Will a Cat Cave Make Your Kitty Love You More? One Writer Finds Out

When I moved in with my boyfriend, his cat Sartre was not happy about her new living situation. Sartre wouldn’t let me pet her, let alone touch her. Her claws came out every time I came within a few feet of her. When I walked by her, she scratched me.

My boyfriend seemed to think that she’d just need a short period of adjustment, then everything would be fine.

Almost a year later, nothing has changed.

Sartre tries to eat my yarn, unravel in-progress sweaters, and rip sewing patterns. If I’m going to win her heart, clearly it needs to involve crafts.

As a peace offering, I decided to wet felt a cat cave for Sartre. It would be a great place for her to curl up when she’s napping. She loves sniffing around my yarn, so what better way to make her happy than a cave made from wool?

I spent weeks learning the wet felting process. I practiced making a small vessel first, then I devoted an entire weekend to making the cat cave. I presented Sartre with the final, cozy cave. She gave it a few sniffs, looked at me with reluctance, and sauntered away.

I tried luring her in with treats, toys, and even a soft sweater she loves to lounge on. She is not impressed. I suppose it’s going to take more than a wool cave to make her my friend.

If you’re considering wet felting a cat cave for a kitty you want to impress, here’s what you can expect from the process.

Wet Felting Supplies and Process

The wet felting process is fun, but it’s not for the faint of heart. Wet felting is especially intense if you’re creating something as large as a cat cave.

You’ll need quite a few supplies that you may not be familiar with if you’re brand new to felting. I used Living Felt’s MC-1 Merino Cross Batts in Majestic Blue for the outside layers of my cave, and I used CW-1 Core Wool for the inside layers. (I highly recommend Living Felt’s wool, not just for the quality but also for the rainbow of colors.) You’ll also need a few other items like olive oil soap, mesh, a bamboo blind for rolling, and a flexible material for the resist.

You’ll begin by layering the wool on top of a flexible resist material, covering it with mesh, then wetting it with a sponge one layer at a time. The process begins gently, with you wetting and palming the felt. Once it begins to buckle a bit, roll it in a bamboo blind to help shrink it up a bit. You’ll slowly get more aggressive with the wool, eventually using a lot of muscle and aggression to felt the wool. (Use this opportunity to relieve some of the stress the cat might be causing you. Take it out on the wool.)

Tips for Wet Felting a Cat Cave

If you’ve never wet felted before, try a smaller scale project like a vessel before you jump into the large cat cave.

Using core wool for the inside will save you a few bucks on the supplies. Save the colorful, more expensive  wool for the outside layer.

I used batts of wool that were very easy to layer. The batts also seemed faster than a lot of the tutorials that use small pieces of roving.

Consult how-to videos for help with the process. I found Living Felt’s Wet Felting Over a Resist tutorial to be very helpful. (Living Felt also has a tutorial specific to wet felting cat caves.)

Wet felting outside is ideal if the weather cooperates. I placed painter plastic on my patio table and wet felted there.

Take frequent breaks and stretch your back. Felting involves a lot of movement, and you’ll be surprised at the aches it can cause.

If your cat doesn’t seem interested in the cave, place something inside to entice him or her like a cat toy, cat nip, or a treat. Place one of the kitty’s favorite blankets in there to show that it’s an ideal napping spot.