Improve Your Cat’s 9 Lives With a DIY Cat House

If they aren’t curled up in the sun, being grumpy or sitting on your keyboard while you type, say, an article about DIY Cat Houses, our feline friends need a place to call their own.

Don’t sacrifice your (or Snowball’s) personal style with a ho-hum, store-bought bed (or plastic stackable basket). Instead craft a custom cat house for your beloved furry friend. You don’t have to be a crazy cat lady to care about your kitty’s comfort.

cats resting in stacked vertical crates
cats resting in stacked vertical crates

Image via urlesque

1. Home Meow Home

homemade cat fabric tent
homemade cat fabric tent

Image via Sew Take a Hike

To be truly content, some cats need four walls, a pitched roof, and skylights. If that sounds familiar, then this cute, little, single-occupancy unit may be purr-fect for you. Pick your pattern, break out the sewing machine, and line it with fleece for extra comfort. They will be curled up in front of the fake fireplace in no time.


2. Printed Cat Tipi

white minature cat tipi
white minature cat tipi

Image via Free People

If your furry friend is more of the nomadic kind, try crafting this tipi out of fabric, twine, and five wooden dowels. Its a perfect accessory for any Thanksgiving celebration.


3. Packing It In

old suitcase fashioned in to a cat bed
old suitcase fashioned in to a cat bed

Image via Beautiful Life

Before you toss that vintage suitcase, give it a new life as a bed for your four-legged friend. His dreams will take him to far-off places, even if he never actually leaves the house. Make cleaning easier by using a pillow with a washable casing.

4. Cat House For Your House Cat

cute homemade cardboard house for cat
cute homemade cardboard house for cat

Image via Chez Larsson

As a pet owner, you know that cats, like children, enjoy a good cardboard box more than what’s inside. Take it to the next level with this cardboard cat home within your home. Consider a little front-door landscaping with some catnip topiaries flanking the front door.

5. Mouse Not Included

cat resting in old desktop monitor
cat resting in old desktop monitor

Image via Chip Chick

Upgrades in technology happen every five seconds. The good thing is that there is also always a need to upgrade your kitty’s nest. If you have one of these original gumdrop shaped babies, remove the innards and replace ‘em with a little software of your own.

6. On the road

cat resting in minature mobile home house
cat resting in minature mobile home house

Image via Straight Line Designs

Traveling with your pets isn’t easy. While not exactly do-it-yourself, these pet friendly trailers are a nostalgic way to tote around your family friend.


7. Totally Tubular Cat Shack

cat house made out of a tube
cat house made out of a tube

Image via Instructables

If your kitten is the type who likes to catch some waves while he catches some Zs, take a trip to your local hardware store to pick up the few materials needed to craft your cat a soft place to lay his head.

8. Not-So-Sour Milk Crate Bed

cat house made out of old dirty crate
cat house made out of old dirty crate

Image via Crafted Niche

What cat wouldn’t love to be surrounded by the aroma of sweet milk as they curl up to take a little cat nap? Grab a crate from your local flea market and apply a little elbow grease to make this simple bed. Put it on casters to make a little mobile home for Felix.

9. A Tisket, A Tasket

cat resting in suspended whicker basket
cat resting in suspended whicker basket

Image via Petoolah

Blend your cat’s habitat into your wall art by hacking a cylindrical Ikea basket into a homey little cat bed. Carefully secure it to the wall and fold up a comfy towel or blanket to rest in the bottom.