Cats are animals walking on their own, even if their walks are limited to the outside of the apartment. The owners of furry and murmuring are trying to make their life as vibrant and memorable as possible, buying various toys and sweets. However, the time has come to show the wool lords all their love and devotion: it's time to create a stand for the cat with your own hands. How to do this, what is needed for this and how to please a furry pet - we will tell in the article.
Dimensions
The height and weight of cats may vary depending on the breed and the individual (this is not a wide bone, but furry fur!), Because the dimensions of the house depend primarily on this. Free space in the apartment also plays an important role - for close housing a small, simple stand is suitable, for a spacious country house - an impressive game complex with tunnels, claws and hanging toys. The configuration and appearance of the design can be absolutely any - the variety of modern finishing materials provides a wide scope for imagination.
Types of cottage houses
Pet shops offer a wide range of cat houses - hanging, collapsible, floor, wall, solid, hard and soft. Not all models look like cat houses - many of them have an original design that fits perfectly into the home interior. With your own hands you can make the simplest designs, the material for which will be cardboard boxes, carpet, old furniture, newspaper tubes, vines.
Claw Point Requirements
The fluffy favorite selects the stand combined with the claw’s point, however, the burden of creating a cat stand with your own hands rests with the owner. The range of pet stands offered at pet stores is wide, but the design has specific requirements:
- Sustainability. The stance must remain stationary during feline games. Therefore, you should not choose suspended models - they are not as stable as those that are attached to the wall or are installed on the floor with a stand.
- Sizes. All self-made cat racks in the photo are very tall. You can determine the appropriate size of the claw point if you look at the place about which the cat most often sharpens its claws, and measure the height at which it is located.
- The rack should be placed in a place convenient for the cat.
- In terms of structure and roughness, the claw point should correspond to the pet’s preferences and not harm him.
An old and worn out stance is not worth changing: as a rule, a cat gets used to it, and the disappearance of a favorite toy can adversely affect the psychological state of the pet. Therefore, after the stand for the cat is made with its own hands, it is installed next to the old one. When the new version of the claw point is used more often, the obsolete one is thrown out.
Base Materials
The frame of the stand for the cat with your own hands is made of different materials, but preference is given to the following:
- Rattan.
- Paper tubes.
- Chipboard, MDF, fiberboard.
- Natural wood.
- Plywood.
- Plastic.
- Thick cardboard.
Shelves, booths and game complexes are often constructed from boards - laminate, lining, plastic containers, papier-mâché or corrugated boxes. Materials should not have harsh, toxic odors. Baskets are woven from magazine, newspaper and paper tubes, vines, roots, rattan or chopped plastic bottles.
Sheathing Materials
Since cats prefer to sleep on soft, warm and comfortable, then the upholstery for the house you need to choose the appropriate: carpet, foam rubber, faux fur, furniture fabric or synthetic winterizer.
The fabric in the game complexes is covered with all surfaces except claw points - they are wrapped with twine or hemp rope. As a filler for mattresses and pillows, a synthetic winterizer, foam rubber or granular material that retains heat is used.
For shedding and long-haired cat breeds, it is advisable to choose a bed, from the surface of which wool is easily collected. The color of the textile should coincide with the shade of the animal’s hair - so individual hairs will not be noticeable.
Mounting Methods
In the manuals on how to make a stand for the cat with your own hands, it is recommended to mount the structure on plastic or metal corners so that the animal could not be injured. Soft parts and fabrics are fixed with a construction stapler - you should not use nails for this purpose, since the rack can become loose, and nails can get out, which is dangerous not only for the cat, but also for the owners. Glue is suitable for anyone, but without a pungent odor and is not toxic. Cats houses of an original design - drop-shaped or tube-shaped - are fixed on a metal frame with carbines or wire.
How to make a stand for a cat with your own hands: master classes
Cat real estate can be different - you can create a budget and simple version, as well as expensive and luxurious. The pet’s place of residence completely depends on the owner’s imagination.
Floor constructions
Floor racks-claws are large in size, but in some situations they are indispensable. Heavy and flat designs are chosen when the wall material does not allow fixing the wall options. Do-it-yourself cat racks are optimal for active and young animals who have nowhere to throw out their energy and cannot go outside. Multi-tier houses and complexes with beds and toys are suitable for several animals - in them they can not only frolic, but also relax comfortably.
Claw Posts
According to the workshops and photos offered on the Internet, you can make a cat stand with or without a base and shelf. Long racks, the construction of which does not imply a base, are attached to the floor or ceiling using metal corners or screws. A do-it-yourself stand for a cat in size should correspond to the growth of the animal. As a material, a tree trunk 7-10 centimeters thick or a plastic pipe with a diameter of 5 centimeters braided by a hemp rope, twine or thin rope is ideal. Before the winding, the pipe is smeared with glue, and the rope is tapped with a hammer for a more snug fit of the turns. Since a long rack will require a lot of material, the wooden version is more financially advantageous, especially if the fluffy is too active and requires frequent replacement of the structure.
The minimum height of the column with the base is one meter. For the base, multilayer plywood or a heavy wooden board with a length of 50-70 centimeters and a width of 40-50 centimeters is used. A claw-post is created from a dense plastic pipe, which is attached to the base with screws, screws or metal corners. The base is also covered with soft textile - upholstery fabric or carpet, in the center of which a hole is cut for the column. Fastens the finishing material with a furniture stapler or glue. At the top of the pipe you can fix a soft toy that can attract the attention of a cat.
Stand with stand
Making a stand for a cat is much easier after studying the master classes on creating claw-posts on the base. If the house contains several woolen pets, then the complex is designed in such a way that each animal has its own shelf or bed. They are located on the same level - so cats will not feel discomfort. The distance between the columns should not be less than 60 centimeters - otherwise the fluffies will interfere with each other, which can result in a conflict.
You can start to make a step-by-step stand for a cat according to the photo and the drawn drawings according to the following master class:
- The foundation for the structure is being prepared. In a building with one rack, the stand is made in the same way as for a separate column with a base; in the complex, the base is cut out.
- Pipe sections are attached with metal corners to the lower platform.
- A fabric part for the coating is cut out with marked holes for the racks. The material is pulled onto the base and secured with brackets or glue.
- Racks are wrapped with hemp rope or twine.
- The dimensions of the stand are selected so that the animal is comfortable sitting / lying on them. Fasten them to the pipes with metal corners.
- On one of the beds is a house. It is desirable that it be removable and washable. The most convenient mounting option is lightning: one part of it is sewn to the bed, the second to the base around the perimeter of the house.
It is advisable to attach the completed set with a stand and stand to the floor to prevent cats from tipping over it during games.
Rack manufacturing errors
When assembling a stand for a cat with their own hands, pet owners often make mistakes, not taking into account certain nuances.
Firstly, reliability and stability are the key to such a design. When the claw point falls, the cat will quickly jump and will not be injured, but will no longer approach it because of fear.
Secondly, many owners are trying to save on a pet by buying cheap low-quality materials to create a rack. Such designs quickly become unusable and can cause significant harm to the health of a furry pet.
Thirdly, many owners are of the opinion that their work ends with the assembly of the rack, and then the cat’s job. A little kitten may not be interested in a new piece of furniture, so it’s worth placing his favorite toys on it.
With an adult cat, things are more complicated - if she had not previously sharpened her claws on a special stand, then she will have to be trained gradually. This process can be facilitated by using a special hemp rope sold in a pet store to wrap a claw-point - it is impregnated with valerian or catnip, which attract cat's attention. This will quickly accustom the pet to a new piece of furniture.
Conclusion
The furry representatives of the cat family are not just arrogant pets, but full-fledged family members who are trying to provide all the best. On the Internet it is easy to find a large number of workshops and instructions on how to make a stand for the cat. Photos of such houses will not leave indifferent not only fluffy dogs, but also their owners, and full-fledged gaming complexes with ladders and claws will be appreciated by young animals.