Cats love to climb, scratch, and explore different levels in your home. Cat trees are the perfect playground for your cat, but while buying one can have its merits, they’re often expensive and not customizable.
So, why not make your own? You can use PVC to easily create cat trees for your cat, personalizing them to fit in with your home decor. This article has gathered four amazing DIY PVC cat tree plans you can create at home. While some are simple and others more complex, they’re all sure to be great gifts for your cat to enjoy safely.
The 4 DIY PVC Cat Tree Plans
1. Modern Cat Tree With PVC Pipe By Cuteness
| Materials: | 40 feet of 1″ PVC pipe; 14 1″ four-way Tee PVC pipe fittings; 6 1″ three-way PVC elbows; 4 1″ PVC end caps; 1″ two-hole pipe straps; ½” plywood (enough for five 18″ X 16″ boards); PVC cement |
| Tools: | Drill, PVC pipe cutter or saw, spray paint (optional) |
| Difficulty Level: | Moderate |
This ingenious plan cleverly uses PVC piping to create a multi-level play area for your cat. Sleek and made with a professionally manufactured look, this cat tree goes together quickly and can be tweaked to your liking due to the flexible nature of PVC.
This plan uses spray paint to tie the whole cat tree together, which is optional but can make the tree look polished. However, some specialized tools are needed here, such as a PVC pipe cutter, so check that you have the materials you need before beginning.
2. Cat Tree for Small Space By Cool Cat Tree Plans
| Materials: | D110-1,000 mm sewer pipe; D110-250 mm sewer pipe; D110/110 sewer pipe triangle; 3 D110 sewer pipe cups; D110 sewer pipe 90-degree angle; X D110/110 sewer pipe coupler; 6 mm L x 60 mm W sisal rope; 40 L x 40 W x 1.2 H cm plywood for cat bed; 4 39 L x 4 W x 1.2 H cm plywood for bed walls; 40 L x 40 W x 2 H cm foam cushion; artificial fur fabric or fleece; 35 L x 35 W x 2.6 H cm plywood for base, screws, gravel, rocks or sand |
| Tools: | Drill, hand/band saw, staple gun, hot glue gun, spirit level, box cutter |
| Difficulty Level: | Difficult |
The simple layout of this cat tree plan is made more luxurious with materials such as foam and artificial fur. This plan ensures that comfort is guaranteed for your cat, and the PVC pipes and plywood join together seamlessly, using the PVC joints and their mobility. You can customize the cushion with a different fur color (or even material) of your liking, but be aware that this plan uses some tools that may not already be in your garage, such as a band saw.
3. DIY Balcony Cat Tower By Meow Lifestyle
| Materials: | Organizer (craft organizers work well if big enough), coconut twine, old towels, zip ties, PVC piping to connect the unit |
| Tools: | Drill, scissors, hammer |
| Difficulty Level: | Moderate |
This tower plan cheats a little by using a ready-made PVC frame, but this fact may be one of the best features of this plan. Not only is it time-saving, but it means your tower will be both stable and customizable.
In addition, coconut twine is used as a woven lattice between the shelves, making impressive-looking but irresistibly scratchy surfaces for your cat to lounge on. A bonus of this tree plan is that it is purpose-made to fit on a balcony, but make sure to secure your patio with netting or a barrier before placing the cat tree on it. This frame may not be sturdy enough for heavy or large-breed cats. Ensure that your kitty can’t become trapped in the twine by ensuring no large holes and that their nails are trimmed.
4. DIY PVC Cat Scratcher Addition by mother daughter projects
| Materials: | 3″ PVC pipe, 3″ PVC cap, 50 feet of 3/8″ of rope, wood round, marking and measuring tools, gloves, PVC bits |
| Tools: | Drill, glue and glue gun, scroll saw |
| Difficulty Level: | Moderate |
No cat tree is complete without a scratching post, and this PVC cat scratcher plan can be the perfect addition to your cat’s tree (whether it’s DIY or store-bought) because it’s enjoyable to make and long-lasting, utilizing heavy wooden elements and light PVC pipes.
This isn’t the easiest plan on the list. Still, the impressive detail in the instructions (paired with pictures and a video) means that it’s a challenging build without being frustrating. You’d need to be prepared to begin building this plan as it does use specialized tools (such as a scroll saw).
How Tall Should My Cat Tree Be?
The overall size and height of your DIY cat tree will depend on the materials available to you and the size of your cat. Larger cats will need bigger platforms to move around, heavier bases on the tree for stability, and likely will need more height.
Smaller cats do not need as much space, but they’ll still need enough levels on their cat tree to be able to explore their vertical space, scratch, and retreat to higher ground when they get stressed.
5′ L x 6′ W is generally a good size to aim for when making a cat tree, as a larger tree can become cumbersome to move. Some store-bought cat trees reach from floor to ceiling, so there are options to explore if you want inspiration for your DIY PVC cat tree.
Alternatively, if you want to surprise your cat with something cool, check out the Hepper Hi-Lo Cat Scratcher. It's not just a scratcher; it's a piece of modern furniture that your cat can play on. It's got a curvy design that's perfect for stretching and moving, and it's built tough with strong birch plywood and thick B-flute cardboard. You can adjust it to three different heights, which keeps cats entertained. Plus, it won't break the bank! Our cats love it, and we do too.
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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!
Conclusion
There is nothing more satisfying than making something yourself at a relatively cheap cost. These DIY cat trees can be beautifully combined with fabric, twine, and wood to create a cat tower for your furry friend. Our four plans range from large to small, easy to more complex, but we hope we’re able to spark your imagination and inspire you to try one of these DIY cat tree plans out.
Featured Image Credit: New Africa, Shutterstock
The 4 DIY PVC Cat Tree Plans
