House for a cat from a cardboard box. Master class: instructions on how to make it yourself, drawings with dimensions, photos

It is hard not to notice the cats' indifference to various boxes, crates and shelves: at the first convenient opportunity, they will rush to study and fill the alluring space behind the doors of kitchen and storage cabinets, as well as every piece of cardboard in the house that comes into their hands, that is, paws.

Caring owners, of course, want to please their pet and at the same time protect their closets from curiosity and invasion of whiskered-striped-tailed creatures. A homemade cat house made from a cardboard box is perfect for solving this issue.

Why do cats need a cardboard house?

Every living organism needs personal space, a place that belongs only to it, where it can feel comfortable and safe. Domestic cats are no exception, as they are known to love to “walk by themselves” and, thanks to their freedom-loving nature, are constantly looking for a secluded personal corner.

Cardboard boxes are especially good for this purpose:

• They give the cat a sense of security, covering him from all sides.
• Cardboard, as a natural material made from wood, has an attractive smell for cats.
• Often a cat gives birth to kittens in a box, which becomes the first home for the little cat, where the mother cat protects him and takes care of him in every possible way. Thanks to habit and pleasant associations, the purr wants to return to this space again.
• Sweet and affectionate catophans, although tamed by humans, remain predators at heart, and predators need to hunt. And it doesn’t matter whether the object of the catch is the owner’s tied shoelaces or a mouse that has snuck into the house. For a good hunt, you need a good place for an ambush, which can be a box.

A house for a cat, made with your own hands from a cardboard box, will definitely please your tailed friend, satisfying his urgent feline needs. In addition, it can become another wonderful place not only for the four-legged one to rest, but also for exciting games with domestic inhabitants.

Materials and tools for making the structure

The elements of the future building depend on the model of the chosen house and the design idea, but there are common components that will be useful in any case in the construction of cat apartments.

These include:

• Cardboard or cardboard box(es)
• Scissors and a stationery knife
• Tape measure/centimeter and pencil/pen
• Brushes and glue. Particular attention should be paid to the choice of glue. If it has a strong, sharp smell, the cat will not want to be inside or even near the cardboard house. To prevent this, the glue must be environmentally friendly and have quality certificates. If it is not possible to find or buy such glue, PVA glue will work great.

Armed with the necessary materials, you can proceed to the next stage of production.

How to choose the size of a cat house

In order for the cat to feel comfortable in its house, it is necessary to make it based on the dimensions of the tailed pet, taking into account its behavioral preferences and habits. For example, owners of Bengal and Siamese cats may encounter the addiction of these breeds to stand on their hind legs, which means that the height of the structure must be calculated so that the cat can rise on its hind legs inside the house.

A good option for such a cat would be a cardboard teepee, which will instantly arouse interest and at the same time provide comfort.

It should be remembered that the cat should have enough space not only for sleeping, but also for stretching upon waking up, and since cat lovers instinctively strive to mark their territory, then also for scratching.

The optimal size of a cat house: a base of 50x60 cm and a height of 30 cm. British cats will feel comfortable in a house with dimensions of 50x50x20 cm, representatives of the Bengal breed will be suitable for a design starting from the size of 42x40x50 cm, and the Maine Coon, as a large cat, will like a house with a play complex measuring 120x60x180 cm.

Features of building a future home for a pet

To make a cat's house as comfortable as possible, you need to take into account the animal's behavioral habits and preferences. For example, some owners of purring cats could notice their pets' passion for climbing to the very tops of sideboards and cabinets.

This is due to several factors:

• The higher a cat climbs, the more confident it feels. On an instinctive level, this is a sign of superiority over other animals and its own kind.
• When the weather gets colder, warm air rises to the ceiling, and to warm up, the cat climbs as high as possible.

In this case, the cat will like the design with the post. a meter and a half high and at least 10-15 cm in diameter, on which the house will be attached.

Also, based on the habits of the animal, you need to choose the size of the entrance: cats who like to relax strictly in their company will suit a compact entrance, while those who like to watch all the household and everything that is happening need an entrance that will provide a good view. The optimal width of the entrance is 15-20 cm.

Cardboard House Options

A DIY cat house made from a cardboard box can be made to suit any taste, choosing an attractive degree of intricacy, complexity and design idea. The only question is the personal preferences of the owner and the cat, and the amount of free time: some houses can be made in 5 minutes, while making and decorating others can take a couple of hours.

There are the following types of cardboard houses:

• Wigwam– a dome-shaped hut, usually consisting of a frame in the form of four to six sticks and “walls” made of fabric or cardboard.
• Bed - a bed for a cat made from a box or basket covered with a mattress or thick soft fabric.
• One-story and two-story houses made of cardboard – the simplest cardboard structures of a square shape, providing space for sleeping and playing.
• Cardboard castle – a complex structure that includes cardboard blocks connected to each other in several floors with various decorative elements and cut-out windows.
• Cardboard tower – a structure consisting of many layers of cardboard cut into rings of different diameters, from larger at the bottom to smaller at the top.

Simple House from a Cardboard Box. Step-by-Step Instructions

Execution:

1. Choose a suitable box and test it: the cat should fit inside freely and have space to turn around: stretch out to its full height or lie down, spreading its paws and tail in all directions.
2. Let's make an entrance. To do this, you need to attach a plate to the cardboard wall and trace it with a pencil, then cut out a round entrance along the outline.
3. To make a roof from the top of the box, cut the cardboard from the entrance side and from the opposite side - this will provide ventilation in the house. The sides need to be connected with the tops at the top, as shown in the picture, fastening them with glue or a stapler.
4. Place a pillow or fabric inside the box. The house is ready.

Complex House from a Box. Detailed Master Class

Execution:

1. Just like in the previous case, choose a box of the appropriate size.
2. Cut out the ceiling and the bottom of the box, leaving the walls on the sides. Don't rush to throw away the remains: they will come in handy for building the roof.
3. To make windows and doors, take saucers or any other convenient object with round edges and outline with a pencil where the opening will be. In the case of doors, outline only the top - the door arch. Cut out the drawn openings along the contours.
4. We make a roof. To do this, we connect the parts of the box with tape, which were the floor and ceiling later - using the same tape, we attach the made roof to the frame of the house
5. Decoration: Cut out and glue colored paper tiles to the roof.
6. Chimney. Glue together a chimney from the remaining cardboard, cutting out a triangular opening at the bottom so that it can be placed on the roof and using tape, glue the chimney to the roof itself.
7. Place a piece of fabric on the floor of the house and let your pet inside.

Cardboard tower or castle

To build a cat tower from a cardboard box with your own hands, you need to follow these steps:

1. Prepare the necessary tools: corrugated cardboard or cardboard box, pencil or pen, compass, stationery knife, glue.
2. Take cardboard and draw the outlines of the disks for the future house on it using a compass. You should get seven to eight groups of five or four disks of the same size. Measure the largest disk with a radius of 21.5 cm, drawing subsequent disks at a distance of 4 cm from each other. Cut out using a stationery knife.
3. We make the bottom. To do this, we need to cut out one solid disk with a radius of 21.5 cm and another six or seven with the same radius, but not solid, but with a hole inside, 4 cm wide.
4. We assemble the tower by placing one disk on top of another according to size.
5. Making an entrance: measure the required height and remove the extra disks of the top for convenience. Decide which entrance shape you like best and outline its borders on each disk of the future entrance. Using these marks, draw cutting lines on the disks. Use a knife to make cuts along the lines.
6. Now, correctly orienting the position of the disks along the entrance, we glue them together.
7. When the structure is completely dry, place a comfortable pillow or fabric inside and invite your cat to the housewarming party.

Two-story house made of cardboard

You will need: door and window templates (prepare and cut them out in advance), two identical strong cardboard boxes (the bigger the cat, the larger the box you need), a pencil, a ruler, a utility knife, and hot glue.

Execution:

1. First, decide on the scale, draw and cut out the door and window templates. Attach them to the boxes that will make up the first and second floors, and trace the outlines of the templates. Take a stationery knife and make an opening for the doors and windows along the drawn lines.
2. Take the first box and cut off the two upper flaps, located not opposite each other, but next to each other. Take the second box and cut off the flaps in the same places, but from the bottom. After that, glue the flaps to each other in each box. When the roof is done, you will need to connect them together and glue them.
3. We make a roof. To do this, draw triangles on the two smaller flaps at the top, located opposite each other, so that the two remaining parts of the flaps can be bent forward. Lightly draw a knife along the drawn line and bend forward. Then glue them from below to the two adjacent flaps, thus creating a roof. Now you can connect both boxes together.
4. The house is ready! Call the cat to evaluate the work. For more comfort, you can put a rug or pillow inside the house.

How to Decorate a Cardboard Cat House. Decorating Ideas

To make the cat house more cozy and cute, you need to put in a little more effort and decorate the cardboard box yourself. You don’t have to run to the store for this, because most of the decorative details can be found at home.

By the way, finding and making decorations for the house can become another little adventure and interesting activity for both the owners and the curious purr.

Here are some ideas for decoration:

• Using a thick needle, you can cover the house with fabric: completely, or only inside, or in certain areas.
• Glue white paper to the cardboard and decorate it with cute images.
• Using the same principle, the box can be covered with wallpaper, beautiful napkins or newspapers.
• You can use various stickers if you have them. Basically, anything that can be glued or sewn onto a box can become a decorative element, turn on your imagination and trust your creative impulse.
• Soft toys will help you make your own cardboard cat house a center of affection and coziness: choose several and place them inside the house, near it, or glue them to the walls of the box.
• Glue a rope that your pet likes to play with to the ceiling of the house, either inside or outside. You can also tie a rustling candy wrapper, paper, or toy that your cat plays with to the rope.
• A scratching post near or inside the house will make this place more attractive to the cat and will protect the furniture from damage.

There are many options for a cat house: from the simplest, the manufacture of which will take no more than five to ten minutes, to very intricate, with various decorative elements, second floors and towers. However, regardless of the complexity of the house, for each owner, the contented face of their beloved purr is the best reward for the efforts spent.

Of course, you can buy a ready-made house, but the manufacturing process itself will be fun for family members and the pet who want to participate in the process. In addition, making a house for a cat with your own hands from a cardboard box is much cheaper than buying a ready-made one. You will be confident in its quality, and you will be able to show your creative abilities.

Video: DIY Cat House from a Cardboard Box

How to make a house for a cat with your own hands, watch the video:

House for a cat made of cardboard, master class: