Cat Trees - Make Your Own and Make Your Kitty Happier

Cats love to scratch. It's just part of their DNA and who they are. Your trick is giving them something to scratch other than your furniture. Luckily there is a whole world of cat trees out there for you to choose from. Cat trees are those carpet-covered posts that cats can't wait to sink their claws into. If you're creative and want a weekend project, you could even build one yourself.

Here is the list of things you will need:

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- 2 Pieces of 2'x2' plywood

- 1 Piece 18" x 18" plywood

- 1 2"x4" that's 6' - 8' long

- 4 long nails

- 8 - 3 inch screws

- Wood Glue

- Fabric 2 pieces 1- 3' x 3', 1 2' x 2' to cover the base and perch.

- Roll of 3/8" sisal rope (or about 500')

Take two of the pieces of plywood (2'x2') and glue them together, making a heavier base. Set them aside to dry.

Cut the 2x4 in order to make two pieces the same size. This piece will be the scratching post portion of the cat trees, so you need to make sure it is long enough that your cat can fully stretch out to scratch. For most cats, 3' - 4' pieces will do.

Now, you are going to put these two pieces side by side (long flat sides touching), to make a long, squared center post. Use some wood glue to hold the pieces together then use an electronic screwdriver to drive the screws through the pieces. You should alternate the screws going in from one side then the other, with none of them within three inches of the top or bottom of the post. If you need to, for harder woods, you can drill a starter hole, but make sure it does not go all the way through both pieces of wood.

Take the single piece of plywood remaining, and center it on the 2x4 post. You need to drive two nails through the plywood, one into each of the 2x4's setting up the post for maximum strength.

It's time to attach fabric to the base and the top of the cat trees. Taking one piece of fabric, wrap it around the base pieces of plywood that have been glued together, pull the edges of the fabric around and staple them to the underside of the plywood. When you turn it over you should have a fabric-covered base. Repeat with the perch piece.

Now you need to put it all together. Put the perch and post face down, and center the base upside down on top of it. Essentially you should be seeing what the cat trees will look like flipped over. You need to drive two nails through the base and into the 2 x 4's to make one solid piece.

Turn it right side up and slather the post with wood glue. Starting at either the top of the bottom tightly wrap the whole post with the sisal rope.

Once it's dry, set it out for your cat's claw of approval.

Cat Trees - Make Your Own and Make Your Kitty Happier

As the owner of many online sites, author Jennifer Akre, shares her insight on how to make your pet's living space more comfortable with couture cat furniture, fabulous cat houses and stylish cat trees.

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