Homegrown And Cheaply Made Cat Tree

Ok, this coming weekend we have to ourselves and we are planning to finally build a new cat tree for our four felines. They've been missing their old, defunct one for several months now. 


We still have the original one we made and plan to use it for the basic structure and build it up and out. It should prove for an interesting afternoon. In case you no longer remember the old one, here are some pictures of it.

Winston discovered a new place to sit...

While Sassy comes out of her box for a stretch.



The new homemade cat tree will have this structure but will very likely turn out completely different as we plan to add areas for boxes and platforms for them to sit.

Merrill brought a tree home one afternoon...

 

That became our cat tree for the cats.



Right now the old cat tree is leaning out on the porch, the only thing that was really wrong with it was the base that was no longer secure because the tree had dried out too much to support it. 
I could very likely strip off all the bark now and paint it will a sealant or varnish. I will have to look into that. 

This base looks flimsy now but when it was first built and for months after, it held very well.

The bark is very easily striped off now after months of being outside.

 

 More next weekend when we build the new one...

Catspaw

The Barn Cats Call This Home

At this moment, 7:30 in the am on the Island, I have three barn cats in the house along side my four. The three, two greys and a black, are playing with each other around the rocking chair. Usually there is a fourth grey but he decided he'd be outside this morning. So the others are playing, hissing and snipeing at each other while my own are sitting somewhere and watching the entertainment. The fourth grey is a male, he asks to come the same way Winston and Emerald do, pawing at the window. The little grey cat is a female that I was able to get Cat Action to fix; her friend, the black one is a female too, while the two other greys are males. 

These two females are great friends, they finally discovered they could get up into the cat tree box and nothing bad would happen. That, of course, was just before we had to put it out on the patio. 

It took quite a long time for these girls to trust me. I had to make friends with them using food and coaxing, then manage to catch them and bring them in. Finally they decided I really was their friend and one day, each came in on her own.

When I took her in and the Vet spayed her, she made no difficulties at all. She is so small that I think if she did have kittens, it would be a risk to her life. She's been quite happy since and the fur on her belly is starting to grow back.

I call her Blackie. This is where the cat tree has ended it days for now.

Blackie is curious about the new addition to the back porch.

All the barn cats play on it and in it. Over the weeks it has rained some so I had to remove the boxes when they got soggy and flatten out. 

My hubby is now saying that he will reuse this same tree, shaped different (without the limbs) and with a sturdy stand to make another one. 

Recycle. Reuse. 

How many cats can you see?

Bet you can't pick out which are mine?

Once we actually get a hint of spring, the barn cats will be outside, permanently and they will go back to their hunting. 

Catspaw

New Cat Tree Needed, Buuuuuut...

Winston took the cat tree to a whole new level, literally speaking, by creating a new sitting/sleeping spot! Check it:

New highrise level! Discovered by Winston!!

Cats do like to be in HIGH places. Winny discovered this new spot and its been his favorite ever since. Now that the cats love their cat tree, its going to be pretty hard to take it away from them without replacing it with a better built one.

Winston, Emerald and on the other side, Sassy.

Winston is pretty happy about his discovery. Now more cats can fit up there thanks to his ingenuity. 

Here's looking at us from their new perches!

This weekend we have off so we'll see about building a new cat tree. If not over the next two days, then a little later. 

Think they are enjoying the views...

Can you see three cats here?

1. Winston

2. Emerald

3. Sassy

How 'bout now....

Catspaw

Interesting Stuff About Tree Preserving; Especially For Natural Cat Trees

Ok, apparently a Christmas tree lasts longer if you cut it down yourself and get it into a bucket of water; 2 gallons at least, seeing as how the outer layer of the bark consumes about 3.79 liters a day. If its left too long, sap will cover the bottom cut making it impossible for it to draw in water and you have to re-cut the bottom a second time to open it up again. Using aspirin or other tree preservatives helps as well as does drilling small holes at the base of the trunk and keeping the tree away from any heat source. 


Here is what I've found out so far for preserving natural cat trees. First, I can't use terms like 'cat trees' in my search; it brings up all the wrong stuff! So I tried 'preserve natural cat trees' as a search term and found the following information. Its better if the tree itself is thicker than the pencil cat tree we have now and striped of its bark so it can dry out some. Then treated with a non-toxic wood sealer to protect the wood and repel insects. 

You have a personal choice as to how tall your cat tree is and how many perches or boxes you have on it; you can design them to fit exactly what you need and where it will go in your home. Its better, I think, to use trees that have come to the natural end of their life cycle and are already somewhat dried out. Then you can strip it, treat it and build a nice, sturdy stand for it. Build cat-sized platforms with a washable rug or other material or simply secure cat-sized boxes. Or do both!

I found this one online and liked the design.


My hubby just decided one day to make one for our cats as a test and its worked well for the half month we've had it, but now its time to get more serious about making a more long-term version that we can have around for awhile. 


Of course another alternative is if you're handy with wood and tools, you can simply build one from sheets and long two by fours and add a rug or two. 


These are some ideas we are looking at for now.


Catspaw

Homemade Cat Tree UPdate

Yes, our cat tree made from well, a tree; has served us and our kitties well. They have loved it and used it a great deal. But just the other day I noticed something ~ odd ~ was happening to our beloved cat tree... Remember this from March 21st?

You may recall from my March 21st and 22nd blogs that Merrill cut a tree, lugged it in from the great outdoors and set it up as our indoor sit-and-watch, sleep-and-watch tree, with boxes included for the comfort of our four cats. 

He has been planning to make an even better one, an improvement on this current version and I think this coming weekend of April 7-8th will be the time to do it.

 
Because...

Well, it kinda began, uh, leaning on March 31st. 

Since then I've had to 'prop' it up against the window frame to make it more secure. 

To solve this problem I did the following:


Keep in mind these are temporary fixes and another will be built soon.

Secured against window frame, temporarily

With the end table and sofa holding it in place there won't be any incidents of falling over.


Its a good thing to note that while building a cat climber from a live tree is as cheap as getting it from your backyard, some other steps are necessary to keep it from drying out and losing its strength once its brought indoors for use.

It has served us fairly well for half a month now and although I have a little research to do as to just how to keep it strong, I will share that information with you once I get it figured out myself.


Once version two is build I will share pictures of that one as well.

For now, its 'Molly' approved for use. 


But I maintain that its a wonderful alternative to putting a lot of money out of pocket, to purchase a store bought cat tree when you want one for your indoor cats but can't afford to spend a few hundred dollars. It may be a cheap way to go, however our cats have certainly used it and enjoyed having a special place just for themselves, that they can go to get away from having to share absolutely everything, all the time. After all, only one cat can fit in a box at a time. Our next cat tree will be quite a bit different and will have more boxes. 


Catspaw

How To Finish A Cat Tree

The boxes were my idea and hubby worked hard adding them...

Add a box or two...

Stuff cat in box and one on top!

While they are tenuously hanging on, add another cat to sofa

Add another box on top... Encourage cat to use.

Another box on bottom and stuff another cat!

Official Approval by Molly!!  YA-HOO

You know its been accepted with they no longer regard it as a trap you built that is out to get them and they use it without whacking it with their paw and dashing away!

Updates to come.


Catspaw