Do cats need houses? Debatable.
Does my wife want her cat to have a house? Â Well, she suggested I make one repeatedly until I decided to do so.
This post will include pictures of the house I made for our kitty, some tips I learned from building the prototype, Â and technical drawings I created in SolidWorks (available for download). Â If you’re the least bit handy, you can put one of these together.
Above are rendered mock-ups of the cat house I designed in SolidWorks, a 3D CAD program.
My research for making a CH consisted of Googling “Cat House,” which brings up some interesting links not necessarily related to felines. Â The main thing I learned is: Cats like “cozy” dwellings. Â It’s good to have an area big enough for your cat to turn around in, and not much larger. Â This way the space is small enough for the cat to warm with their body heat.
I also wanted to build something that most pieces would be “board width” (usually between 11″ and 11 3/4″) so that I could keep cuts to a minimum. Â I’m a guy with a compound miter saw, a hand-held jig saw, power drill, circular saw, and little else. Â To build this, I had to borrow the use of a router table with a “rabbet” bit, a sander, and a table saw. Â Which leads us to the Tools List.
Tools (that I) needed for this project:
- Table Saw
- Miter Saw (unless you make the rafter cuts w/ a table saw)
- Jig Saw (for the Door and Window arches, and a couple other cuts)
- Drill
- Router with Rabbet bit (for the window arch’s plexiglass inset)
- Wood Chisel (for the hinges I used, which aren’t necessary)
- Caulk gun
- Sander (Random-Orbital or Detail)
(unless you make the rafter cuts w/ a table saw)
(for the Door and Window arches, and a couple other cuts)
with 
(for the window arch’s 
inset)
(for the hinges I used, which aren’t necessary)
(
or 
)Materials needed for this project:
(Bill Of Materials incl. in Drawings)
- Wood Planks – About 25 board ft.
- Plexiglass – Small piece
- Hinge(s)
- Handle/drawer pull
- Screws – 1 1/4″ deck screws
- Paint – About a half-gallon
- Caulk
- Sand Paper Discs
- Pet Heating Pad
– Small piece
– About a half-gallon
To download the plans for this project, click this link:
Cat House Drawing
Cat House Building Tips:
- The middle rafter was found to need a more severe cut-out than originally planned. Â I cut it with an arc instead of its current “Upside-down-V” shape, but when I tested it with the cat, she was bumping her back on it and clearly felt overly-cramped.
- The vent slot on the back rafter is optional. Â It is the size of a computer slot fan, and can be wired to 110 voltage via a transformer. Â Do this at your own risk (and let me know how it turns out if you do it). Â I ended up shoving a towel in the vent hole during the coldest months so the cat’s body heat would keep it cozy.
- You will need to figure out your own way to fasten the top of the cat house to the bottom. Â I cut three 2″x1″s (1 for each side wall, 1 for the front wall, and none for the back wall) and used these to screw into from the top of the 2nd floor and the walls of the 1st floor.
- If you live in a climate like mine (upper Midwest), then you’ll need a “Pet Bed Warmer” pad. Â Since this pet house is small (about 10″ wide), I bought the K & H brand warming pad. Â A photo is shown above.
- Use whatever works for the back door hinges. Â I used what I had on hand from a bucket-full that my Grandfather left behind. Â I believe they’re some kind of cabinet hinge, and they worked out great because they swing out enough to clear the roof overhang. Â That’s another thing:
- Make sure to have 1″ (or less) of roof overhang in the back of the CH, or it will interfere with the back door opening the desired 180-plus-degrees.
- Cutting the miter angle for the roof pieces was a bit tricky, so take your time and think it through. Â Don’t use the drawing’s angles as a guide, figure out the angle yourself, because it’s probably not exactly as I drew it up.
- If you try this project and have any other questions, just comment and I’ll do my best to answer.
, and can be wired to 110 voltage via a transformer. Â Do this at your own risk (and let me know how it turns out if you do it). Â I ended up shoving a towel in the vent hole during the coldest months so the cat’s body heat would keep it cozy.
Frank Discussion
Nice work, thanks for posting 🙂