on my own. I originally thought I might have to buy an old dresser off Craigslist, but I found a store that sells miscellaneous building supplies and various junk that was advertising just the drawers, so I picked up 6 of those and a brand new can of green paint for $30.

This is what I ended up with, I'm thinking I'm might cover some of the posts with sisal or carpeting so they can used for scratching or climbing. Or if anyone has any other suggestions, I'd love some input.

I think this is fabulous!! Some sisal added to the posts would be a great addition.

That is nice!! It has big enough boxes that the cat can get comfortable in. It seams like 3 of my 4 cats fight for the same one in their cat tree even though it has 4. Two of mine used to snuggle in one, but now they are too big to do that. I also love that there is no carpet. I had to put fleece blankets in all of theirs so I can wash it every week.

Hello . It looks GREAT you did a great job of it . Your 2 cats look lovely the one on the window sill and the one in the tree house. I am on the look out for some small scratch things so that I can put near the wall and on carpet has nearly all of the carpet as been scratched . Yes I know cats do THAT and yes we do have things for them to scratch plus a three house that we bought them a year ago Oh and yes I love all 6 cats even all thou I moan a wee bit but we all do about our LOVELY pets at some time or other . Well done again From Mary

The two cats in the tower photo are my fosters, the black and white one, Bandit, was adopted a couple weeks ago. The tabby, Billy and his matching brother, Butch, are still with me unfortunately. They're both sweet cats, but were feral and not captured until they were 5 months old, so taming them has been a process. I also took in a couple younger ones that another set of foster parents didn't think they could handle. They have someone interested in adopting them, so I'm crossing my fingers that their application gets approved. I've got three cats of my own in the house, as well as a 60 lb. 8-month old puppy, so it's a little chaotic right now!


Bandit, Billy and Butch


Daisy and Teddy.

That's a great way to make a cat tower! We have a sort of cat loft that's got lots of sisal: the cats love it! We used lots of scrap, too, so the sisal was the most expensive part of the project. Your cats are beautiful!

Your tree is great! It's not looks nice, but safe and easy to keep clean. What breed(s) is your 60 lb. puppy? It sounds like he's going to be huge when he's full grown!

I don't really know what breed Gracie is. The opinions at the shelter ranged from German Shepherd mix to Great Dane mix. She's only put on 30 lbs. since I got her in late September, so I don't she will get too much bigger, at least I really hope so. She's hard enough to handle at her current size. She's been through one round of obedience classes, but she definitely needs more.

This is her in September at 30 lbs. She's still got the same goofy ears, which are my favorite thing about her.

Gracie is adorable - I love those ears!

Love DIY cat furniture! This is inspiring! Beautiful job.

Nice work! It looks so cozy and I am sure your cats are definitely loving it.

Cool Beans!  And I'm looking at my house thinking, "Hmmm, where could I put one of those."

How did you make this? It is really neat and I'm interested in making one for my cats. 

@nansiludie  - I got my inspiration from a picture of a similar one I saw on the internet. If you google "dresser cat tower" there are couple different ones. There weren't any real instructions, so I pretty much just made it up as I went. I'm no carpenter by any means, but it wasn't too hard. I got the drawers from a builder's overstock warehouse, and I used 2x3 posts that I had cut at the hardware store. Then I just laid the posts on the ground and figured out how far apart I wanted the drawers. You just need to make sure you leave enough space between the drawers so the cats have room to jump from one drawer to another. I should have spaced mine a little further apart, because my 20 lb cat can just barely squeeze through, but I built it primarily for my foster cats, which tend to be younger kittens.

Thank you. You really made a nice little cat tower.

Fantastic, you did a really good job.

I'm still in love with Daisy, she has such a sweet face.

I am too Laura! She's such a sweet girl, she even purrs when she's eating. She and her brother have been up for adoption for a week now, I can't believe no one has snatched them up yet. There's been a couple applicants, but POSNA is pretty thorough when they vet potential adopters and not everyone makes the cut.

I love your cat tower and how it can be made from scrap.  Even better you thought about making it in a size to suit your cats too, including what spacing to use for them to climb and jump.  Having the beds with loose covers for cleaning is perfect, esp with you fostering.  All round great design.   I'd probably add sisal to one or two of the legs and maybe fasten a bit of carpet to offer something for cats that prefer different texture on one of the other posts.

How cute are those kitties?!  Unusual for me but I think Gracie steels the show.  

keyes said:

 
Cool Beans!  And I'm looking at my house thinking, "Hmmm, where could I put one of those."

Click to expand...

LOL. So am I. What a great idea.