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Last updated on October 21st, 2022 at 02:01 pm
A Tree For Cats That They Can Climb, Scratch, and Sleep On To Their Heart’s Content!
Are you looking for a modern cat tower that will give your fur babies something to scratch, climb, and sleep on that doesn’t cost a fortune?
Well, then you’ve come to the right place because below are my cat tree plans that will help you build an awesome, modern, and kitty-approved DIY cat tower!
Your cat tree will fit your home decor so perfectly, you won’t mind displaying it out in the living room. And your kitties will be so thankful to have a new tree that they’re allowed to climb on and scratch! (Yes, your couch will also thank you!)
Let’s dive on in!
Level Of Difficulty
Medium
Time To Complete
3 days
DIY Cat Tree Materials
- 1 sheet of ½” x 4’ x 8’ OSB or Plywood or MDF
- 3 pieces of 2” x 4” x 8’s
- 1 piece of 1” x 2” x 8’ Furring Strips
- 1-yard x 12 ft of Carpet
- 1 pack of 3/8” x 50” sisal rope
- 1 quart of paint
- 1 pack of 9/16” staples
- 1 pack of 2” drywall screws
- 1 pound of 1-¼” drywall screws
DIY Cat Tower Tools
- Impact Driver
- Drill (& drill bits)
- Spade drill bit
- Tape Measure
- Pencil
- Staple Gun
- Torpedo Level
- 2 Foot Level
- Square Tool
- Straight Edge (Yard Ruler or Something Equivalent in Length)
- Utility Knife
- Circular Saw
- Jigsaw
- Optional: Miter Saw
- Optional: Mechanical Sander and Sandpaper
DIY Cat Tree Cut List
- OSB
- 4 pieces – 14” x 14” for the cat box sides
- 1 piece – 15” x 14” for the cat box top
- 1 piece – 26” x 20” for the cat box bottom
- 1 piece – 20” x 18” for the middle step
- 1 piece 25” x 14” for the bottom step
- 1 piece – 46” x 20” for the stand base
- 2” x 4”s
- 4 pieces – 46” for the tall legs
- 2 pieces – 30” for the short legs
- 1” x 2” Furring Strips
- 2 pieces – 15-¼” for the bottom shelf support
- 2 pieces – 20” for the middle shelf support
DIY Cat Tower Instructions
- Cut All Pieces
- Assemble Cat Box (Without Bottom)
- Cut Hole In Cat Box
- Sand Cat Box
- Paint Cat Box, 2x4s, & Furring Strips
- Cover Steps With Carpet
- Attach Cat Box To Top Step
- Attach 2x4s To Base
- Attach Long 2x4s To Top Step
- Attach Furring Strips & Bottom Step To Long 2x4s
- Attach Furring Strips & Middle Step To Short 2x4s
- Wrap Posts In Sisal Rope
Other Frequently Asked Questions
- FAQ’s
Step One: Cut All Pieces
The first step to building this DIY cat tree is to cut all of your wood pieces. I supplied a detailed cut list, so you can build the exact cat stand I built!
However, feel free to adjust the dimensions to better fit your needs. I chose these dimensions based on the size of my 2 full-grown cats. Between each step, there is a 20-inch jump, which my cats make with ease. (I definitely could have spaced them out more if I wanted! But I wanted more shelves so they could both easily fit on a higher shelf on the stand at the same time.
Again, here is the full cut list:
- OSB
- 4 pieces – 14” x 14” for the cat box sides
- 1 piece – 15” x 14” for the cat box top
- 1 piece – 26” x 20” for the cat box bottom
- 1 piece – 20” x 18” for the middle step
- 1 piece 25” x 14” for the bottom step
- 1 piece – 46” x 20” for the stand base
- 2” x 4”s
- 4 pieces – 46” for the tall legs
- 2 pieces – 30” for the short legs
- 1” x 2” Furring Strips
- 2 pieces – 15-¼” for the bottom shelf support
- 2 pieces – 20” for the middle shelf support
Also, I chose this material because it was what I had on hand already as scrap. (Yes, I had everything on hand besides sisal rope, paint, and staples, so this project only cost me $30.)
You can switch out the OSB for plywood, MDF, or whatever else you have on hand. You could replace the furring strips with 2x4s as well.
That being said, it’s time to cut your pieces. Cut them all now to make the painting and assembly steps go quick.
Tips When Cutting Your Pieces
Whatever dimensions you decide to use, just make sure the four long 2×4 legs are equal lengths. (Do the same with the 2 short 2×4 legs.) This will help your steps be level and the entire stand balance better.
Attempt to cut the four sides of the cat box as evenly to each other as possible as well to help with the assembly and sanding later.
Once you have all of your pieces cut, you can move on to the next step.
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Step Two: Assemble Cat Box (Without Bottom)
The next step to making this DIY cat tree is to assemble the cat box without the bottom.
Take 2 of the 14” x 14” pieces of OSB and line up the edges to create a 90-degree angle. Hint, using a square like this can help you create those 90-degree angles.
Also, having someone else help hold the two pieces while you drill and screw will make this process go quicker. (Cue my husband’s helping hands.)
Predrill holes using a 1/16” drill bit, and screw the two pieces together using 1-¼” drywall screws to create one corner of a box.
Grab the next piece of 14” x 14” OSB and repeat this process. Continue for the other corners until you have a box like this.
Lastly, attach the 15” x 14” piece to create the top of the box by predrilling holes and screwing the pieces together.
Once your box is assembled and sturdy, you can move onto the next step!
Step Three: Cut Hole In Cat Box
The next step to making this DIY cat tree is to cut the hole in the cat box.
To draw the correct size of circle I wanted, I used a gallon paint can as a stencil. I lined the can into the center of the front of the box and traced it with a pencil.
After my circle was drawn, I used a ¼” spade drill bit to drill 4 holes into the circle to make my life easier when I used the jigsaw to cut it.
Next, I used my jigsaw to carefully cut along the circle. I’m emphasizing the carefully because I find it hard to control a jigsaw (I don’t know, maybe I’m just nuts) to cut exactly on the circle.
This is where the holes from the spade drill come in handy because they provide designated spots to let you reset back to where you want to trace.
Just remember on this part, slow and steady wins the race.
Once the hole in the cat box is cut, you can move onto the next step.
Step Four: Sand Cat Box
The next step to building this DIY cat tree is to sand the cat box.
Warning! OSB doesn’t sand well at all. I was okay with being able to vaguely see the unevenness of the box corners (and the screws if you look closely).
That being said, I just sanded enough to work out the rough edges and let the paint adhere a little better.
If you use plywood, then you’ll have a little better luck sanding it smooth.
Anyways, now is the time to sand the hole in the cat box and any other rough edges, so they won’t hurt your kitty cat.
The general rule for sanding is to start with 120 grit sandpaper and sand. Then sand again using 220 grit sandpaper. For my rough sanding job, I just used 100 grit one time and called it a day. It’s completely your preference though.
Once your cat box is sanded to your liking you can move on to the next step!
Step Five: Paint Cat Box, 2x4s, & Furring Strips
The next step to making this DIY cat tree is to paint the cat box, 2x4s, and furring strips.
Okay, confession time. So when I built this cat stand, I did it in the funkiest order possible, and it caused me a whole lot of grief and repeated steps.
So as you continue through this tutorial, don’t be confused if nothing is painted until the end. Just realize that I am trying to save you the headache of painting around the carpet.
In other words, paint your cat box, 2×4 legs, and furring strip supports now, and just touch them up with paint again later if you have to. I wish someone had told me to do that before I started haha!
Paint That Is Safe To Use On Cat Trees
The Nest has an excellent article on what type of materials to use to build a cat tree that is pet-safe.
For paint, the article recommends pet-safe zero-VOC paint or milk paint. If you want to use a different paint brand or color, then just do some research because your local hardware store is sure to have lots of options and paint colors!
Once you have your box and supports painted, it’s time to move onto the next step.
Step Six: Cover Steps With Carpet
The next step to building this DIY cat tree is to cover all steps with carpet.
The carpet I used was leftover from our full house renovation, so it didn’t cost me a cent.
However, if you don’t have extra carpet laying around, then the cheapest carpet you can find from Home Depot that you like the looks of will do.
First, lay out your carpet with the backside facing up. Second, lay your first step down and cut the carpet 5-6 inches around all sides of the step.
Third, cut a square out of each corner so you can fold the carpet like this.
As I did this, I found that folding each side down one at a time and cutting straight along the edge of the step helped me create the square exactly where I wanted it. Once I got the cut started, I would unfold the side to cut the carpet from the backside (because it’s much easier on that side).
Then I would move onto the next side until I had all four squares cut out.
How To Fold The Carpet Properly
Fourth, I re-folded the sides like the pictures above and stapled the heck out of them to secure the carpet. As you fold, make sure to fold it so the seams are on the sides instead of the front. It just looks prettier when they’re hidden.
My perfectionism won out and I had to redo a step when I messed this up. Honestly, the carpet is the most tedious and least enjoyable part of this build, so I recommend not having to redo this part if you can avoid it haha!
Once all of your steps are covered in carpet, it’s time to move onto the next step.
Step Seven: Attach Cat Box To Top Step
The next step to making this DIY cat tree is to attach the painted cat box to the top step. Take your carpet-wrapped 26” x 20” piece of OSB and screw it into the bottom of the cat box.
To do this, I flipped the cat box on its top, lined up the step where I wanted it to be in relationship to the cat box and screwed 2-3 screws into each side of the cat box. (1-¼” screws should work here, but if your carpet is super thick, it might be easier to use 2” screws.)
Once you have it attached, it should look like this.
Screwing Through Carpet Tips
If your carpet is thick like mine was, you might have some issues screwing through it. I quickly found out that when I didn’t have the best angle to screw through a piece of carpet, the screw would get loaded up with carpet fibers and get stuck.
After many, many times of giving the carpet an earful, I finally figured out how to work around this little irritation.
First, you need to start with 2 screws. Take the first screw and try to screw through the carpet. If it goes in, then awesome! But if it gets loaded up with carpet fibers and won’t go in, remove that screw saving the exact spot you were screwing into, and insert a new screw.
With most of the carpet fibers being removed from the first screw, the second one should go in easily. (If you don’t go through the same spot with the second screw as the first screw, however, you’re going to run into the same carpet fiber overload issue.
Once I figured that little trick out, I could attach the steps to the 2x4s much quicker.
When you have the cat box attached to the first step, you can move onto the next step.
Step Eight: Attach 2x4s To Base
The next step to building this DIY cat tree is to attach the long 2x4s to the base.
Now, when I did this, I attached the 2x4s to the bottom of the cat box then to the base. Yeah… that was a lot more difficult! So save yourself a headache and attach the 2x4s to the base first.
To do this step by myself, I had to rig the 2x4s up to hold them in place while I screwed them into the bottom.
I propped the base up with a tool bucket and I worked on the two 2×4 legs on the ground first. To space them from the edge evenly, I used a scrap piece of 2×4. Then I took my square to make sure the legs were at 90-degree angles. (I used the square on the inside of the 2x4s and each side.)
Once I was happy with the positioning, I screwed through the bottom of the base into the 2×4.
Once I got the two bottom 2×4 legs attached, I flipped the base over and supported the 2×4 legs in the air with a chair while I worked on the other two 2×4 legs. I used the scrap piece of 2×4 again to make the spacing from the edge even, and I used my square to try to get the leg into position as best as possible.
If you have someone who can help you with this part, it would go a lot quicker and easier!
Once you have the base attached, you can move onto the next step.
Step Nine: Attach Long 2x4s To Top Step
The next step to making this DIY cat tree is to attach the long 2×4 legs to the top step (with the cat box already attached to it).
Now, if you don’t have someone else helping you, you might have to get a little fancy with your set up.
I used scrap wood and a bucket I had to bridge over the lower 2x4s and support the upper 2x4s while I screwed them into place.
Again, I used a scrap piece of 2×4 and my square to position the legs correctly on the top step. For the top step, just screw straight through the top into the 2×4. The carpet will completely hide the screw, so no need to get fancy and use pocket holes or anything.
Once your base and top step are attached to the long 2x4s, it’s time to stand up your cat tree and see how balanced it is.
Don’t worry, at this point, it will most likely be a little wobbly because we haven’t added the other legs as supports or toenailed the long 2×4 legs from the back yet.
You just want to make sure the tower can stand by itself right now and there aren’t any noticeable issues with the positioning of the long 2×4 legs.
Once you are satisfied with the positioning of the legs on the cat stand, you can move onto the next step.
Step Ten: Attach Furring Strips & Bottom Step To Long 2x4s
The next step to building this DIY cat tree is to attach furring strip supports and the bottom step to the long 2x4s.
To give the cat stand more support (and another step), you need to add cross pieces that the bottom step can sit on (and be screwed into).
I cut 2 pieces of furring strips at 15-¼”. This dimension might change based on the positioning of your long 2×4 legs. Just measure between the legs and cut a piece of wood to slide between them.
My paint hid the screws pretty well, so I just screwed straight through the face of the 2×4 into the furring strip. You could also wrap all posts with sisal rope to hide the screws as well if you didn’t like the looks of them. (You will need a lot of sisal rope if you want to wrap all posts though. I’ll discuss this more later in step 12.)
How I Spaced Out The Steps
I built this structure so the top of each step was 20” apart from the top of the next step. So measure from the top of the base to 20” up the long 2×4 legs. That mark is the top of your step. From that mark, measure down the thickness of your step. (My steps were 2” thick with carpet wrapped around them.) That second mark is where the top of your furring strips should sit.
Next, I used my level to make sure the furring strips were level with each other and level from front to back. Then I used 2” screws to attach them to the long 2×4 legs.
Once the furring strips were attached, I plopped my 25” x 14” carpet-covered step onto the furring strip supports and screwed through the carpeted-step into the furring strips using 1-¼” screws.
Adding that step helped give a little more support to the stand. The next step will add even more support to your structure.
Step Eleven: Attach Furring Strips & Middle Step To Short 2x4s
The next step to building this DIY cat tree is to attach more furring strips and the middle step to the short 2×4 legs.
Alright, in this step we are completing multiple things at once. So I’m going to break it down even further so it’s more clear what needs to be done.
First, measure out where your furring strips should sit. From the top of the bottom step, measure 20” up and make a mark. That mark is the top of your second step. From that mark, measure down the thickness of your step. (My steps were 2” thick with carpet wrapped around them.) That second mark is where the top of your furring strips should sit.
Second, place one of your short 2×4 legs in line with the long 2×4 legs and with the end of the furring strip. Hold these two pieces flush to each other and level the furring strip out on the long 2×4 leg.
Third, screw one side of the 20” furring strip into the long 2×4 leg like so. (Our furring strip kept splitting, so we ended up predrilling a hole before screwing a 1-¼” screw into the face of the furring strip.
Fourth, once the furring strip is secure in the long 2×4 leg, predrill and screw it into the short 2×4 leg.
How To Give The DIY Cat Tree Better Support
Fifth, toenail the back of the short 2×4 leg into the base to give it extra support. This video is a fantastic demonstration of how to easily toenail a 2×4.
Sixth, repeat this process for the other short 2×4 leg.
Seventh, attach the middle step to the furring strips by screwing through the carpet and the step into the furring strip support.
Eighth, toenail all other 2×4 legs from the back into the base to give the cat stand extra support.
Once all 2×4 legs are attached and toenailed in, and the middle step is attached, your cat tree should be completely supported on its own and ready for a cat to use it.
Step Twelve: Wrap Posts In Sisal Rope
The last step to building this DIY cat tree is to wrap at least one post in sisal rope. What’s the point of sisal rope? It’s to give your cat a scratching post!
Why Cats Need A Scratching Post
Cats need a way to keep their claws sharp, exercise and stretch their muscles and mark their territory. If you don’t provide an area where they can do this, then your furniture, carpet, and rugs might be susceptible to damage.
Cats love to scratch on things vertically, so sisal rope on a post is perfect for them to scratch! It allows them to scratch vertically as much as they want since sisal rope is thick and durable.
Giving them a designated spot to scratch can help minimize their desire to scratch other items in the house. (Although if they’re already used to scratching furniture in the house, you’re going to need to train them to only scratch the cat stand using treats and other training techniques.)
How To Wrap Posts In Sisal Rope
Sisal rope does not go very far at all. In my cat stand, I decided to only wrap one post because that used 3/4 of the 100 ft role I bought. If you desire to wrap all the posts, then you are going to need several more rolls, which can add up in cost quickly.
Ultimately, the choice is yours though!
To complete this step, start by holding one end of the sisal rope against the back of the post you are attaching it to. Take your staple gun and 9/16” staples and secure the end to the post.
Next, wrap the rope around the post 2-3 times, then staple it again. Continue to wrap and staple for the length of the post you want to cover.
Once you are done, cut the sisal rope using scissors or a utility knife so the end will be hidden in the back of the post and staple it several times to the back of the post.
Ta-da! Other than maybe touching up a few spots with paint, your DIY cat tree is completely done and ready for your fur baby to use!
Other Frequently Asked Questions About Cat Trees
Here are some other frequently asked questions about cat trees.
Why Indoor Cats Need Cat Trees
Cats need a safe place to climb, scratch, play, and jump that doesn’t involve destroying your furniture. Also, cats need a space that is completely their own (just like humans do!)
A cat tree is a perfect thing that gives your cat all of the above benefits, plus a place to nap and lounge. Especially if placed in front of a window, your cat will spend hours at the top of the tower surveying the room (and outside), napping, scratching to sharpen their claws, and generally using up their excess energy to climb.
You’ll have a happier, healthier cat if you have a cat tree in your home.
How Many Cat Trees You Need For 2 Cats
This cat tree can easily support 2 cats. Often each cat will “claim” a step. However, if you have a smaller cat tree with only 1 or 2 low steps, a second cat tree might be needed.
Cats love to be off the ground and able to survey their surroundings. Give them plenty of height in your build to do just that!
Where To Put A Cat Tree
The optimal place to put a cat tree is in front of a window in a large, open room in your house. Your cat will spend hours lounging at the highest point, staring out the window.
If you don’t have a window that’s suitable for a cat tree to sit in front of, then a corner of the room where they can survey the entire room is best. Cats love to have the height advantage and watch things from afar.
Cat stands in the corner of a large room will let them feel secure!
How To Get Your Cat To Use The Cat Tree
The best way to get your cat to use the cat tree is to place treats or catnip on each step. Usually, cats love to climb, so it shouldn’t take much effort to get them to use it.
Final Thoughts On DIY Cat Trees
There you have it! A DIY cat tree is a little bit difficult of a build to do yourself, that’s why I rated it as a medium-difficulty build. But other than that, the build itself is fairly simple and super cheap if you can use scrap supplies you have laying around your house!
Plus your cat will LOVE IT! And we all know we do some crazy things for our fluffiest friends haha!
Good luck building your DIY cat tree!
Catch you in my next post!
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How To Make A DIY Cat Tree (That Your Cat Will Love!)
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