Home made cat trees?

scarlettleia

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My partner and I just finished building this for our kittens, and will probably extend on it at some point. Add tubes, dangly bits, etc! 

It's made from a wooden sleeper, wooden shelves, organic twine and a super thick picnic blanket. The twine is doused in catnip spray with the recommendation of our vet. (One kitten has a habit of climbing our brick wall, and has chipped some of her claws, so she needs a distraction) 


To anyone who has made a DIY tree, what sort of additions have your kitties loved most? 
 
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scarlettleia

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Wow you guys did an awesome job. I'm sure the cats will love it[emoji]128571[/emoji]! The kitty in the picture has beautiful markings.
Haha thank you! She's a beautiful little girl! And she's the one who likes to climb!

Typically, after blood, sweat and tears, they'd still rather climb the furniture at the minute! 
 
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scarlettleia

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Looks wonderful! Recently made a scratch post for my cats. I must say, I love working with my hands. The sweat and the backache in the morning... Oh gosh I love it. Totally worth it.
Out of curiosity, what did you use to stick it all together? This was a staple gun strategically used under everything so that it wouldn't come loose/be eaten by greedy kitties, but if there's something better, it could be useful for the future! 
 

Graceful-Lily

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Out of curiosity, what did you use to stick it all together? This was a staple gun strategically used under everything so that it wouldn't come loose/be eaten by greedy kitties, but if there's something better, it could be useful for the future! 
Yeah! Totally! I used long screws and wood glue to make sure the bond is permanent.
 

mazie

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GREAT looking cat tree!!  Super job, all I want to add, is there any way you can position your new tree say in front of a window if possible?  Cats LOVE to watch the out of doors.  Other than that, so cool that you are already thinking of ways to add to it.   Looks super the way it is.    Cudos!!!!
 
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scarlettleia

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That's a wonderful idea actually! We've got large windows spanning the length of the living room, so we could push it towards that side, then they get a great view of the river! Thank you for the advice! 
 

camillaray

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Mine love it when we sprinkle catnip around it. Also, I leave a screw head exposed at the top so I can attach dangling cat toys (ones on elastic string, so they don't get hung up in it). I've made several scratching posts, but nothing so elaborate as yours!
 

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Purrrfect! How do you connect the trunk parts together with the platforms?
 

tarasgirl06

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Wonderful!  My ex was a finish carpenter at one time, so we built several cat houses and he built a great cat tree in our Mojave catio that looked a bit like a cactus or a joshua tree.  We also re-sisaled and re-covered the carpeted platforms on a floor-to-ceiling store-bought tree.  The fastenings we used were long staples in a staple gun, long nails, and hot glue.  Here's a pic of the "cactus cat tree".

 
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scarlettleia

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o.o My gosh, that's beautiful! It's aesthetic -as well- as functional! 
 

tarasgirl06

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Thanks!  I can't claim credit because my ex built it 100%.  Glad you can see it -- it's not the best photo as I took it for the view outside and it just happened to be in the picture.  
 

tarasgirl06

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Yeah, I've done that a few times and it's not only time-consuming, it's kind of hard to get the sisal taut.  But it's worth it, as you say -- congratulations for a beautiful build! 
 
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