How to make a house for cats and kittens. DIY cat house, ten options of varying complexity. How to sew a soft house

A home for a four-legged friend must meet his needs. The design cannot be universal, since each cat has its own character and habits. Examine the cat's habits and determine which group he is best suited to. This is not difficult to do, because such a classification was not invented by cats, but by people, comparing animals with themselves.

Type of cat and comparison with humans	Features of behavior
	Cats with this character are very timid, shy, jealous and very touchy. They are strongly attached to only one person and may not even make contact with other cats. They do not tolerate competitors. We need an individual house in which such a cat can retire.
	These cats are very active and get excited easily if they see something new or hear an unfamiliar sound. The mood changes almost instantly, and radically. Very mobile. To keep an animal in an apartment you will need a scratching post house.
	Sanguine cats are much calmer and slower than others. They don’t rush around the apartment, so it’s not necessary to install a Swedish wall for cats (and cats) with such a character or make an overly sophisticated multi-tiered house.
	Phlegmatic people feel great in a small apartment and get along well with all the people living in it, including children. Most of the time, such cats lie down, watching what is happening around them. Given this feature of the animal, you need to make an “observation point” for it above the house, otherwise it will find another place.

When choosing the type of house, you often have to take into account the gender of the animal. If we talk about males, they are more playful and you need to build a house for them with a large view. A two-level design is suitable for cats: the first level will be used as a house and as a refuge for future offspring, and the second as a sentinel post, and the cat needs somewhere to rest after feeding the kittens.

What else should you consider when choosing a house design?

• If the cat is playful, then you need to provide a place for it where it can splash out its energy. If the dimensions of the room allow, then you can install a more complex structure - with stairs connecting numerous levels, each of which can have a house or a bed for a pet.
• A multi-tiered house must have an emergency exit - this is how they arrange their home in nature. If this is not provided, then the cat may choose another place for lambing, which in her opinion is safer.

These pets can come in different sizes. For a medium-sized cat, a house with sides of at least 40 cm (if we consider a square structure) and an entrance with a diameter of 16–20 cm would be normal. If the pet is large, then the dimensions of the structure are adjusted to its dimensions.

• For Siamese or Bengal cats, the house can be 60 cm high, as they often stand on their hind legs.
• If the scratching post is part of the house, then there should be free access to it for the pet, otherwise it will find a more convenient place to sharpen its claws.

Using boxes

If you try, the house assembled from boxes will turn out to be decent. If you have a box of the appropriate size, then you can simply cut a hole in it, decorate it a little and then arrange a housewarming party for the cat. Even large cardboard packaging can be easily cut to the desired size and then wrapped with tape.

How to work with a big box?

First you need to find a cardboard box. At home you can store packaging from a microwave, printer or other large household appliances. Usually the packaging material is stored until the end of the device’s warranty period, but it is often forgotten about it and remembered only during general cleaning.

The cardboard of the box used must be thick, otherwise the structure will not last long.

To make a house from a large cardboard box, we will need tools and supplies:

• Carpet or similar material. It will be used for exterior decoration. If you line the box with a softer material, then after contact with the cat's claws it will have a very unattractive appearance.
• For interior decoration you will need water-repellent material. If the cat is heat-loving or the apartment is cold, then you can use foil penofol.
• To secure the interior trim, it is better to use hot melt adhesive - it does not smell of anything. If there is no hot glue, then you can use glue with a mild odor, otherwise it will be unpleasant to be not only in the house, but also near it.
• Construction knife, pencil and ruler. You can work with an ordinary knife, but it must be well sharpened.
• A roll of wide tape.

Dimensions of the house

First, let's decide on the size, because a house that is too cramped and narrow (or low) will not only be unattractive, but also uncomfortable. A cat may sleep curled up in a ball, but what does it do when it wakes up? He stretches, gripping the floor with his claws. If the house is small, then the cat will stretch and tear up the carpet lying on the floor of the apartment, leaving its den, since there is not enough space for it for these exercises.

Making a pattern

For a clear example, let’s take a box in which we are not satisfied only with its height, since it is 45 cm.

• Let's measure the 30 cm we need, use a ruler and pencil to apply markings on all sides.
• Using a construction knife (you can use scissors, but this is less convenient), adhering to the drawn line, we cut the box.
• We got 2 boxes, 30 and 15 cm high.
• Now we will connect the existing parts, inserting one into the other until it stops, and fix it with tape.
• Now you need to cut an opening through which it will be convenient for the cat to enter its home. The shape of the opening does not matter.

• The material prepared for the interior lining must be cut in accordance with the dimensions of the assembled house.
• It is better to start fixing the sheathing from the bottom, and gradually, applying glue to the material, glue it to the walls and ceiling of the box.
• We recommend covering the edge of the bedding mat with material, otherwise the protruding threads will not leave your pet indifferent, and he will start playing with them. Even a child can guess what will happen to the bedding after this.

Exterior decoration

• By covering the outside of the house, we will not only make it more beautiful, but also protect it from the pet’s claws if he decides to use them.
• In order to sheathe the bottom, sides and top, we will use a whole piece of sheathing material and wrap it around the box. The excess is simply cut off, leaving a small margin of 2 cm for the front and back parts.
• We glue the material with a heat gun. It is better not to use staples, as they will not hold in cardboard.
• Now it’s the turn to use the remaining supply of fabric - it is folded and glued to the walls.
• We left the back and front of the house unsewn. 2 identical blanks are cut out of the carpet to the size of these parts of the box. If there is not enough material, then you can use the leftovers to cover the back part.
• In the pattern for the front part, markings are made at the corners of the opening. Then you need to draw 2 intersecting lines from one point to another and make cuts along them.
• The pattern is glued at the front, and the edges are folded over and glued to the inside of the box.

By placing a pillow inside, you can install the house in the place where it will always be, and invite your pet to a housewarming party by putting some treat inside.

Cardboard house

What unusual things can you make from a sheet of cardboard? Make a rectangular house with windows? This is also possible. In order for such a house to turn out beautiful, you need to try hard. You will need to make a drawing, transfer the sketches to cardboard, cut them out, and then assemble everything, securing it securely.

Let's focus on making a simpler design. To assemble such a house you will need 6 mm thick packaging cardboard. You can use thinner cardboard, but you will only need to find or purchase more sheets, and you will have to recalculate the diameter of the rings for it.

Now let's start manufacturing. For work we will need the following accessories:

• Stationery knife or scissors.
• Construction compass (you can make a device for drawing a circle yourself).
• A simple pencil.
• PVA glue in a tube.

Our house will be assembled from 40 rings, which can be cut out of 1.5 m2 of cardboard.

To make the house proportional, you need to cut rings of a certain size - the diameter of each will be 1 cm less than the previous one. This is what it will look like:

• The diameter of the base will be 45 cm. To make the bottom strong, you will need to make at least 2 circles. You can immediately cut them out and set them aside.
• Now let's start making rings. The diameter of the first can be the same as the base - 45 cm.
• If you don’t have such a large compass at home, then you can draw a circle using a simple device - a nail is inserted in the center, onto which a thread with loops at the ends is put. The distance between the loops should correspond to half the diameter of the circle being drawn. For example, if you need to get a circle with a diameter of 40 cm, the length of the thread should be 20 cm.
• We draw a 45 cm circle on the cardboard, then 4 cm less (4 cm is the thickness of the walls of the house). As a result, we will get the details: 45; 41; 37; 33; 29; 25; 21; 17; 13; 9; 5 cm.
• Let's make the base of the next circle 1 cm smaller - 44 cm. Then we draw circles again every 4 cm. We'll get the following details: 44; 40; 36; 32; 28; 24; 20; 16; 12; 8 cm. Using the same principle, we mark 2 more circles - 43 and 42 cm.
• So we got the required number of blanks, the radius of which decreases proportionally by 1 cm.

• You can make an entrance for the cat in advance, but due to inexperience you can make mistakes, so it will be more convenient to cut it out in an already glued structure. We will go this way.
• Before assembly, you can assemble the future house to make sure that all the parts are cut out correctly.
• When disassembling this pyramid, for convenience, you can number each part with a pencil - this will help to avoid incorrect actions when the rings stick to each other.

Assembly

• We need to make the base reliable, so the cut circles should be positioned so that the stiffeners in them are laid in different directions - this way you can be sure that the bottom will not bend under the weight of the animal. Having glued the bottom and glued the first ring onto it, we will put this blank aside.
• Let's start the assembly with the penultimate ring. Pour the glue in such a way that it does not spread to the edges when laying the next part.
• Having glued 20 blanks, you need to press down the assembled structure with a not very heavy book and let the glue dry thoroughly.
• Using a utility knife, cut out an opening - the entrance to the house.
• Now you can glue the bottom and the remaining upper parts of our pyramid, place the weight on top and leave to dry.

The result is an original and very inexpensive house, but the main thing is that your pet will feel cozy and comfortable in it, especially if there is a soft pillow or rug.

Similar structures are made from cardboard using the same principle, only in each case it is necessary to calculate the diameter of the rings.

Video: cardboard house for a cat

Plywood house

Using just three parts you can make a house out of plywood. We will consider making a structure from 40x40 cm blanks, but if you have narrower plywood, you can cut it at your discretion. It is important here that the 2 side parts are the same height, and the bottom (bottom) can be made smaller. After cutting out the parts, sand all the ends.

The assembly technology will differ depending on the thickness of the plywood used. To connect thin sheets, you will need an aluminum (or plastic) perforated corner and short wood screws.

When using thick plywood, it is enough to join the blanks and fasten them to each other with self-tapping screws.

To decorate the house and make it cozy, we will need a stapler and carpet. We will not upholster from all sides, but only the bottom from the inside and the walls from the outside. External walls can serve as a scratching post.

It is better to fasten the sheathing material using a heat gun, and the point is not only that the staples will pierce the sheet through. In thin plywood, the staples do not hold well - they can pop out.

And one more subtlety of the location of the carpet - it is better to cut it at an angle of 45˚. This is necessary so that the edges do not fray, and even if the cat starts sharpening its claws, it will not be able to unravel the material along the threads.

Rectangular house

Six-layer plywood is used to build a rectangular house. This is a rectangular box with 2 exits cut out in it.

Why do you need a multi-tiered house? Firstly, so that the animal can waste energy in it, and secondly, so that it can accommodate a “family couple” - a cat and a cat.

To make such houses you will need drawings. Let's look at the drawing of this design.

It is necessary to cut out all the parts and mark them as in the drawing. In an apartment, you can cut the sheet using a jigsaw with a fine-toothed file.

For work we will need a screwdriver and consumables:

• Furniture corner – 40 pcs.
• Small wood screws – 88 pcs.
• Straight forward furniture wheels – 2 pcs.
• Furniture rotating wheels – 2 pcs. (If the house does not need to be rolled from place to place, then the 4 wheels can be replaced with legs).
• Jute rope.
• Glue Moment Installation.
• Sewer pipe Ø50 mm – 1 m.
• Carpet.

Assembly

Let's start by assembling the lower part ( A), fastening the parts using corners.

The rest of the shelves are assembled in the same way, only the compartment " B" will be closed at the back and front, and the compartments " A" And " IN"Only from behind.

After which they need to be fixed to the base.

The sewer pipe is cut into 4 parts - 2 x 22 cm and another 2 x 27 cm. The shorter sections will be used as supports under part “B”, and the longer ones will be used as supports under part “C”. They are attached to the base using corners.

It is more convenient to make the holes before assembling the structure.

If the screws go right through the plywood, then the protruding parts can be cut off with a grinder with a cutting wheel installed on it.

Now you can start “furnishing” the cat’s apartment by gluing carpet on the inside.

We will cover the entire house with carpet. So that the pipes do not spoil the appearance of the structure, and serve well as scratching posts, they are coated with glue and tightly wrapped with jute rope.

All that remains is to fasten the wheels and legs, and the mobile home is ready to receive guests.

House from a newspaper

Such a house is made not from the newspaper itself, but from newspaper tubes. To work you will need:

• newspapers or magazines (large quantities);
• scissors;
• a sheet of thick cardboard (if the bottom is not made of tubes);
• a long knitting needle used for knitting (for twisting tubes);
• PVA glue;
• wood varnish;
• stain.

It can take a month to weave a house.

If the desire has not disappeared, then you can start.

• The first step is to cut the existing paper into long strips, about 2-5 cm wide (the higher the paper density, the smaller the strip width).
• Now let's make the tubes. To do this, a cut strip of paper needs to be wound around a knitting needle at an angle. Only the edge of the last turn is glued. What prevents the tube from unwinding.
• Then the bottom is woven, and tubes should extend from it, which will be the base of the walls. If the bottom is cardboard, then the tubes are simply glued to it every 2 cm.
• Then the walls are made.

You can learn more about the technology by watching a selection of videos.

Video: how to weave a cat house from newspaper tubes

Photo: houses made from newspaper tubes

Let's look at how to make a soft house using foam rubber as a base. In addition to a sheet of foam rubber, we will need faux fur and strong fabric for the outer covering.

Foam rubber has different densities, which are expressed in a numerical equivalent showing the mass of 1 m³. The higher this indicator, the higher the density of the foam rubber and its service life.

In order not to spoil a sheet of expensive foam rubber, it is better to make patterns from newspapers and then transfer the outlines to the material. This is how the pattern turns out.

Now let's assemble it by connecting the parts with clothespins.

Everything turned out proportionally, now all parts can be sewn together with strong threads. The inside of the house is lined with faux fur, and the outside with fairly strong fabric. If you have an old bedspread at home, you can use it.

From the remaining foam rubber you can make a pad according to the internal size of the structure and cover it with fabric.

House made from scrap materials

You can use an old T-shirt to make a cat's home.

In addition to the T-shirt, we will need:

• Thick cardboard measuring 40‒40 cm.
• Wide tape.
• 2 wire hangers, but if you don’t have any on the farm, then 2 meter pieces of rigid wire.
• Pliers.
• Pins, thread and needle.

Manufacturing

Wire hangers need to be disassembled and straightened.

To make the bottom, not very thick cardboard was used, and even from an old box, so there was a bend in the middle that did not fit into the plans at all. To make the base strong, we attached 2 strips of cardboard to it - a kind of stiffening ribs.

Then the cardboard frame was wrapped with tape around it, improving it and strengthening the edges.

In the corners, stepping back about 1 cm from the edges, you need to pierce holes for the wire with a nail.

We will make 2 arches from wire and connect them in the middle with tape or tape.

After inserting the arch into the holes, you need to make sure that it is not warped.

After this, the edges of the wire are bent with pliers and secured with tape on the back side of the cardboard bottom.

The frame is ready, you can create a tent.

The T-shirt must be put on the frame so that its neck serves as the entrance.

From the bottom, the free ends of the T-shirt are pinned or sewn together with thread.

The house is ready.

If the house will be installed on a cold floor, then place a rug or pad inside.

Try, improvise, put your feelings for the cat into the design you create. Even the simplest design will please your pet and bring joy to you.

Soon it will be a year since my mother got a cat, and I decided to make her a cat house with my own hands as a gift. Naturally, the first thing I did was go to the Internet and find out how to make a house for a cat, and in the process of making a luxurious penthouse for my mother’s cat, I made two friends happy with houses - the houses turned out nice, but these designs simply could not withstand the intensity of our Lucky’s passions.

Why and how to make a cat house with your own hands? I will give instructions a little lower, but now I’ll just explain why a cat needs its own home. First of all, let's understand a little - it can be a bed and a playhouse. What exactly does your cat need? Only you can know about this.

If you want, you can make a large combined structure with one or two sleeping places, a play area, stands and other elements that the cat will enjoy playing with. If you have recently adopted a kitten, then you should not make a homemade house for him to grow up - it is best to make a simple design that will protect your kitten from psychological trauma and fears.

You can make a good cat house with your own hands in different ways - read a few instructions, choose in our article what kind of cat house you will make with your own hands and get started.

Manufacturing instructions

If you want to quickly and easily make a cat house with your own hands, step-by-step instructions will help you. So what do we need?

1. Large cardboard box. The size of the house depends on the size of your pet, but on average they should be at least 35*50 centimeters. How to make a house tall? The cat should fit in the house standing up, it should be comfortable.
2. Glue, scissors and paper cutter.
3. Soft upholstery material - you can take foam rubber, you can use batting or soft bulky fabric, an old blanket or an unnecessary blouse will do.
4. Decorative fabric - it is better to choose a natural dense fabric of a calm color; you can use faux fur or boucle fabric.
5. If you find a box of a suitable size, then you need to prepare it (remove the labels, clean it with a stiff brush). If the box is larger or just sheet cardboard, cut the box and assemble it.
6. Draw a round hole on the end part - it should be large enough for the cat to comfortably crawl into its house. For example, you can circle a saucer.
7. Next you need to cut the hole using a cutter. If it doesn’t turn out too smooth, don’t worry, just increase the diameter a little.
8. Be sure to glue all the joints - the house must be strong and reliable so that the cat feels calm and comfortable in it. It is best to glue with tape or regular glue - glue the parts of the box one to the other, and if necessary, seal the joints with strips of fabric or paper.
9. Dry your piece thoroughly before moving on.
10. Cover the house with soft material. For these purposes, you can take superglue - the most ordinary one will do. You can sew the fabric to the cardboard, but it's better not to use paper clips - I think the cat might accidentally start chewing and get hurt.
11. After the house, covered with soft material, has dried, proceed to the final stage - upholstery of the cat house. First, make a pattern with a small margin and carefully glue the inside of the house. Try to make fewer seams. It is best to overlap the seams with a large margin, so you can do without working with a needle and thread.
12. Sew a small pillow and an additional light blanket into the house. No, I don't think that a cat will hide in its cozy apartment, but a small blanket will make a cozy nest for the kitty.

Want to do something original? Watch a detailed video tutorial on how to make a cat house out of a box (cardboard and fabric) and get inspired!

First of all, decide on the materials. Many people think that only those who are greedy for money for finished products undertake to make a cat house with their own hands. Actually this is not true. Why does a person want to make a homemade house?

1. The issue of saving, of course, is far from the last in matters of handmade cat houses. How much does a good house for a cat cost? About 12-20 thousand rubles. The amount is quite large, and not everyone can afford it. Of course, there are cheap goods on sale, mostly made by Chinese craftsmen. But most owners do not want to risk the health of their pet.
2. A question of original design. Some people want to have a unique home interior item, others care about the size of the cat house, others want to make the animal’s palace safer and stronger.
3. The love of handicrafts is a great reason to make something for your pet. We are so rarely able to work with our hands with pleasure that some are specifically looking for an excuse, and benefiting our beloved Murka is not the worst thing to do (otherwise you might end up with tire swans).

Another option on how to make a house for a cat:

If you doubt your abilities, then first try making a very small house out of cardboard to evaluate the convenience and stability of the structure. Naturally, the miniature can simply be glued together - it is not necessary to make it soft and very beautiful.

Be sure to choose a place for your furry’s future home. You may have to reconsider the design somewhat and adapt the pattern to suit yourself - as you know, cramped apartments are quite common.

Try not to use small elements that the cat can tear off or chew off. My daughter thinks the cat house would look better if it was decorated with beads and buttons, but unfortunately my mom's cat isn't very smart.

What materials can be used

A variety of materials can be used in production. I will describe all the elements of the product and tell you what materials these parts can be made from.

Sleeping area
There should be a rigid frame with a roof (if you are making a house) or without (if it is more of an open or partially open bed) and a soft bed. To make a frame you can use:

• tree;
• cardboard;
• plastic;
• light metal tubes;
• plywood and chipboard;
• textile.

Litter sewn from fabric and filled with printed material:

• foam;
• padding polyester;
• straw;
• foamed polystyrene or other special granules.

A claw sharpener is made from a piece of wood and winding - you can use synthetic ropes and natural jute or hemp.

From cardboard

The simplest house option that comes to mind for absolutely all owners of these animals is a cardboard cat house. If you have a cat, then you know how much they love all kinds of bags, bags and boxes. Any packaging material is their favorite toy, which is the reason why many people make a cardboard cat house.

See how to assemble such a house in just half an hour.

• easy and quick to do;
• low costs;
• even a child can handle it;
• animals like it.

Minuses:

• quickly becomes unusable;
• doesn't look very presentable.

In what cases can these disadvantages be neglected? Yes, the house wears out pretty quickly, but at the same time it costs practically nothing - it can be rebuilt at any time.

An unpresentable appearance can be a problem for a person who is too particular about his home. For example, my mother chooses textiles only by taking pieces of furniture upholstery from home - so that the colors are in harmony, otherwise the tablecloths and napkins will look tacky. Naturally, she wouldn’t like a cardboard house, but I was interested in making it, and it fit perfectly into my close friend’s creative workshop.

From newspaper tubes

See how you can make a cat house from newspaper tubes. To be honest, I have not tried to make such a house with my own hands, but I know that newspaper tubes are often used to imitate straws. I can also note that a house made of newspaper tubes looks cute and at the same time reliable. It is better to make the bed for such a house quite high, from foam rubber.

This information (preparing newspaper tubes) may also be useful to you:

Read our article on how to twist newspaper tubes >>

How to weave from newspaper tubes for beginning craftsmen, read this article >>

Soft house

Naturally, you can sew a cat house with your own hands. Copy the drawings, make patterns, and sew a cat house.

The most interesting sewn house I saw was made in the shape of a small tent - its design used arches for the frame, over which fabric was stretched. As the “architect” said, strong wire acted as a frame, and the fabric was taken from his old shirt - quite durable cotton, which it was a pity to throw away because of the frayed sleeves.

How to make a house for a cat in two minutes? Stretch the T-shirt over the box and provide a soft liner. The video shows instructions on how to make a house for a cat. from a T-shirt and a disassembled hanger- it is used just as a frame.

You can make a house out of a T-shirt in a simpler way - take a convenient box, remove the end element, and pull the T-shirt over the house so that the neck coincides with the missing end wall. The result is a house with a round entrance. Quite convenient and at the same time simple.

A great way to make a cozy nest for your favorite cat - felt it using a wet technique. These houses look very unusual, but they:

• warm;
• beautiful;
• completely natural;
• soft and safe.

To make a home for a cat with your own hands, you need to look carefully at photos and videos—photos alone are not enough. The built castle for the cat should also please the family - after all, cats are very sensitive to the mood in the house.

Are you afraid that you won’t make a beautiful and neat house? I was also afraid, but then I found a good way. You sew a house from fabric, and mask all the seams with strips of faux fur. The pattern can be any design; stripes of fur will help make the house neater.

By the way, don’t forget - if we sew a house by hand, it is very important to check that all the needles and pins remain in the drawers and are not lost in soft material, otherwise the cat could get hurt.

Combined design

What if you make not a house for a cat with your own hands, but a huge play complex? Several floors, a sleeping area, a play area, passages and hammocks... It sounds tempting, but making such a cat house with your own hands is quite difficult - I advise those who have at least once built any furniture in their life (at least a stool in school classes) to take on it labor).

As a result, I made just such a house for my mother and covered it with fluffy beige faux fur - it turned out no worse than in the store, but I had to ask friends for help, I could not have coped with such a volume of work myself. Watch the master class in which I made a cat house with my own hands.

There are also such options for the gaming complex:

To make a scratching post or not

How to make a scratching post house for a cat with your own hands? Cats like to sharpen their claws anywhere, so it is very important to provide them with a suitable place for this - this way the animal will not damage your precious furniture, and at the same time it will not get hurt. To make a scratching post, you need a coil of rope and a strong board or round pipe (you can take plastic sewer pipes (clean, of course, and only from the store).

Watch how your cat sharpens her claws and you will understand what kind of design she needs, vertical and horizontal, and then fix the future scratching post in the desired position and wrap it with rope. I advise you to take natural rope, it looks aesthetically pleasing even if it is disheveled.

How to make a stationary scratching post for cats with your own hands? A small piece of pipe is wrapped in jute rope and placed on a stand; a bag of sand is placed inside the pipe (for stability). See the option below, a scratching post with nylon rope painted in bright colors.

Do you want to make an elegant house with a scratching post yourself? Install it instead of a roof - it looks adorable and cats like it.

Try making houses for cats with your own hands from boxes or fabric - after all, even a child can figure out how to build a house for a cat from scrap materials.

Be sure to pay attention to the fact that the cat house should not have any strong unpleasant odors.

If you are making a soft house for a cat, then use boucle fabric for decoration, and in no case for bedding - the cat will cling and get angry.

Don’t forget, we make cat houses to make them feel comfortable and happy. If your cat feels uncomfortable inside the home you have made, then try to find the reason - it is unlikely that the animal will simply be capricious.

Try building a soft house with a roof for your cat with your own hands - here are the instructions.

Cats are one of the most beloved pets that can most often be found in an apartment. In order for the pet to feel comfortable and cozy, the owners try to create all suitable conditions for it: they provide it with a tasty and balanced diet, buy it beautiful collars or clothes, regularly comb its fur, and take it to appointments with the veterinarian. But besides all this, the cat also needs its own space - a house, and not every owner installs one in his own living space.

This design is an essential element of the animal’s normal life; it can be purchased in a store or made from scrap materials. The detailed instructions presented in this article will help you make a beautiful and cozy cat house with your own hands.

Depending on the design features of the product, cat houses are divided into:

• hammocks;
• beds;
• special booths;
• cardboard structures;

To decide which house is right for your pet, observe its habits

• mini beds and sofas;
• built-in houses;
• complex complexes with game elements.

Hammocks– the simplest and most convenient designs for both pets and their owners. They are attached to the legs of furniture, do not interfere with movement around the room, and are almost invisible. You can make them yourself using simple items.

A cat hammock can be hung in any room of the house.

To work you will need:

• some durable fabric;
• threads;
• needles;
• fasteners that will fix the product in the selected location.

Important! Carabiners, Velcro and loops are the fastening elements of cat hammocks.

Cat beds- This is the simplest type of house. They are produced in the form of baskets or boxes with soft lining. This design is very simple to manufacture, so every homeowner can make it themselves from scrap materials.

Original cat bed

House-booth. The design of such a house resembles a doghouse; it has a roof and soft inner lining. A characteristic feature of the product is the presence of a special scratching post on which the pet sharpens its sharp claws. Such housing can be purchased at a pet store or made with your own hands.

House-booth for a cat

Cardboard structures. These are the most impractical products for pets. They quickly become unusable, lose their presentable appearance and tear. Constructed from boxes or cardboard sheets.

Cardboard house

Special mini-beds and sofas for cats. They are miniatures of pieces of home furniture. Such houses are very comfortable, fit harmoniously into the interior of the room, and do not clutter it up.

Sofa for a cat

Built-in houses. Built-in houses are universal structures. They are often located inside cabinets, bedside tables or ottomans. Such pieces of furniture perform two functions at once:

• house the pet;
• used by owners in everyday life (for storing things or other items).

Built-in cat house

Game complexes. These are quite complex and large products, consisting of a certain number of elements (ladders, scratching posts, beds, etc.). They are very convenient for cats, but not every homeowner can install such a house in their apartment, since they require a large area to accommodate them.

Play complex for cats

Materials for making the structure

The design of a cat house consists of several elements. These include:

• frame base;
• soft covering;
• special fillers and insulation materials;
• scratching posts;
• connecting elements of the structure;
• various fasteners.

To make the frame base, boards, wicker, plastic, plywood, chipboard or MDF are used. The main condition for choosing the right material is that it should not have an unpleasant odor, since the cat may not perceive such a “fragrant” home.

Making the base of a plywood house

The covering is made from any available soft fabric that is at hand. Plush, fur, carpet are the most popular materials for making upholstery for a cat house.

Important! Electrified materials must not be used during operation.

To ensure that the house is reliably protected and insulated, experts recommend using fillings such as synthetic winterizer, synthetic padding or foam rubber. They not only retain heat inside the structure, but also have soundproofing functions.

Scratching posts, unlike other elements, are made of more durable materials. Metal or plastic pipes are used to construct the frame, and strong jute rope is used to cover it.

For upholstery, use soft polyester fabric

Requirements for cat houses

Before you start making a house, you need to decide on the type of its design. Basic requirements for cat housing:

1. The height of the house should be equal to the level where the pet spends the most time (height of the sofa, chair, table, bedside table, etc.).
2. Housing should not have an unpleasant odor, as the animal simply will not perceive it.
3. The dimensions must be appropriate for the cat so that it feels comfortable within its walls.
4. Sustainability.

dimensions

Before you start designing a house, you must make a drawing of it. Experts recommend:

1. Height not lower than 40 cm.
2. The perimeter of housing for a medium-sized cat is at least 40 x 40 cm.
3. The diameter of the inlet hole is at least 15-20 cm.

Advice. When making a house yourself, you need to take into account the size of your pet!

To make a cat house with your own hands, the master does not need to have any special knowledge. To perform productive work, you will need to be patient and have all the necessary materials and tools.

Cardboard house

To work you will need:

• cardboard boxes (preferably large);
• pencil for marking;
• temp gun with glue sticks;
• ruler;
• knife or scissors.

Manufacturing technology of a two-tier house:

1. Create a drawing of the house, apply it to cardboard boxes, cut out all the elements (floor, walls, roof).
2. They draw windows and doors and cut them out.
3. Assemble the first floor of the cat's housing, glue all the seams using a heat gun (it will reliably hold all the elements together).
4. A connector is made in the roof of the first tier, which will serve as a hole for the cat to reach the second level.
5. The elements of the second tier are glued to the finished structure.
6. Decorate and paint the finished house.

A house made of wood (boards, fiberboard, etc.) in the form of a booth

For work you will need: A wooden booth

Manufacturing technology:

1. Make a drawing of a cat house (each structural element).
2. Apply markings, according to the finished drawing, to the material.
3. All elements of the future structure are cut out (floor, walls, roof, entrance for the pet).
4. Fasteners connect them together (except for the roof).
5. Fix the padding polyester and carefully cover the house with soft fabric (both the inside and outside).
6. The roof is sheathed separately and attached to the finished structure.
7. Decorate the house.

Hanging pillows

Another option for a cat house is a hanging structure made from several soft pillows. It is attached to the ceiling or to the tabletop (from the bottom of the table).

To work you need:

• 2-3 pillows;
• thick decorative rope;
• anchor hook (if the structure will be attached to the ceiling);
• drill;
• threads and needles;
• decorative elements.

Hanging bed made of pillows

Manufacturing technology:

1. A hole is made in the ceiling.
2. Fix the anchor hook.
3. The pillows are connected to each other using decorative ropes (at a certain distance from each other).
4. 3-4 long ropes are sewn to the edges of the top pillow, connected to each other, and hung on a ceiling hook.
5. Decorate the finished hanging house with affordable items.

The original cat house will become a favorite place for your pet. Make it yourself according to one of the suggested instructions, and your pet’s joy will know no bounds.

DIY cat house: video

It’s better to start with a paraphrase of Mark Twain: “Rumors about the harmfulness of cats have been greatly exaggerated.” Even the generally accepted standard of eccentricity - the Siamese - can be quite understanding and accommodating. The only thing that owners need to understand is that a cat in the house is not a pet, not a meaningless amusement. She doesn't look down on you, as Winston Churchill thought, and if for no apparent reason someone throws a boot at you, like in Kipling's fairy tale, then what can you do but walk around on your own? The cat is a member of your family, and it must be accepted into the family on mutually acceptable terms. The best way to do this is to build a cat house. Then she won’t crawl under the sink behind the trash can, and after that into the drawer with bed linen, and won’t tear up the wallpaper, and won’t tear at her wife’s slippers. And in general there will be no hassle with her, but there will be comfort and warmth.

There are many cat houses on sale, for every taste and budget. But, firstly, they are designed for the average representative of a particular breed, and a cat, as we will see below, is an embodied individuality. Secondly, fashion is fashion - prices for almost all models are clearly inflated. And finally, there is nothing complicated in their design; it is preferable to use used materials in all respects, therefore A cat house is one of the household items that makes complete sense to make with your own hands. In the literal sense: although a cat’s nose is not a dog’s, and certainly not a bear’s, it can smell the smell of a master’s hands from the outside, and he may not like it, and the housewarming party will be ruined. Well, what can you do, it’s not a pet, a cat. Personality from mustache to tail tip.

It’s not difficult to make a home for a cat, but exactly how to do it is full of subtleties. For example, once upon a time Vasek and Murki were dressed in old felt boots and felt hats, and they were simply thrilled there. As it turned out, the problem is in the felt - it does not accumulate static electricity at all, allows evaporation to pass through freely and does not rot. Felt cat sleeping bags are still in use today, see figure, but natural felt is now expensive and not very accessible, and cats do not recognize synthetic felt. Therefore, when planning to build a house for a cat, you should thoroughly understand: what is it? How and how do domestic felines live, what should be in the house, what should not be, what is acceptable and permissible? And for this, in turn, you will have to delve into the peculiarities of cat biology.

Note: By the way, it turns out that gender differences also need to be taken into account. More precisely, the following are features of behavior in various situations. From which it follows that a house for a cat is structurally not quite the same as for a cat, see below. However, cats are generally unpretentious creatures, and in terms of labor intensity, both houses are equivalent - it is minimal. As is the consumption of materials.

What does nature say?

The cat has been domesticated since time immemorial, and it has outlived many of the habits of its wild ancestors, and has developed others in its place. But this does not apply to the most powerful instincts: survival and procreation. It is necessary to take them into account, so let us first turn to the primitive feline savagery.

Origin

Wild forest cat Felis silvestris

Zoologists classify the domestic cat as a special species, Felis catus. Its most likely ancestor is considered to be the European forest cat Felis silvestris, which is still in small numbers, but quite happily living in the forests from Scotland to the Caucasus. The following arguments are given in favor of the “paternity” of the Euroforest, such as, firstly, the similarity of size and exterior: the gray-striped Felis silvestris can only be distinguished from a feral garbage dump by an experienced specialist, by the blunt thickened end of the tail and other small features, see Fig. Secondly, the Euroforest does not shy away from housing and sometimes settles in the attics of inhabited houses. Thirdly, it easily mates with domestic cats, producing viable, fertile offspring.

Supporters of the South Asian origin of Felis catus object: the Euroforest settles near humans, but who was able to tame it where and when? Temper is the devil in the flesh. Spring concerts can frighten a tyrannosaurus, and fatal fights for a female are common. Small cats of South Asia do not put so many decibels into their serenades, and their mating tournaments are not as recklessly bloody as those of the European forest cat. This is understandable: in the jungle you won’t get hold of anyone with wild screams, but in the tropical forest, where everyone eats each other as best they can, the smell of blood can bring more serious predators to the love list.

Note: small African wild cats are excluded from questions of feline genealogy; against them the Euroforest is a kitten. The African forest cat, in the words of one of J. Darrell’s native companions, “can tear apart a person in the shortest possible time,” see “The Hounds of Bafut.”

One way or another, such representatives of the genus Felis of temperate latitudes as the house, manul or caracal clearly did not contribute to the gene pool of Felis catus. In the same way, for example, like the Indo-Malayan fish cat, whose habits are more reminiscent of a beaver, otter or seal than of their own kind. And the likely contenders have a lot in common, which is significant specifically for the house.

Biology

All possible ancestors of the domestic cat are small solitary predators. In this case, nature offers 3 options for survival tactics: dig a hole and become an omnivore, like a fox or a badger, form a pack and chase large prey until exhaustion, like wolves, or switch to a twilight-night lifestyle and become a stealther: it doesn’t take long to steal pursue, look out, wait, quietly creep up; then - several lightning-fast jumps, and, if the prey is gone, switch to another object.

Note: pure ambushers, waiting for the meat to climb into the mouth on its own, in an air environment that does not compensate for body weight and poorly transmits pressure waves, are rare and are found mainly among cold-blooded animals; It is difficult for a warm-blooded animal to catch enough biomass in this way to support life in the air.

It follows: a cat is a full-fledged individual. If the personal character of, say, a wolf is his own business only as long as it does not contradict the interests of the pack, then a cat, if compared with human psychology, is a congenital introvert. There's nothing wrong with that; An introvert can be a sociable, sympathetic person. But he definitely needs some kind of nook where he can be himself. Living, for example, in a hostel is torture for an introvert; he would rather deny himself many things, but rent an apartment. That is, a house for a cat is necessary. Otherwise she will arrange it for herself. Perhaps, where you are not at all happy.

The hunting territory of small cats is large, up to 2-3 square meters. km near Eurolesny. But they use it differently. Cats patrol during the day, looking for places to go out for prey in the evening. As a rule, the den is made permanent and, if there are no disturbance factors, they can spend the night in it all their lives. Only spend the night: guarding the territory takes up all your free time. And in order to sleep peacefully, they choose a place for the den that is, if possible, inaccessible, and certainly inaccessible to large animals. They prefer places at height, for viewing before leaving, and with a reserve in case of escape.

Cats have the added responsibility of bearing and giving birth to offspring. In the last days of pregnancy and with the brood, she can no longer be away for a long time. Small kittens cannot climb trees yet, so the den should be low, and it needs to be changed with each litter so as not to be identified. But you need more than one food, and you can’t go far. This means you need to look from above, and higher. If a cat needs visibility for safety, then a cat also needs it for food, and the cat’s lair, in addition to being hidden, should be located near a good viewing platform.

About color vision in cats

In the retina of a cat's eye there are many rod cells that react to the intensity of light; this is necessary at night and in twilight. There are no cones that perceive color that are sensitive to red, and there are very few green- and blue-sensitive cones. That is, a cat, like all animals except primates, practically does not distinguish colors. She sees approximately the same as a person suffering from a special type of color blindness - nyctalopia. Hence the conclusion about the house: design delights are the owner’s business. The cat will still only see the functionality.

Biology and ethology (the science of behavior) of cats are very interesting things; cats are the most highly specialized predators. However, to properly make a home for a cat with your own hands, the above is enough. That’s why we’ll take care of the house; it and the cat in it, if you’re interested, will then provide material for observations and conclusions.

Furnishings and arrangement of the house
Exercise

Cat muscles are designed to work in an instantaneous manner. If hormones have spilled into the blood for any reason, force must be applied immediately and immediately. A cat is not biologically suited to wait until you are taken out to a walk or area where you can swing systematically. Therefore, the cat's house should be equipped with exercise equipment. Let's see what they are next.

What is Vaska and what is Murka

The second factor influencing home equipment is gender differences in behavior. A cat, for example, feels quite comfortable if he has to jump into a house; The instinct of self-preservation gives a signal that the home is sufficiently safe. The cat needs an overview, as already said, to make sure the surroundings are safe. Therefore, a cat can live peacefully in a simple house-sleeve, as long as it is raised (on the left in the figure), or in a combined house with a bed, on the right there.

Houses for cats

The cat is more concerned about the safety of the den, and the instinct of reproduction prohibits revealing its accessibility with its presence. Combining a bed with a house is no longer comfortable for her, firstly. Secondly, the observation deck itself needs several (minimum 2) levels: from the upper one, the surroundings are inspected for the presence of prey/enemy and the possibility of bringing out a grown brood, and on the lower ones, the cat either hides before jumping on prey, or distracts the attention of an unwanted the alien and leads him away from the brood, remaining in relative safety. Therefore, the cat bed should be at least two-level and not located directly on the house.

Back door

Having an emergency exit leading to the beds is highly desirable and mandatory for cats. The cat can still, relying on its dexterity, courage and ferocity, rush straight at the enemy, and while he is taken aback, hide, and then find another shelter. In case of a direct attack on the den, the cat is always ready to first let the kittens escape; if necessary, at the cost of his life.

General layout and dimensions

The diagram of a cat house that satisfies all the specified requirements and is suitable for both sexes is shown in Fig. on right. Its features:

Scheme of a universal cat house

• Beds of different heights are quite suitable for a cat, and it’s no worse for him.
• A cat will not perceive a post with a platform on the roof as an integral part of the structure, especially if the post is made of a tree limb, see below. Cats, like all animals except primates, do not even have the rudiments of imaginative thinking and spatial imagination.
• Pillars with beds provide ample opportunity for both exercise and claw points.

The dimensions of the living part of a house for a medium-sized cat are approximately 40x40 cm in plan and the same in height. The diameter of the entrances is 15-20 cm; The animal will not like an entrance that is too wide (safety!); however, you need to look at the hairiness and fatness of your pet. It is clear that the collected, lean Briton will duck into a smaller opening than the arrogant Persian, who seems twice as big as he actually is.

The dimensions of the beds are the same as the house in plan. The height relative to the ground, roof and each other is such that the occupant of the house, standing on his hind legs, can reach the overlying platform with his front legs. Of course, all sizes are relative: for example, cats of the American tiger breed can exceed 1 m in length with a tail; the Guinness book records 117 cm.

Note: Generally speaking, the translation of tiger cat as “tiger” is not entirely correct. In American colloquialism, this expression roughly corresponds to the Russian “kotofey” - a hefty, cunning, hardened and blown cat. Not necessarily a stray, he, if he is a convinced renegade, will be a honky cat, but simply a homeless person who does not mind being picked up and sheltered - an alley cat.

Wigwam house for a smooth-haired cat

About wigwam houses

Southern shorthair cats - Abyssinian, Bengal, Siamese - often stand on their tiptoes in houses. This may be due to the fact that their supposed ancestors willingly settle in tree hollows. In this case, a wigwam house (see figure on the right) with a height of about 60 cm is better suited. The technology of its manufacture is, in principle, no different from that of a cube house. For such a cat, in order to have offspring, it is better to make the house in the form of an imitation of a hollow: a round pipe, a spare hole is higher than the main one and goes out onto a platform enclosing the pole, see fig. further, in the section on materials.

Place for a house

Having decided on the size of the house, you need to choose a place for the cat and its home. Cats love to bask, and this is not a whim. Due to external heating, their muscle tone decreases, the food eaten lasts longer and is better absorbed; Simply put, the body switches from afterburner to energy saving. Hence the first condition - closer to the battery.

Secondly, cats, as territorial animals, have a developed instinct of observation. Without “cleverness” - well, it’s boring to stare at the same sofa and wardrobe all the time. Therefore, it is highly desirable that you can jump from the roof of the house or one of the platforms to the windowsill; Let's warm up at the same time. Conclusion: the best place for a cat's house is a corner near the window with central heating, and with a stove - between the window and the stove. Most often, a scratching post is also placed here without any problems; however, this most necessary device for cats requires a separate discussion.

Maybe in the bedroom?

Cat bed

It's nice when a cat comes to bed in the morning. But when it doesn’t let you sleep or interferes with adults, then it’s already annoying. Meanwhile, from the cat’s point of view, it is simply either colder at night, or does not seem as safe as in its daytime habitat. There, maybe the street light is annoying, your eyes are sensitive.

In this case, the best solution is to sew a bed for a cat, see fig. This matter requires a separate discussion; Here we will only say that the best preparation is a sleeve of unusable fur clothing, saturated with the owner’s smell. And the most suitable place for it is under a stool or chair. And instinct tells the cat: there is a strong roof over its head, and they won’t step on it in the dark.

Cat house bed made from an old T-shirt

Another interesting option is a bed made from an old T-shirt on a rigid frame, it’s almost like a house, see fig. left; you can climb into the sleeves. The frame is best made from bamboo slats, wrapping the joints crosswise with thread and gluing with PVA. It is possible from steel wire, but then you need to put propylene sheaths on the steel; The heat-shrinkable tube used for electrical installation work (HERE) is suitable. Fiberglass, for example, the ends of rods, will not cause a protest from the cat, but they are more difficult to connect; PVA fiberglass does not hold well.

About complexes and kennels

As you know, there are entire breeds of cats that are playful and lazy. And many people keep not one, but several. In any case, if it is not a cat, then there will be offspring. What kind of house do you need then?

If you count on kittens that will then go into good hands, a kennel house like a doghouse, see Fig., with all the necessary additional equipment is enough. They make it longer, about 0.5 m for an average cat: alone in the house she curls up into a ball, but kittens need to be fed milk. For them, the long walls are made sloping, and with a shelf under the pitched roof - this way it will be more convenient for the brood, without disappearing from the parent’s eye, to train in climbing and claw point.

Kennel house for a cat with a litter

It is also possible to have a whole family of cats at home: although cats do not form prides like lions, the rudiments of social behavior among domestic animals have nevertheless developed over centuries of evolution alongside humans. However, remember: since there is a community of animals, there will be a hierarchy in it. Moreover, cats will remain individualists: if they have centuries of cohabitation with a person, then the festivities themselves are geological epochs. Therefore, it is better not to try to house at least a couple of mature cats in one house: a residential complex with a separate dwelling for each individual is needed, see fig. on right.

Complex for two cats living together

The technology for its construction is generally the same as for one house (see below), but there are specific requirements:

• Houses are on different levels; who gets what - the cats will distribute it themselves.
• For a subordinate individual (its house is the lower one), it is necessary to provide a covered (in the form of a pipe, for example) lounger on the same level as the house; in exchange for a subordinate position, she receives increased security, because The functions of the observer are taken over by the dominant one, and the subordinate no longer needs the upper observation platform.
• A third, connecting platform is needed, located approximately in the middle between the houses.

Note: There is no need to accustom cats to consumer democracy - in natural communities, connections are based on the laws of nature and are organized in such a way that the team as a whole benefits.

All in one

Small-sized scratching post house for a cat

In small apartments, finding space for even the simplest cat corner is not easy. The problem of peace of mind in a minimally occupied area is solved with the help of a bed, see above, but what about claws? They are growing. A scratching post house with sides adapted for this procedure will help out. In fact, the point of claws for a cat is a serious matter and requires a separate discussion, but one of the simplest ways to implement such a house is shown in Fig. It differs from those described below in that it can only be made of wood: other material will not withstand the loads from claws.

Construction

If you read about what and how they recommend making cat houses, you often think: your own cottage was simpler and required a smaller set of tools. It would be unethical to reproach people who want to provide the best care for their pets with trying too hard out of love for them. So let's just see how to make something that the cat needs and will last her all her life, without extra costs and hassle. There is no point in making a house designed for more than several generations: a self-respecting cat will not live in a secondary apartment, it would be better then for a trash can, and then in a linen chest of drawers.

Materials

Materials for the house can be either natural or synthetic, but the smell does not repel cats. The best ones are used ones, smelling like home and owners. New ones with a noticeable human odor are eliminated unconditionally, while others must first be ventilated for a week or two on the balcony or in the country, but not in the garage or outbuildings with living creatures, and then kept in the apartment for the same amount of time. This does not apply to parts made of massive plastics: they can emit odors for years.

We definitely cannot recommend metals, especially visible metal fasteners - furniture corners, etc. Firstly, there may be cracks there that are invisible to humans and can catch a hair from the fur. Secondly, any metal part is a current collector, and the cat will have to endure pinches from static electricity from time to time.

Materials for building a cat house

In addition, if there is no padding polyester, you will need lining fabric (satin or twill); it can be replaced with leatherette with great success, if available. If you want to give the house additional strength, use small, up to 20 mm, nails. To attach the post - 3-4 wood screws 4.2 x (60-100). For soft houses and partly for wooden ones - cotton threads No. 10-No. 20 or harsh, the thickest that can be threaded into your sewing machine. For the simplest temporary houses (for example, if you took a cat with you to the dacha), glue and tape are sufficient.

Note: Silk fabrics and threads are excluded - a cat’s house made from them will seem like an electric chair to her. Wool is undesirable in terms of sanitation and hygiene; it quickly gets dirty and rots from cat grease. Synthetics can be used antistatic.

About pipe pillars

For some reason, many recipes for building cat houses advise making poles from metal or PVC pipes. What is called, contrary to the obvious:

• More expensive than a piece of wood, which can be completely free.
• More difficult to process.
• To attach it to the site, you need a socket, which costs money, and additional fasteners for it and the pole.
• The rope winding holds much worse than the wooden one.

Tool

To make a variety of houses using the methods described below, the most common household tools are enough: a hammer, a knife, scissors, a screwdriver, an awl, pliers, a flat glue brush. An electric drill with a set of drills wouldn't hurt. If the house is made of wood and its parts are connected at an angle other than a straight one, a jigsaw will come in handy: the support shoe of most models rotates to the sides and the end cut can be made at any angle. For a soft house, it is highly desirable to have a sewing machine, but if you have time, they can be sewn by hand; cutting is the simplest. Then they sew with a simple sail stitch, threading the purl branch of the thread into the loop formed by the front one.

About gluing and gluing

As you probably already guessed, we will either sew or glue the houses. Wooden ones can be strengthened during the assembly process by nailing them into the end, see below. But in order for the adhesive joints to be strong and reliable, you need to glue PVA as follows:

• A thin layer of glue is applied to both surfaces to be glued with a brush.
• Wait for the glue to gelatinize until its layer becomes translucent or with individual small yellowish-whitish spots. This takes 3-20 minutes depending on external conditions.
• The parts are pressed tightly against each other and secured with nails, strapping, clamps, etc. You can remove the bandage and continue assembly after 40-60 minutes.

Note: so that when assembling on glue and nails they do not come out askew, the places for them must be marked in advance (step - 30-70 mm), and the end of the counter part should be pricked with an awl in the middle of the thickness to a depth of 3-6 mm. You will be surprised how easy and neat the assembly will be.

The pillar is attached to the lower platform, or the upper platforms to it, with glue in the same way, but immediately after compressing the parts, they are fixed with self-tapping screws, 3-4 per end. For self-tapping screws, you need to pre-drill holes with a diameter of the body of the self-tapping screw without thread (for 4.2 mm - 2.2-2.5 mm) and a depth of 3/4 of the length of the threaded part.

Scheme for applying glue for gluing with fabric

When gluing and pasting wooden parts with fabric, carpet and leatherette, glue is applied only to the wood with rays from the center and traced around the outline, not reaching 10-20 mm to the edge, see fig. The soft material is applied as soon as gelatinization begins, i.e. when the glue begins to turn yellow, pull it together from the inside with threads. You can't put pressure on your face! After an hour and a half, the face is ironed with a medium-hot iron using a barely damp cloth, and you can consider it forever.

Note: If foam rubber is placed under the fabric, then, of course, you cannot iron it. Then the foam rubber is glued first; As soon as it sticks, the fabric is on top, and everything is pulled together from the inside with threads until it dries.

The easiest way to cover a tree with synthetic padding is to apply strokes or drops of glue on it in increments of 30-60 mm in both coordinates, and wait for gelatinization to begin. Immediately place it on wood or cardboard; You can move it slightly, adjusting it along the contour. Then we press with the palm of our hand, and after 10-20 minutes you can continue to work.

Note: and the most important rule is - do not tear off the “left” part. If this happens, the connection needs to be separated, dried completely, the previous glue removed and re-glued.

The simplest cat house is cardboard. Most often, the packaging cardboard used is from boxes of household appliances that are out of warranty. A cardboard house can also be capital and permanent. So that packaging cardboard for a cat house can replace plywood and wood in general, it is glued in half, orienting the inner corrugations of the layers mutually perpendicular. The glue is applied in a fan, as described above, on both surfaces. Fold without pressing too hard until gelatinization begins. If such a cake is then impregnated with a water-polymer emulsion (this is, in fact, the same PVA, very diluted), you will get almost like plywood.

But the simplest of the simplest is a cat house made from a box of a suitable size. Here, apart from adhesive tape, scissors and 5-10 minutes of time, you don’t need anything at all, on the left in Fig. The bedding is a piece of synthetic padding polyester, an old grandmother’s warmer, foam rubber wrapped in jacquard or carpet, secured from the inside with threads, etc. If you find a piece of felt - mo-rr-m-r-r-bark! Meow! This house will come in handy, as already mentioned, when traveling, or if the cat has given birth and its permanent house is too small. Then, when the kittens grow up, the swaying tips of the pediments will quite pass for a worthless mouse. And the very gables will be used as ramps for climbing and for the point of claws that are not yet fully strong.

Cardboard cat houses

The Japanese, masters of making useful crafts out of nothing, came up with cardboard hive houses for cats, in the middle in Fig. The technology is quite painstaking, but simple: rings are cut and glued together with PVA. Cats like it without additional decoration, as long as there is bedding. The beehive house is very durable: if the base is made of plywood, it will last the cat for the rest of its life, as long as an inattentive guest does not inadvertently sit down.

The next option for using cardboard is beds for older kittens. It’s still too early for them to separate, but everyone already needs their own corner. Cardboard spools or tubes made from sheet materials will come in handy here. From them you can literally build a whole town for cat stuff in an hour, on the right in Fig.

Finally, a cat house made of cardboard can be permanent, on a plywood base and attached to a pole with a lounger. The cutting of parts for it is shown in Fig. Assembly - completely on glue; To secure the connection, you can quilt it with thread by hand. Decorative design and interior upholstery are optional. Preferable for smooth-haired southern breeds, and not only because it is made like a hollow. Southern cats (remember, their supposed ancestors lived in hollows) often sharpen their claws on the inside of the house. Here, no tree with fabric will last long, and it’s a pity for the labor. And the cardboard house is easily replaced with the same new one.

Cutting out parts for a cardboard cat house

Wooden

A wooden cat house is necessary for large and strong breeds: Persian, Siberian, American brindle, as well as for all breeds of clearly Euro-forest origin, for example. Norwegian. For a cat, the most important thing here is height, good visibility in all directions and a large upper bed from which you can jump. A drawing of a house for a cat of this type is shown in Fig. For smaller breeds, the size can be reduced to suit your pet, but keep in mind: placing the bed under the tail is necessary. Cats don’t like it when their tail hangs down; a larger predator can pull it off.

House drawing for a big cat

A house with a standard design would be more suitable for a cat, see above. In general, the assembly sequence is as follows:

• The base is prepared, a pillar(s) with a sunbed(s) are installed on it.
• The details of the house are cut out to size minus 1 mm along the contour for the internal upholstery made of fabric with foam rubber, or exactly to size when upholstered with padding polyester.
• If the upholstery is fabric, the inner sides of the parts are pre-covered with twill or satin on 15-20 mm foam rubber, as described above; foam pads should not reach 15-20 mm to the edges; the fabric is glued to the ends of the parts.
• The house is assembled with glue and nails, as described.
• If the upholstery is synthetic padding, the house is covered with it from the inside; The joints of the layers are also glued together with sausages of glue.
• Excess interior upholstery is cut off from the outside.
• The outside of the house and sun loungers are covered with decorative fabric, without foam rubber.
• The jacquard is also glued to the ends of the sunbeds and entrance/exit openings; in addition, a fold inward of 20-25 mm is given with sizing.
• The house is installed on the base using glue; Once dry (1-2 days), you can celebrate your housewarming.

Note: We remind you that when gluing with fabric, the glue is applied with a brush to the wood, and the fabric is applied at the beginning of gelatinization. The ends are pasted over after the planes, pulling the fabric tightly.

Pole wrapping

Wrapping a pole with rope

The pole is wrapped with rope until the base is pasted, for which you will then have to cut a circle in the fabric. In general, it is better to leave the base and roof of the house as is, wooden. The cat doesn't need softness there.

When winding, first make several flat turns on the base using glue, see fig. Then, already on the post, also 5-6 glued turns. They wind it all the way to the top, pulling it tight. The sliding coils are knocked out with light blows of a hammer. At the top, the procedure is repeated in the reverse order: the last 5-6 turns on the post are glued, then also several glued on the bottom of the platform. Finally, when the post is completely dry, add glue to the ends of the rope so that they do not become shaggy.

Note: If you are familiar with sailing/rigging, then it is better to measure the rope with a test winding and make the so-called at its ends. ogons; This is the surest way to avoid marking.

It seems that a good half of the cats still prefer a soft house, even without pillars with loungers. These are probably already domesticated. And here the question arises: how to arrange materials, which are basically shapeless, so that the entire product holds its shape? Not a sleeping sleeve though.

Cat people, I must say, solved this problem a long time ago. Intuitively or “scientifically”, who knows. But the principle has also been known for a long time: to fold materials with different indicators of flexibility in different directions, so that the overall shape is maintained. To do this, the house is sewn from foam rubber, sandwiched between 2 layers of fabric: the softer one goes on the inside, and the rougher, but more attractive one goes on the face. Sintepon is not suitable as a gasket, it is too soft.

The manufacturing sequence is as follows, see Fig. First, the bottom and blind sides are quilted with an envelope, pos. 1. Then, without overlaying the face, mark its outline on the wall with the entrance and quilt it with a zigzag, pos. 2. In this case, you need to place a newspaper under the foam rubber, because... It sticks to both the platform and the machine’s foot, and the pushers tear it. Next, the entrance is cut out, the face of the wall with the entrance is covered with facial tissue, tucking it inward, pos. 3, and quilt along the inner and outer contours. Finally, the house is finally sewn together, pos. 4, and turn it out through the entrance - the home is ready, pos. 5.

Sewing a cat house from foam rubber and fabric

Note: whoever knows how to sew will tailor it according to his favorite. However, there are special cases. For example, in Fig. on the right is a pattern for a house for a cat with offspring or for a large one; dimensions - in cm. In the latter case, the height of the entrance opening can be increased to 30 cm by choosing more material in the dome, the structure will withstand this. But in the bottom tape, so to speak, the base, you need to leave the same 10 cm.

In fact, for a cat family in a soft house, it is preferable to make the interior upholstery from leatherette. Firstly, for the sake of sanitation and hygiene: by turning the house inside out, you can wash it. Secondly, kittens do not yet control their claws as perfectly as adults, and they can become entangled in the fabric. Therefore, the video below offers step-by-step instructions on how to make a soft house for a cat and kittens from fabric and leatherette.

Video: DIY cat house made of artificial leather

Multi-level cat house made of mesh

A kind of soft house for a whole collection of cats is made of mesh, and the partitions between the compartments are made of fabric with foam padding. Rigidity is provided by a propylene rod sewn along the contour. Cat people in Canada came up with these, and even foldable ones, and several companies successfully sell them, see fig. However, it also shows that something similar can be done independently. Distribution of levels according to hierarchy, jumping, review - everything is under the paw without unnecessary details, and can be hung on the wall in any suitable place. At least at the dacha or on vacation, if the administration or owners allow you to take cats with you.

And the most important thing

Namely: before you take up the tool, take a closer look at the cat. Where she goes, why she goes, what she does where, what she likes and what she doesn’t. Affectionate and firm characters are quite compatible in one creature. For example, Pantyukha, who lives with the author of the article, completely fell in love with a flat avocado box under the kitchen stool. The battery is right behind the back. He jumps from the stool onto the table, and from there onto the windowsill. Either from the remnants of the smell of fruit he is intoxicated, or from the wood of the box itself, but he has grown firmly into his rookery and greets with hysteria any attempts to move him from his beloved slum to a more decent property. And if you give away another new building to your acquaintances, they, you know, Felis Katus, immediately settle in and are beside themselves with delight. That's it.

Everyone knows that cats love to hide in various shelters. So why not provide your cat with its own cozy home? There are many different cat houses available, from small cat houses to luxury homes. Of course, you can just buy such a house at a pet store, but it’s much more interesting to make it yourself, because it gives you the opportunity to get creative, create your own unique masterpiece, and just have a good time in the creative process.

Why does a cat need a house?

Cats love a variety of shelters, sometimes choosing completely inappropriate places for sleeping and resting. Few owners will like the fact that the cat sleeps on a shelf in the closet, and by getting into the washing machine, the cat completely exposes itself to danger.

A cat hiding in a washing machine puts itself in danger

If you don’t want your pet to hide where she absolutely shouldn’t be, you can provide her with her own place in the house.

There are many different variations. from the simplest beds to play complexes equipped with various scratching posts and toys. ladders and so on. A variety of materials will allow you to choose what suits you.

Such a sleeping place is not a complete shelter. A small mattress with soft sides or a box covered with soft fabric inside will make an excellent bed for your pet.

Mattress with low soft sides

Hammocks for cats look unusual and save space. They are very similar in design to human hammocks. You can secure such a sleeping place for your pet, for example, on the legs of a coffee table.

Hammock attached to furniture legs

There are also hammocks that are attached to heating radiators. This sleeping place is ideal for heat-loving cats and will look very unusual.

A hammock is hung on a heating radiator

Such a house is not only a sleeping place, but also a full-fledged shelter where the cat can relax and retire. Cat houses come in different sizes.

Allows the cat to have privacy inside

Made from various materials, kennel houses can become not only a refuge for your furry pet, but also an interior decoration.

An unusually shaped cat house looks good in the interior

In addition to their aesthetic appearance, such houses have another useful feature - they can be equipped with additional accessories, for example, a scratching post, which will save the furniture from sharp claws.

A scratching post located near the entrance to the house will save furniture from claws

Some cats like to both hide and relax in plain sight. A house that combines a shelter and a bed is ideal for such cats.

The cat can not only hide in the house, but also lie on top of it

Miniature cat furniture

Such a sleeping place for a furry pet looks very unusual and will appeal to those who like to photograph their pet. Small sofas and beds are decorated with various rugs, pillows and blankets, making them look realistic and cute.

Photo gallery: examples of miniature furniture for cats

A sofa with a wooden back of an unusual shape and a bright mattress Looks funny and unusual This bright sofa looks very unusual This sofa is good for a photo shoot This bed can comfortably accommodate two pets

Play complexes for cats

The play complex is perfect for active cats that need to run, climb, and play active games. Such complexes consist of various shelters, beds, ladders, scratching posts, tunnels and toys.

Consists of a ladder, a scratching post, several beds and shelters

An alternative to such a gaming complex can be a structure whose walls are made in the manner of a tent.

The fabric is fixed to the frame. Equipped with a tunnel

Cat shelters built into furniture

The main advantage of such shelters for cats is their versatility. However, it is important to differentiate in the cat’s mind where its territory is and where the owner’s things are. It is not always easy to accustom a cat to such a shelter.

It is quite difficult to find such furniture in a store; most often it is made to order, or the cat’s owners themselves remodel existing cabinets or chests of drawers.

There is a special cat hole on the side of the cabinet

Cardboard cat house

A cat's home made of cardboard is short-lived, but allows you to fantasize with might and main. It’s quite easy to make such a house yourself, especially since it’s easy to find drawings on the Internet.

Made in the form of a miniature house with a window and a pipe

How to make a cat house with your own hands

First of all, you should determine which house is suitable for your pet. For young and active cats, spacious homes and a variety of toys are best suited. For cats that love privacy, closed houses are suitable. Cats who prefer to relax in open areas will appreciate regular beds and hammocks. If your cat likes to look at the world from above, then you should think about a house with several levels.

It is also important to choose the right material from which you will make a home for your pet. The material must be safe and not have a strong odor. It is also important that there are no rough edges, sharp corners or other defects that could lead to injury to the cat.

House for a cat made from unwanted clothes

You probably have a T-shirt that you don't wear, or an old sweater that you hate to throw away. All this is perfect for creating a sleeping place for your furry pet.

You will also need filler, such as padding polyester or foam rubber, threads, needles and, of course, imagination.

Sweater sleeves are stuffed with padding polyester

To make a cat bed from a sweater, you will need the following:

• Old sweater;
• Filling - padding polyester, holofiber, padding polyester, etc.;
• Scissors, needle, thread;

Now you can proceed directly to creating the bed.

1. We cut off the neck of the sweater and sew it up.

   Cut the neck of the sweater and sew it up

2. We make a seam from one sleeve to the other.

   Sew from one sleeve to the other

3. We stuff the sleeves of the sweater with padding polyester. It should look like this “sausage”.

   The sweater is stuffed with padding polyester

4. Sew the sleeves of the sweater.

   Sew sweater sleeves

5. Fill the bottom of the bed. A thin piece of foam rubber, warm thick fabric, or synthetic padding is suitable for this.

   We fill the bottom of the future bed

6. Sew up the bottom of the sweater.

   Sew up the bottom of the sweater

7. Sew on the sleeves of the sweater to create the side of the bed.

   Sew the sleeves to the sweater

8. The bed is ready.

At your discretion, you can decorate the resulting bed with appliqués, embroideries, tassels or pom-poms. This warm and soft bed, made by the owner’s hands, will definitely please your cat.

Video: cat bed made from a sweater

Tent house made from an old T-shirt

If you have a spare T-shirt, you can build a cozy tent for your cat.

The T-shirt is stretched over a wire frame, and the neck forms the entrance

To create a tent you will need:

• Unnecessary T-shirt;
• Wire, such as wire clothes hangers;
• A piece of thick cardboard;
• Wide tape;
• Pliers, wire cutters and awl;
• Pins, threads, needle;

Let's get creative:

1. Use wire cutters to remove hanger hooks. Make sure that the ends of the wire do not catch or scratch.

   Separate the hanger hooks

2. Unfold the hangers. Bend the wire to form the tent poles.

   Unbend the hangers, give them an arc shape

3. Make through holes in the corners of a sheet of cardboard with a diameter approximately the same as a wire. Don't make them too close to the edge.

   Punch holes in the cardboard

4. Now fasten the wire arcs together exactly in the middle using tape or tape. The structure must be very strong.

   Fasten the wire arcs together

5. Insert the ends of the wire into the holes in the cardboard.

   Insert the ends of the wire into the holes in the cardboard

6. Bend the ends of the wire.

   Bend the ends of the wire

7. Cover the ends of the wire with electrical tape or tape to prevent them from snagging or scratching.

   Cover the ends of the wire with tape

8. Checking the base of the tent. It must be strong and stable.

   Cat Tent Base

9. We stretch the T-shirt over the frame so that the neck forms an entrance.

   We stretch the T-shirt onto the frame

10. We fold the edges of the T-shirt under the bottom of the tent, secure it with pins and stitch it.

    We fold the edges of the T-shirt under the bottom of the tent, fix it and stitch it

11. The tent is ready! You can invite your pet to a new home.

Video: T-shirt cat tent

Cardboard cat house

This method of making a cat house gives complete freedom of imagination.

You can make a house out of corrugated cardboard, a box, wood pipe or other similar material.

House for a cat made of cardboard circles

This house looks very unusual. You can also give it any shape that your imagination allows.

The house is glued together from cardboard circles of various diameters

To create a house you will need the following materials:

1. Corrugated cardboard;
2. Stationery knife;
3. Compass;
4. Glue;
5. Pencil;

Let's start creating an unusual home for your pet:

1. First of all, you need to cut out 8 circles from cardboard with a diameter of 21.5 cm, 21 cm, 20.5 cm, 20 cm, 19.5 cm, 19 cm, 18.5 cm and 18 cm. Each of the circles must be divided into rings 4 cm wide.

   Cardboard markings

2. Cut out the drawn parts.

   Cutting out cardboard rings

3. Now we make blanks for the bottom of the house. We cut out 6 circles with a diameter of 21 cm, leave one whole, and cut out rings 4 cm wide from five.

   Cut out the bottom for the house and 5 identical rings

4. Place the rings on a solid circle.

   Assembling the bottom of the pyramid

5. We assemble a pyramid using rings of decreasing size.

   Pyramid of cardboard circles

6. We measure the height of the “doorway” and remove the extra circles from above.

   Measuring the height of the entrance

7. We draw an opening, making marks on each circle.

   Draw the entrance, making notes on each circle

8. We mark on each disk a line along which the opening will be cut.

   Correct angle to cut the opening

9. Cut the rings according to the markings.

   Cut cardboard rings according to the markings

   10. Now the pyramid needs to be glued together. We start from the bottom and lower rings. Don't mix up the rings!

   Gluing the pyramid

   11. Your cat's home is ready. Let the glue dry and you can invite your pet inside.

   House made of cardboard rings is ready

Video: house for a cat made of cardboard circles

House for a cat made of cardboard boxes

Having one or several boxes at your disposal, you can make for your cat both a bed and a full-fledged house or even a play complex from several boxes connected to each other.

It is prohibited to use a stapler when making cat houses from cardboard! The fact is that cats love to chew cardboard and can accidentally swallow a metal bracket or injure their mouth. For the same reasons, non-toxic paints and glue should be used.

The house is covered with colored paper

To make a cat house from a cardboard box, you will need:

• Cardboard box;
• Scissors, stationery knife;
• Ruler or stencil (for windows);
• Glue, tape;
• Colored paper, self-adhesive film for decoration;

1. Step one. We build the house itself out of a box. To do this, take a box, as in Figure 1. Using electrical tape, glue the bottom of the box. We form the roof of the house from two rectangular pieces of cardboard and the sides of the “lid” of the box. On the other two parts of the “lid” of the box we outline two triangles - the ends of the roof. We also attach them to the roof slope using electrical tape. Next we will need a ruler and a pencil again. We mark the door of the house. Cut it out using a stationery knife.

   Making a house out of a box

2. Step two. Let's start decorating our house. To do this, cut white paper into equal strips. Using glue, we begin to cover the house. We glue the first strips near the doors and bend them around the corner of the house. In this way we glue the side and back walls of the house.

   We begin to cover the house with paper

3. Step three. We glue the front part of the house above the door. We bend the ends of the paper strips onto the roof slope. We glue a self-adhesive film to the roof slope.

   We glue the front part of the house and the roof

4. Step four. In a similar way, we paste blue paper over the doors of the house.

   We cover the doors of the house with blue paper

   5. Step five. Take a rectangular piece of cardboard and cover it with strips of orange paper. We bend the ends of the strips onto the bottom of the cardboard. This will be the porch of our house. You can decorate it with an inscription or picture.

   Making a porch

Video: cat castle made from cardboard boxes

Weaving from newspaper tubes is a fairly common form of creativity.

Products made from newspaper tubes are very similar in appearance to baskets woven from wicker, especially if they are coated with varnish or stain. The shape of such products can be completely varied and depends only on your imagination and skills.

A cat house woven from newspaper tubes will look exclusive, unusual and fit well into the interior.

It looks very beautiful and is almost indistinguishable from one woven from wicker.

To create such a house you will need:

• A stack of newspapers;
• Knitting needle;
• PVA glue;
• Ruler, pencil;
• Scissors, stationery knife;

Let's start making a home for your pet.

1. We mark long strips 7–12 cm wide on the newspapers. We cut the newspapers. We wind the resulting paper strips tightly onto a knitting needle at an angle of 45–60°, and secure the end with glue. Be patient, as you will need a lot of tubes.

   A strip of newspaper is wound around the knitting needle, the end is secured with glue, then the knitting needle is carefully removed

   2. Now you can start making the bottom of the house. To do this, weave a circle of the required diameter from the tubes. Weaving starts from the center; if necessary, the length of the tubes can be increased by inserting one tube into another.

   We weave a circle of the required diameter from the tubes - the bottom of the house

   3. Now we start weaving the side walls. You can attach the base tubes to the cardboard frame using clothespins. This will make it easier to create the shape you need.

   Making the side walls of the house

   4. We braid the edge of our house.

   We braid the edge

   5. Finish the work, hide the base tubes.

   Finishing the weaving

   6. The finished cat house can be covered with stain to make it look like a vine or with any dye of your choice.

Video: cat basket made from newspaper tubes. Part 1

Video: cat basket made from newspaper tubes. Part 2

Video: cat basket made from newspaper tubes. Part 3

Video: cat basket made from newspaper tubes. Part 4

Video: cat basket made from newspaper tubes. Part 5

DIY cat house

If your cat likes to sleep in a warm place, then a house made of fabric is quite suitable for her. The walls of such a house can be made of foam rubber, and the design and colors depend entirely on your imagination.

To make a cozy sleeping place for a cat you will need the following:

• Sheet of foam rubber;
• Textile;
• Artificial fur;
• Threads, needles, pins;
• Marking pencil, scissors;
• Pattern paper;

Let's start making a warm house for the cat.

1. Let's make a pattern. We draw two circles with a radius of 20 cm, the space between the centers of the circles is 10 cm. We complete the circle so that we get an oval. This will be the drawing for the bottom of the house. We set aside 10 cm from the edge of the oval on each side and build a second circle. Using this pattern we will make the roof. For the side of the house we draw a rectangle 150 cm long and 20 cm high. In the middle we make a 10 cm recess for the doorway. We mark the slots on the larger oval - this will be the drawing for the roof of the house.

   Let's make a pattern. Pattern diagram for house parts

2. We transfer the contours from the pattern to the foam rubber and cut it out.

   Transfer the contours of the pattern onto the foam rubber and cut it out

3. The assembled frame of the house should look something like this.

   Foam frame of the house

4. Now the house needs to be sheathed. We use fabric for the lining on the outside and faux fur on the inside. We use the same patterns as for the frame, adding 1.5 cm seam allowances. We assemble the house. Ready.