September 15, 2019

DIY Cat Tree | Less than 30 Dollars

Back in July, I adopted the cutest little demigorgan… oh wait, I mean Kitten! Although, between you and me, I am not 100% convinced she’s not from the upside-down (Throwing in that Strangers Things Reference). Her name is Apple Blossom, and she has been the best companion so far. I am so happy I adopted her. (Side Note: She did just send me to the ER Last night but it’s casual. She’s still cute!). This post is all about the DIY cat tree I made her!

I spend most of my day at my job, so she is all by herself at my apartment. She’s a tiny little thing, and can’t see very well out the window without standing up on her hind legs. I wanted to buy her a cat tree so she’d have somewhere to sit and look out the window. However, getting a kitten can be a hefty chunk of change up front. To top that, most cat trees are around $90. Y’all, I am on a budget and $90 is a lot of money to me! So what does someone who runs a DIY blog do when met with a predicament where they want to save money? Well, DIY their own cat tree obviously!

My cat tree for Apple only cost me a grand total of $20! She loves it too! If you have a little kitten but don’t want to spend a ton of money on a cat tree then read on to find out how to make your own!

Materials Needed:

1 Big Crate
1 Small Crate
Fabric
Pillow Stuffing
2 Cans
Rope
Place Mats
Fake Foliage or Other Cat Toys

First, take both of your wooden crates and paint them. I did about two coats of white paint, which didn’t fully cover them but I wanted some of the wood texture to come out.

While your crates dry, take your cans and begin wrapping them in rope. I used the hot glue gun to secure it to the can. After they were wrapped, I placed catnip into the cans. Gotta get the kitty interested!

Once your crates are dry, hot glue your placemats to the back of the crate. Next glue the wrapped cans easily spaced on the top of the large crate. You will then attach the small crate on top of the cans. Make sure this is very secure. You don’t want your Kitty falling!

I bought little tassel fake foliage as toys for Apple to play with. Whatever type of little toy you decided, just glue it the top portion of your large crate so that it dangles down for your kitty to play with. Not included in the steps, but most likely will happen is your kitty playing in the supplies!

Next, make a pillow out of the fabric you bought. I used my small crate to measure out how much fabric I needed. I hot glued the pillow inside out in order to get clean edges. Make sure to leave one side open though so you can still stuff it. Once it is hot glued, flip the pillow right side in and then put the stuffing into the pillow and glue the last side. Place the pillow in the top crate.

Now your kitty had a personalized DIY cat tree, and you didn’t break the bank! Please feel free to share the pictures of your kitten enjoying the DIy cat tree!