Home made cat trees?

tiptopper

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Your cat tree looks great. Lucky kitties to have a new play center built especially for them.
 
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scarlettleia

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The tree got a fresh douse of catnip today! 


Madness ensued! 
 
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1CatOverTheLine

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Just a brief not for those who are considering building their own cat tree: please use solid wood or interior plywood, and steer clear of Flakeboard, Oriented Strand Board (Aspenite or Sterling Board in the U.K.), "Waferboard" "Chipcore," and products intended for outdoor use.  Most use one or another type of Formaldehyde-based resin binders -  Phenol-Formaldehyde Resin, Urea-Formaldehyde Resin, Melamine Urea Formaldehyde Resins, and Non-Polymeric Diphenylmethane Diisochyanate which can leach (offgas) formaldehyde into the air for long periods.  If you're uncertain of the product you're considering, consult the Material Safety Data Sheet for that specific product (which must, by law, be made available to consumers at the retail premises where the product is sold).

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kalebkat

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@Scarlettleia  great idea for a free time activity! great post. 

How long did it take everyone to build their trees? 

Thank you @1CatOverTheLine  for mentioning proper wood choices for this hobby.

Also, which kind of paint is cat-safe?
 
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scarlettleia

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@Scarlettleia  great idea for a free time activity! great post. 

How long did it take everyone to build their trees? 

Thank you @1CatOverTheLine  for mentioning proper wood choices for this hobby.

Also, which kind of paint is cat-safe?
Thank you! It was so much cheaper and more personal using things we found around the house! We were lucky enough to have the wood laying about (Hard wood untreated sleeper and some old shelves/shelving supports!) and the blanket that we used for the carpeting so the only thing we actually bought was the twine! 

It took my boyfriend about 3-4 hours to make the base, including cleaning up the wood and figuring it all out as it was his first time, then another hour/ hour and a half for me to attach the fabric and twine! 
 

1CatOverTheLine

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Thank you @1CatOverTheLine  for mentioning proper wood choices for this hobby.

Also, which kind of paint is cat-safe?
To be frank, I cheat.  There's a site called paintwoodentoys dot com that takes all the guesswork out of child-safe, animal-friendly finishes.  They actually explain some of the chemistry, and they invite - and answer - all questions.

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PushPurrCatPaws

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Thank you! It's definitely sturdier then the store bought ones I looked at. What took the most time was putting that twine all around the post and painting it.
Love the smaller diameter little "cat peepholes" in the bottom box! :clap:
 
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