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Creative Cat Center

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This Creative Cat Center fits into décor and gives Kitties a place “to go”….

Creative Cat Center

Creative Cat Center

13 years ago, we rescued 2 small kittens from a parking lot.  Then my son added 2 non- cat friendly dogs followed by my husband adding another.  Needless to say, the cats were stressed and so was I.  It was nervous breakdown level chaos.

In addition to the dogs chasing the cats, they visited the litter box frequently and came out with kitty litter plus stuck to their noses.  They also gobbled up the cat food which is so high in protein that it is like sugar to a dog.  I tried putting the litter box and food dish on the dryer, but it really got in the way.

They needed something high and closed that was their turf.  I built my first “cat center” out of a white melamine cabinet from Target.  You put it together yourself and all I did was cut a hole in the side. It served its purpose well and assured me that the cats would actually use it before investing in a fancier one.

The one pictured was recently made from old porch boards, painted and distressed.  I wanted to create something that looked like it had been stored in a barn or shed for a long time. As this primitive style fits into the decor of my  Master Bedroom. 

The aluminum trays and feeding bowls were an awesome thrift store find.  The trays make a great back splash for messy eaters.

Creative Cat Center

Here’s a view of the inside of the creative cat center, displaying Fluffy and Zippy’s favorite things all in one place. And here’s an update about what we’ve added to our Cat Center 

I got some great advice from a friend with multiple pets. “Each pet needs their own special space in the home.”  She was right, and the dogs learned that this was the cats special “off limits” place.

Cat Centers are not only essential for keeping other pets out of litter boxes but they are excellent for keeping young curious infants and toddlers out as well. My daughter has 3 cats and has benefited from her toy chest cat center for years.

 

Creative Cat Center

Centers can be made with old dressers, toy boxes, cabinets, or anything that has the depth to fit a litter box.

Inside view of the entrance and exit.   You can make an opening on both sides if your cat really doesn’t like that closed in feeling. The feet were cut from larger table legs found a salvage store.


Creative Cat Center

The original color of the boards was gray. Actually, there were many layers and different colors of gray, which really added to the overall look.

I added Benjamin Moore’s Venezuelan Sea, distressed by sanding and then stained with water based Minwax in Walnut.

The bright shiny hinges got an extra dose to look aged and rusty.

The opening was created by adjusting the length of the boards.A piece of wood scalloped (imperfectly) with a jig saw was added to the bottom of the doors.  After being sanded, it has the appearance of being cut by hand.

Fluffy and Zippy survived their remodel and mom is happy because the dirty white cabinet is now in the basement.

Also Check out what Lesley uses to keep her pet clutter under control with her Pet Organization Station.

We would love to hear your tips on fitting pet equipment into design…

 

Creative Cat Center

 

Creative Cat Center

 

And one year later! Still holding up and being used frequently! 

Creative Cat Center

 

Comments

  1. This is so cool! I want to get a cat, but have no good place for a litter box in my apartment, so I’ve been looking at options like this. Could you tell me the dimensions of your cabinet?

    • Sara Beth, Hi there, this is Mom’s cat center. She’s gone back to work full time so it may take her some time to respond with dimensions. I did want to tell you that I lived in a small condo and had a box hidden in a toy chest, I cut a circular hole and 3 cats used it. It needs to be wide enough for the litter box to fit in it and long enough for the cat to take a few steps to the box then tall enough for the cats to get in to the box. Check out this link for more great ideas
      http://femour.com/?p=14934

  2. Did you actually build this cabinet? Or was it something you found already made?

    If you did in fact make this cabinet– Would you be able to “share” the step-by-step process. I’m trying to make a cat center and this fits in perfectly with my current decor. (I’m not super savvy with tools, so was planning on getting my dad to help me out)

    • Hi Sarah, Mom built this cabinet from her tongue and groove porch boards of her 100 year old home she was restoring. I will check with her and see if she can either do a step by step or at the very least give you some tips. I think it was one of those projects that unless you happened to have those boards it was kind of pointless to do DIY post. I am sure she can give you some info on how to build a nice cat center though. I will let her know that you are interested as soon as she gets off work today. And neither one of us are super savvy with tools we just start with a project and learn having your dad their to help would be great to build your confidence!

      • That’s awesome, and it turned out looking absolutely gorgeous! (I love the look of recycled wood).

        I look forward to hearing from you with some pointers to help me out with making a cat center. : )

  3. I LOVE it! I would love a tut on how it was constructed too! I am using a storage tub with a hole cut out of the lid right now. My cats seem to throw poo all over the place and a regular box just won’t do. I would need to line the area around the box as well for those misses or edge of the box goings, but it is perfect to store those unsightly accoutrements that go with a cat(s)!

    • Awww Jennifer thanks so much! I love it too and my cats do as well. I really don’t think I could reproduce it. I just build it with a bunch of old boards from our porch and it is quite heavy. Have you thought about trying to find a cabinet that you like and converting it? I could help with some suggestions on how to convert an already made cabinet.

  6. Currently I have 3 cats inside, (3 outside)
    and live in a mobile home with just myself to worry..
    I have their 2 litter boxes in the first bathrooms’ TUB!1
    works great, since I also have a master bath…
    I am moving this year to a place that only has 1 bathroom!! woe is me and trying to figure out
    the litter box situation….
    this is a most wonderful answer to my dilemma! I will be taking my deck apart and taking it those 1000 miles with me and all 6 of those kitties…and I think this would be a great use of some of those deck boards. A plus is that they already have some weathering…

  9. I’m a carpenter and my girlfriend wants me to make a replica of this for her cat. I will probably get around to it within a month or so and will post or email instructions if you would like. It’s a straight forward design that most people could do, the difficulty is giving the wood the patina, which you did very well. Walnut stain is amazing for that, right 🙂

    • Oh that would be amazing Drew. The reclaimed tongue and groove that I used was already painted a gray color, so you may want to paint it porch gray first then apply the Blue and yes, I would use the dark walnut stain. Can’t wait to see it!

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