5 Free DIY Cat Hiding Places You Can Create at Home (With Pictures)
If you’re the pet parent of one or several cats, you know they are interesting, inquisitive, and adorable. You also know that cats exhibit unusual behaviors that can be very mysterious. One of those is to hide in different spots around your home, especially when they’re feeling stressed or anxious.
A curious cat will hide anywhere they can squeeze into and feel safe, including under beds, on shelves, and even between linens or clothes in your closet. That can be slightly problematic, which is why it’s better to make a special place for your furry friend to hide.
Below, we’ve collected six unique DIY cat hiding places you can create at home! Most use materials you’ll easily find around your home, and since they don’t cost too much, you can make them in no time. If that sounds like a plan you can get behind, read on to discover these fun, creative DIY hiding places you can make for your favorite feline!
The 5 DIY Cat Hiding Spots
1. Cardboard Box Camper Cat Hiding Place by Oh Me Oh My Blog
| Materials: | 1.5 cubic foot (small) cardboard box, tape |
| Tools: | Razor knife, paint, paintbrushes |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
This adorable DIY cat hiding spot is made from a 1.5 cubic foot box with minimal tools but lots of creativity. It’s made to look like a teardrop trailer, with a cute little awning and window on the side. The colors you choose to paint your new creation are up to you; use the same turquoise and white theme, or go with another color.
Depending on how far you go with the painting, this project should take no more than a few hours. When finished, you can put it anywhere since it has a very small footprint. Throw your cat’s favorite blanket inside and let your cat pretend they are on a road trip while they de-stress.
2. T-Shirt Tent DIY Cat Hiding Place by Cats Protection
| Materials: | Cardboard box, T-shirt |
| Tools: | Razor knife |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
If the word of the DIY day is “easy,” this T-shirt tent cat hiding place is perfect. All you need is a small box, a razor knife, and an old T-shirt; a large one would be best to fit over the box. Cut a couple of holes in your box, wrap the T-shirt around it with the neck hole over the box hole, and you’re done!
All you need is a cushion or small blanket, and your cat can get away from any anxiety-producing situation and take a kitty vacation!
3. Snow-capped Mountain Cat Hiding Place by Sew Doggy Style
| Materials: | Small, square cardboard box, duct tape, brown and white fleece |
| Tools: | Sewing machine, scissors (or razor knife), yardstick, sharpie |
| Difficulty Level: | Moderate |
Another charming cat hiding place is this snow-capped mountain, which is too cute for words! You’ll need a sewing machine or decent hand-sewing skills for this DIY project. Besides that and some fleece, which you can get at any craft store, you should finish this DIY cat hiding place in a day.
The maker calls it a “pet tent,” and they made it for their dog. But with a smaller hole, it will make a perfect hiding place for your kitty! If you have multiple cats, you could make several snow-capped “mountains” and have an entire mountain range!
4. Another T-Shirt Tent Cat Hiding Place by jessyratfink
| Materials: | Small cardboard box, wire hangers |
| Tools: | Pliers, hole punch, tape, safety pins, razor knife |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy to moderate |
We showed you one way to make a DIY T-shirt tent earlier, and here’s another that will be just as enticing to your stressed-out cat. It’s a little more challenging because you must cut and bend wire hangers.
Besides that, this is a 2-hour project at most, and the results truly look great! This T-shirt cat tent is genuine, with tent poles and everything! Place it near your cat-friendly plants, and your pet will feel like they’re camping in the great outdoors!
5. TV Tray DIY Cat Hiding Place by Lily Ardor
| Materials: | TV tray, dowel, screws, fabric, string |
| Tools: | Hot glue gun, drill, |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy to moderate |
This fun-to-make DIY cat hiding place is more like a house, but it will still make a nice place for your cantankerous cat to chill out. It’s made from a wood TV tray, and they are not expensive if you do not own one. While no cutting of wood is involved, it requires you to take a TV tray apart, which might take a few minutes.
Still, this should be a 2 to 4-hour project for a decent DIYer. The example uses a white fabric, but to make the space darker for your kitty, you can use any color fabric you like. Darker is better for most cats. Plus, the maker gives you plans to make a cat scratcher you can attach to the side of the tent! It’s a DIY cat hiding place and a scratching surface all in one!
How To Create a Safe Space for Your Cat
If you’ve had a cat for a long time, you know they hide when stressed or threatened. New people, pets, or situations can cause cats anxiety, and so can several other situations. When these situations occur, it’s good to have a place where your petrified pet can escape and hide so they feel safe. Below are a few things you can do immediately if your cat needs to run and hide for a while.
Leave the Curtains Slightly Drawn
If you have a large windowsill for your cat to sit on and look outside, leave the curtains slightly drawn (closed). When you do, your cat can hide behind them and get their fill of looking at the outside world. Also, consider curtains that hang down to the floor for the same reason (especially if the windowsill is too narrow).
Any Old Box Will Do
Several DIY cat hiding place projects are made using cardboard boxes as their base. A basic box with a cat-sized hole cut in it will work just fine. With a small box and a razor knife, it can be ready in under 10 minutes!
We're quite fond of cardboard as a material in cat scratchers, which is why we love the Hepper Hi-Lo Cat Scratcher. Encased within a well-constructed, modern birch plywood frame, this scratcher is designed with both cats and their owners in mind. It offers three versatile configurations to keep your feline friend active and entertained while enticing them to fulfill their natural scratching instincts (and away from scratching things they shouldn't). For more details, click here!
At Catster, we’ve admired Hepper for many years, and decided to take a controlling ownership interest, so that we could benefit from the outstanding designs of this cool cat company!
Put your Cat’s Hiding Place up High
Whichever cat hiding place you decide to make for your kitty, place it as high off the ground as you can. Cats love having a bird’s eye view, even if they’re hiding, so a higher position will be very attractive. Be sure to give them a way to get to their hiding spot.
Use Potted Plants
Cats will hide anywhere they feel safe as long as they can see what’s happening and protect themselves. If you have a lot of cat-friendly plants in your home, consider putting several with large pots close to each other. You can have a fantastic hiding spot for your cat in minutes with the right pots and plants!
Final Thoughts
Did you enjoy the DIY cat hiding places we shared with you today? We hope your cat loves what you make for them and uses it all the time! By giving them a place to feel safe when stressed, your cat will live a longer, healthier, and happier life. Plus, many of the hiding places we shared are so cute that you will be tickled pink every time you look at them!
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Featured Image Credit: obpia30, Pixabay
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Gregory Iacono former chiropractor and self-taught writer. Greg has experience in a wide variety of subjects including video script. As a man of clinical experience, Greg has the ability to digest a complex subject and make it accessible to the reader. Greg enjoys traveling and spending time with his two daughters and son.
