Build your own cat house: upcycling from an old window frame
- Difficultyeasy
- Cost17-25 £
- Duration4-5 h
Introduction
Let’s be honest: cats are the ones who really rule the roost. They love nothing more than surveying their kingdom. Where better for them to do that than in a cosy den mounted up high with its own window and balcony? We’ll show you how you can build your four-legged friend their very own DIY cat house using an old window frame. Take a look the ‘Planning and background knowledge’ section to discover all the tips you could ever need about cat houses for outdoors and indoors.
Have you heard about our 18-volt system yet? It offers a huge variety of devices for many different applications. The thing that makes the project below so special is that you can use the same rechargeable battery for every part of this project. Simply swap out the battery pack, insert it into a different device that’s part of the 18-volt system and move on to the next step.
Pay attention to occupational health and safety every step of the way to protect yourself and your health. You’ll find all the important information you need to know in our overview of Safety precautions for DIY projects.
- Square
- pencil
- g-clamps
- folding rule
- masking tape
- Old window with frame
- 5 three-ply wooden boards, 19 mm thick (size depends on the size of the window frame)
- Faux fur
- Flowerpots
- Wood screws, 3.5 x 50 mm
- Wood screws, 3.5 x 40 mm
- Material for decoration (wallpaper, wood paint)
Measuring the size of the house
You need: folding rule, Old sliding window
You can’t have a house without windows, and your furry friend should be able to look out of their cat house as well so they can keep an eye on things. You’re best off using a window with a wooden frame. The window should fit the size of your cat as it will determine the width and height of the DIY cat house.
That means step one is to measure it. The base board should be twice as deep as the house so that the flowers and the cat have space on the ‘balcony’. The cat house is 350 mm deep in our example.
Sawing the boards to length
You need: Hand-held circular saws, Cordless Multi-Sander PSM 18 LI, Sanding paper for multi-sanders, Vacuum, g-clamps, pencil, Squared timbers to hold the panels in place, Three-ply wooden boards
Transfer the measurements to the wooden boards and cut them to size. Clamping a squared timber to the board will help with the straight cuts. It’s best to sand the boards and sawn edges again afterwards. Connect a wet-dry vacuum cleaner to the saw. You can find out more about why working in a dust-free atmosphere is beneficial in a separate article.
And don’t forget, a palace isn’t a palace if it isn’t the height of luxury! Now is the best time to insulate or decorate the interior walls of the cat house if you’re planning on doing it. We opted for a wallpaper pattern with warm cream colours.
Finishing the base board
You need: Cordless combi drill, Wood Drill Bits, Jigsaws, T119BO Jigsaw Blade HCS, Multi-sander, Sanding paper for multi-sanders, g-clamps, masking tape, pencil, Old window, Sawn three-ply boards, Flowerpots
Have you got all the components you need? Then you can put them together to get an initial idea of how the DIY cat house is going to look when it’s finished. You don’t have to do this, but it will help you for this step. Put the boards together with the window on the base board and use masking tape to hold the structure together. You can now start designing the balcony. A few holders for small flowerpots could be one option, for instance.
When you are happy with the positioning of the flowerpots, mark the circumference of the top edge of the pot on the wooden board first and then do the same for the bottom of the pot (image 1). The size of the hole should be somewhere in between the two so that the pots are somewhat recessed into the board when you add them later.
Now, secure the base board in place with G-clamps and drill a plunge hole so that you can use a jigsaw (image 2). Then, saw out the holes (image 3) and sand the sawn edges. You’ll find everything you need to know about sawing out sections and making round cuts with a jigsaw in our handy guide. By the way, the AdvancedMulti 18 multi-function tool is best suited for making precise plunge cuts. It’s also compatible with the 18-volt system thanks its versatile range of attachments, making it a genuine all-rounder when it comes to precision sawing and cutting.
Screwing the cat house together
You need: Cordless combi drill, 5 piece-wooddrill-bit-set, Cordless Tacker, g-clamps, Wood screws, 3.5 x 50 mm, Faux fur
You now can finally assemble your DIY cat house. Clamp it to the base board and screw the boards together from all sides. Three screws per board is a good minimum number. After all, your pet should be able to play on it safely.
You can also staple some fluffy fur cut to the right size onto the outside of the house to make it nice and cosy.
Ensuring the screws have the best hold
Attaching the window
You need: Cordless combi drill, Standard Screwdriver Bit Mixed Sets, g-clamps, Wood screws, 3.5 x 40 mm, Suitable plugs and screws for wall mounting, Window frame
Finally, all you need to do is screw on the window and the wooden frame. Place the screws from behind at an angle, paying attention to their length and positioning so as not to damage the glass.
Does your cat see your sofa not only as a cuddly oasis, but also as a place to sharpen their claws? Then show them what a real DIY scratching post is all about! We also have a guide for a do-it-yourself litter box. And if you still have old windows left over after building the cat house, you can use them to build your own greenhouse – to grow cat grass, of course.
By the way, we’ve also taken an in-depth look at different types of pets and what a flat needs to have to accommodate them, as well as the benefits of having a pet brings for their owner. Check out our pet guide to find out which pet is the right one for you.
We hope you have lots of fun working on this project.
Planning and background knowledge for the DIY cat house
The best DIY projects are the ones that you do from the perspective of the user. It makes a difference whether you want to build and use a weight bench yourself or whether you want to build a DIY football goal for children or a cat house. Put yourself in the user’s shoes as much as possible and take their needs and preferences into account in your project. This will make sure that they enjoy using the final product.
Why build a cat house?
First of all, it’s important to know whether you are thinking about an outdoor or an indoor cat house. The decision depends not only on your living situation, but also on the cat itself. There are indoor cats, outdoor cats that can go outside unsupervised, and strays that don’t belong to anyone and live on the streets.
The DIY indoor cat house is a wonderful retreat for our four-legged friends. Cats love to have a view of all the action from an elevated lounging spot.
An outdoor cat house, first and foremost, needs to offer protection from cold, heat, rain, wind and preferably also from enemies or rivals.
Many cats like to live the comfy life indoors, while some prefer to stay outside all the time. But no matter how independent they are, outdoor cats and strays also need a place to stay when it gets cold.
A cat’s normal body temperature should be about 38°C. The colder it gets, the less protection its fur offers. Older, sick and short-haired cats in particular are prone to hypothermia. If a cat stays outdoors for too long in winter, it can even end up freezing to death in the absolute worst case.
As a rule of thumb, if the weather is too cold for you, it’s probably too cold for cats, too! So make sure they are not without shelter outdoors for long periods of time when the temperature drops below 8°C.
An outdoor cat house can be essential to cats surviving the winter, so we will go into detail about what you should consider in this case in the next section.
By the way, we also have some ideas for a DIY cat bed and we’ll tell you how to cat-proof your flat and balcony.
What does an outdoor cat house need to have?
First and foremost, an outdoor cat house must provide protection against the elements. Cats love to be warm and cosy. If you’re thinking about building a winter home for cats, make sure it has the following properties:
- Windproof: A outdoor cat house should be enclosed. That’s why it makes sense to plan for a cat flap. Getting one with a chip that only opens for your cat will also make sure that uninvited guests stay outside.
- Insulated: Install insulation made of polystyrene or other suitable materials such as wood wool that as least 20 mm thick throughout the interior. Use a plywood board as end cladding so that the wall, floor and ceiling have multiple layers of insulation. You can retrofit insulation into the indoor cat house from our step-by-step guide by making all the surfaces slightly larger and possibly changing the front.
- Elevated: The heat in your outdoor cat house doesn’t dissipate into the ground as quickly if it is on legs or stilts or rests in a branch fork in the same way as a DIY tree house. You can also integrate a food or water bowl instead of grasses into the step plate (see step-by-step guide).
- Heated: You should ideally build a cat house that can be heated. A source of heat will make sure our four-legged friends can also endure sub-zero temperatures. A heating mat especially for animals is suitable, for instance. The downside is that you will need a power socket. On the plus side, reputable models come with cables that are wrapped in bite-proof casing.
- Dry: It’s best to put the DIY cat house somewhere dry, such as under a patio roof. If you haven’t got somewhere dry to put your outdoor cat house, then you’ll need to waterproof the roof using roofing felt or something similar.
Cats are predators. It’s best to offer them a shelter where they are not in direct proximity to nesting garden and wild birds, because the temptation would probably be too great for any feline. You can find out how to create a suitable home for birds in our guide Nesting boxes: the right home for every bird species.
What features can I give my DIY cat house?
No matter whether you’re making an indoor or outdoor cat house, follow these tips to make it extra special:
- Clever floor plan: You can plan two or more levels if you want the cat house to accommodate more than one animal. Not all cats get along, so it may be better if they are physically separated in the house.
- Roof terrace: The roof of your cat house can serve as an elevated place for them to lounge. So go ahead and build a flat roof for an indoor version. For an outdoor cat house, a mono-pitch roof – or in other words, a roof with a sloping surface – with enough overhang is a good choice if you can’t make the roof rainproof.
- Places to climb: This point fits together nicely with the ‘roof terrace’ option or if you’re thinking about adding upper floors to your cat house. For example, plan a post wrapped with hemp rope as a climbing aid. Your cat can then also use it to sharpen its claws.
- Windows: Cats feel most comfortable when they can see everything. If you don’t have an old window to hand like the one we use in our step-by-step guide, you can use a window with Perspex to get some light into the cat house. You should double glaze the window if you’re building an outdoor cat house.
- Removable roof: This is just a practical feature if you ever need to reach into the cat house, for example, to clean it. You can construct the roof as a removable lid or install one with hinges.
You should not integrate a toilet into the cat house. It’s better to keep living and toilet areas separate.
Which materials are suitable for a DIY cat house?
Anything you can make a box out of is suitable as a building material. That includes:
- Wood: Recommended mainly for indoor use due to its lower weather resistance; the same applies to cardboard cat houses.
- Wood-based materials: There are plenty of these to choose from, and they range from board materials such as OSB, MDF, multiplex and screen printing boards to wood-plastic composites (WPC). Each material has its advantages and disadvantages. For example, OSB is cheap, while WPC is very resistant to the weather.
- Pallets can provide the ideal starting material for an upcycling cat house project. However, you will have to take the pallet apart, as well cut the parts to length and sand them. By the way, you can also find ideas for DIY pallet furniture here.
- Polystyrene: There are ready-made thermo boxes, which are used in supermarkets, among other places, available for purchase. However, you need to protect a polystyrene cat house from moisture, such as by covering it with film. But always keep the ecobalance of your materials in mind.
How do I get my cat to move into the DIY cat house?
Of course, you don’t just want to build the DIY cat house – you want your cat to take to it, too. Cats are very curious, albeit cautious animals. They appreciate places that they can use as a retreat.
If your cat doesn’t take to their new home straight away, you can encourage them to explore it – for example, with certain scents (sprays that attract cats) or treats. It also helps if the inside of the cat house is designed to be as inviting as possible, for instance, by including a soft place to lie down. Just give the animal time and keep enticing it with DIY cat toys near the cat house so that it accepts it as something completely normal in its environment.
If you want to work with paints or varnishes, they must not evaporate and give off anything that is harmful to the cat’s health. Look for the ‘Blauer Engel’ (blue angel) logo when you’re in the shop buying your paint or varnish. This is the environmental label recognised by the German government and it sets standards for eco-friendly products. You should also make sure that any faux fur or wallpaper you use does not contain any harmful substances; the same applies to adhesives or similar materials.
Cats are also clean animals, so make sure they always have a hygienic environment. The cat house should never be damp inside; otherwise, fungi and pests such as mites might colonise it.
Does your family love animals? Then why stop at a cat house? You could keep the DIY momentum going and build houses for other animals. We have some more DIY ideas for dogs, cats, birds and more for you to get started with. The fact they’re easy to build means that most of the projects are especially suitable for building together with children.