Thrifty Mommy

Do-It-Yourself Cat Toys and Furniture

by Karen on February 26th, 2008

I really have been wanting a cat playhouse for the cat we rescued.  She’s only about 7 months old now and she really enjoys climbing, scratching, and playing. 

This past weekend, our family made a trip to the newest pet store in town.  I knew that cat houses were expensive, but I was almost entertained at how much money people will pay for these things.  I thought it was even funnier when I saw what they were made of.

I found my husband and told him I knew what his new profession could be . . . making cat houses.  Well, I don’t think my husband’s giving up his day job anytime soon (lol), but I thought I’d pass along some info on making your own cat toys and furniture.  I’m sure many of you thrifty people out there could benefit from this.

• How to Make Cat Jungle Gyms and Playgrounds
• Build Your Own Cat Tree
• Expert Village has a series of videos you can watch on building your own cat toys.
• Do-It-Yourself Cat Tree
• This idea involves using shelves and brackets.  The downside is you have to mount them to the walls.
• How to Build Cat Trees
• How to Build a Quality Tree House (this one looks more complex)
• Sloped Scratching Pad
• In case you still need a bit of help, you can download six plans for $9.95. 

Here’s a really cool play tower from Target that’s only $28.  The problem is, it is made of PVC pipes that pop together.  With a 2 and 4 year old in the house, I don’t think it would last for long.

Give us your thoughts.  Have you made your own cat toys, perches, trees, etc?  How did they turn out?

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POSTED IN: money saving idea, pets and animals