Natural Cat Tree (Cat Not Included)

I have held the instructions in general, because each branch/ tree is different and you can make the cat tree very individually and also flexibly can design. This cat tree is an eye-catcher and certainly unique. The cats will love this tree and every cat owner will be envious. You can put it in the apartment or outside ( you have to expect jealous neighbor cats outside).

machines/tools:

• Wood saw
• Screwdriver
• Wood drill

material:

• heavy wooden board as a foundation
• forked sturdy branch
• wooden boards
• meters natural hemp rope
• cramp nails
• screws
• sandpaper
• glue

optional:

• ring screws
• a basket
• Velcro fastener
• pillows

In the first step, the base of the branch should be cut straight so that the tree is well balanced, otherwise it will later become unstable or wobbly. Whether to leave the bark on the branch or not is up to each.
The positions of the plateaus should already be determined here, accordingly, forks that are not needed or are too long can then be sawed off. The places of the later plateau surfaces sawed as evenly as possible, so that the later platform also fits plane on it.

If it is difficult to imagine the plateaus in the planning, it can help to attach them from cardboard to the appropriate positions as a template until you are sure

The foundation is attached to the bottom of the branch. For this purpose, the branch is placed on a table or similar and the foundation is aligned.
It is important here that the branch is as central as possible and thus keeps the balance well. Now several screws can be screwed from below through the foundation. It helps if necessary to pre-drill the hole so that it does not come to tearing of the wood. In the picture you can see the first version of the foundation. but this one was too light and unstable

Depending on the tree size and cat size, the plateaus are now cut from the boards.
After cutting, the corners can still be rounded with sandpaper and possible splinter points are adjusted. A picture of an example plateau can be seen in the next step

The sawn boards are now fixed with a little glue and the screws are screwed from above or below through the branch and the plateau.

ATTENTION: the screws should not be too long, so that they do not look out on the other side. It helps if necessary to pre-drill the hole, so that it does not come to the tearing of the wood.

If you have planned a plateau that goes over two branches, it helps to build a small support. This consists, as shown in the picture, of two pieces of wood that are rounded on the side of the tree. Here, the plateau can then simply be laid and does not necessarily have to be screwed.

So that the cats can scratch the tree without getting splinters, the rope is wound around the tree. According to the rope thickness, a hole is drilled in the scratching post so that the beginning of the rope can be pressed into it and glued down. Now the rope is wound very tightly around the tree. The end of the rope is fixed with a cramp nail.

That was so far the basic equipment for the tree now you can make him a little more comfortable If you want. (See optional Steps)

For this purpose, you can use ordinary pillows or sew a matching pillow.
To prevent the pillows from falling down all the time (Cats love to test the gravity of objects) velcro is glued to the plateau.The counterpart to the Velcro is attached to the pillows. Now if a pillow gets dirty it can be easily removed, washed and reattached.

On the lower side of the plateaus ringscrews of any size can be attached.
Here, for example, a cord with toys, a hammock or a basket can be attached.

For the hanging basket, we simply took a basket that was no longer needed and attached ropes to it. At the rope ends we have attached to a carabiner, so that he can be hooked and unhooked at any time.

I hope you like this little tutorial and inspiration. if you have any questions feel free to contcat me ;-)