Building a Custom Cat Tree

[@MrRynox52719]

the whole time all i can imagine is Ron Swanson... i was half expecting you to say at the end "Now that you're finished your cat tree, you are gonna want to toss it out and get a dog, because cat's are pointless."

[@tiffanysimkins1301]

That's what I was thinking too!!! 😂

[@fghyjhku]

😂😂

[@randallshular5362]

Nope. It takes a caring, understanding person to love cats. I like em cause they are quiet, no dam barking, they don't smell like a dog, they don't friggin jump up all over you and don't cover your face with slobbers from just licking their balls or butt. My cats come and greet me when I get home, mind better than my grandchildren, and are Soo much quieter than them. Lol

[@Hardcoreforliife]

“Im using the stapler gun on this largely because its out” Very matter of factly and blunt lol

[@DDimitris2011]

may be ! But in the mean time your contruction is great . Greeatings from Greece

[@GaryBichell]

Bout damn time I find a video where the guy is actually telling you and showing you what to do and use. Thank you man it's a really big help

[@bhappy6088]

I have had a few people agree to help me make a cat tree and it still hasn't happened. You're niece was a lucky girl and you're a good uncle for making her one.

[@apriltackett3706]

Matt thank you. This is the best shown tutorial I've seen on researching to build a cat tree. I have a couple feral cats who have claimed my home as theirs so I looked for ideas & plans to build them a nice cat tree. I'm anxious to go get items to start right away so they will have better protection from predators, heat & cold. You're obviously a very caring guy & uncle. Thank you for the time & effort you gave to help others!

[@dynamie8350]

AST NAZ Your Welcome ;)

[@marcellespeake4272]

Really cool tutorial! Detailed enough to replicate it without being boring or too long. Thank you. Just a couple of notes, ALWAYS wear heavy duty gloves when sawing or glueing, BUT they must fit PERFECTLY or rhey will do more harm than good! Also, these suckers are VERY heavy. I got a four footer with the last cat I took in, it came with him. Very heavy, so I would strongly recommend installing LOCKING caster wheels on the bottom so you can move them for vacuuming, ect. Do lock them so they will not go flying when kitty takes a running jump at it like mine does. If you are building, install to base after it is complete and KEEP THEM LOCKED during rest of build. These are too heavy, at least for us women, to flip around and install wheels easily afterward. Funny note: when the lady was bringing my cat and tree, she put the tree in her car the night before and the cat did not realize it had moved. He came flying through her house to jump up on the tree that was not there and slammed into the wall. He was not hurt, so no nasty comments, please. And as with most cats, she said he just sat down, bathed himself and then got up and walked away, as if to say, "I meant to do that!" "A house is not a home without a cat!" They lower your blood pressure when petting them. One makes a great companion. Two keep each other compny if you are gone during the day, but more than two makes you a "crazy cat lady." Or, posdibly someone who is too soft or gullible when told by a "friend" that they will have to take the cat to the pound if YOU don't take it in. I grew up with a German shepherd, how did I end up with cats? You guessed it, gullible!

[@BoxcarJerry]

I can see why these things cost so much in the pet stores , there's a lot of time involved in wrapping these . Nice job on the build and video .

[@floydhuyler3948]

Want to save $$ on carpet? Go to a carpet store that does its own installation and ask them for their scraps. They'll eagerly give it to you instead of having it fill their dumpster. Just know that you may not get all the pieces you need to match.

[@nyevegas4015]

Not sure why YT recommended this video, I don’t even own a cat. It was entertaining to watch and I hope your niece and her cat 🐈 loved it.

[@MC-ez9lv]

Nice job walking us thru the process! Thanks Matt.

[@sharonhunter337]

My brother helped me make a cat tree for my boyfriend's cat in college. The neighboring deck had a cat tree. His cat always sat and watched the other cat. When I opened the door to bring the cat tree I made home it was awesome the reaction I got. I had it dismantled, the tree part was leaned up against the outside door. The cat came out and screamed with delight, then jumped up on the post. I had to carry the post, with the attached cat, inside. He wouldn't get off so I had to nail the top on with the cat hanging on. It was so satisfying. I loved it that he was so happy. When we moved it onto the deck he was looking at the other cat, like "Yeah! Your not that cool now." Hahaha

[@Shuri66]

Thank youuuuuuu!!!! The first video I have seen without having to have serious power tools to make a cat tree. I live in a condo, so I dont have room nor do i know how to use those power tools.

[@MattHeere]

Thanks! No serious tooling required. A jig saw is really handy, but this can actually be made with just a regular hand powered cross-cut saw. You can cut the corners of the plywood top for the base completely away instead of cutting holes to fit the posts and it will be fine. Also the cardboard tubes can be cut with any saw or knife. Good luck!

[@Shuri66]

Thanks for responding so quickly! You Rock!

[@shanedeluca3510]

I know this isn't something you do often, but a good carpet knife, $5-15 depending on what you like, and some rectangular carpet blades will save a lot of work. Rotate the blade in the knife every cut or two to keep it sharp. Blades are cheap, about $5 for 100, and dull blades slip easier. Cut the carpet from the back whenever possible and you will get straighter lines and easier cuts. Duck bill shears are like $15 bucks and bent to cut fiber ends that stick up from seams. Hot glue is perfectly acceptable and used quite frequently in carpet repairs, although I prefer to use seam tape and seam from the top using a damp rag and a hot iron, which will allow you to seam from the top without a $600 cool glide tool. Cool project!

[@tazemebro9524]

Fantastic cat tree. Old pal and I built one not nearly so competitive to commercially available but we used Liquid Nail glue (putty color) to fasten the carpet and it worked like a dream. Time to upgrade! Thanks for the how-to and the very handy inside tips.

[@actuallowroller]

Awesome! I wish I had a cool uncle to build my fuzzy wuzzies an amazing tree of awesomeness! Great tutorial!

[@MattInglot]

Thanks so much for actually showing how to deal with the carpet. So many videos and guides gloss over the "upholstery" part.

[@JasonOlsen]

This was a very instructional video, especially your guidance around how to cut the carpeting to best shape and form it. Thank you very much! I'll be sure to watch this a few times more as I embark on my summer project to refurbish several cat trees that we will resell to raise money for the cat rescue I volunteer with.

[@johnl9067]

Well done! This guy has great voice for instruction!

[@c8Lorraine1]

thank you for such precise detailed and demonstrating the frame for the cat tree

[@AwesomeWoodThings]

I hope the cat(s) are happy! Wow... lots of work. Looks great.

[@BecBec1967]

I've found a pair of extremely sharp, carpet/cardboard tube cutting works excellently sufficient for exact cuts. It's a lockable close on thumb area. I also found pocket hole jig joinery to attach all wood joints works better than just attaching to the ends.

[@nightstringers]

Just a thought , when cutting the carpet make it a tad bigger and use a putty knife to put the long piece of carpet under the other piece at the carpet joint then hot glue. I have used an old hot iron where the carpet is cut to stop fraying.

[@maderastudio8493]

Dude you kill me!!! “Our next horrifying step” lol, man what a labor of love! Video well done as always. Cat tree looks awesome. Gonna make a little girl and her kitty very happy. Well done. Thanks for posting.

[@joseluisruiz3789]

Awesome! I need to make my own for my Russian Siberian. He is almost 6 months and already outgrew the big almost 300 dollar one I bought him. It keeps wabbling back and forth when he is on it so I need something like this that is sturdy. His weight as an adult cat will be about 25 to 27 lbs. Right now he is 9 lbs. 😁

[@krystynach.6084]

holy mother of catflaps... you, Sir, are my new hero. You, my grandpa and Roland Goock's book are incredibly inspiring ♥

[@ck702]

This was excellent - best instructional on building these things with accessible components. Thank you for all the tips!

[@pixelpanache]

Cats love these! Cats feel safe high up, and they like to watch what's going on in a room from a tall vantage point. However, they will usually even like fairly short cat trees. They also like sheltered hiding places to nap in, so consider sideways tubes as well as platforms. For extra cat approval points, place the finished cat tree where the cat can get a view out a window and/or bask in sunshine, and if your home has them, place it so the top platform falls under a ceiling heating vent. Cats were originally desert animals and have a body temperature around 101-102° F, which is why they always seek out warmth. One thing I'd recommend, to help it hold up long-term, is to wrap rope around the legs at all points likely to be used as a scratching post. Matt did provide a designated scratching area, but most cats will scratch the other legs also, and will eventually shred the carpet where there is no rope. If you guess wrong, you can always wrap rope around the shredded places later. Keep in mind that cats prefer to stand up on their hind legs, reach above head level, and grip the rope or carpet there to do a good stretch along with scratching, so you'll need the scratching area to go up higher than the total cat length including back and front legs stretched out, so two-and-a-half feet or more, depending on the cat. If a scratching area is not tall enough they probably won't use it much. If the cat tree has tall posts extending above its platforms, they may use those for scratching, too, not just what's at floor level. Cats also like a horizontal scratching surface for their rear claws. You can wrap rope around a narrow two-foot plank to make a horizontal scratcher. Cat claws grow in layers. Think of a stack of pointed traffic cones. When claws get dull, the cat needs to shred off the outside layers until new, sharp points are uncovered. A tough material like the rope is really good for this. If you watch a cat scratching and know what's going on, you can see that they make a kind of pulling motion to drag the claw tips and strip off the old layers. Keeping claws sharp is a powerful instinct, so they're going to do it somewhere.

[@KyleenDrake]

What an amazing uncle!

[@neenerllily85]

I have 5 cats who would absolutely LOVE this!! Great job on it and also on the tutorial, it was so easy to follow!

[@WillowDecay]

love this instructional video. thank you for taking time to share with us. I plan on making my first cat tree in the near future

[@Falungongshow]

Thanks for the video! I've been wanting to start a project like this for my cat. Seeing the process is really going to help me solidify what I want to do.

[@oljames1687]

I can't give it a dislike because of the build. I can't give it a like because I am not a cat person. I can give it 2 Burnt Thumbs Up...!

[@Xoletta]

Wow-wee, that's A LOT of work! And especially if you don't have a little workshop like you do. No wonder these things are so expensive to buy! You did an amazing job, though - thank you so much for sharing that with the rest of us! I have a cat tree I need to re-carpet, and this video helped immensely!

[@trishdadish21]

Such a great video. Can’t believe I’m only just finding this. 😻

[@rickjames4882]

Nice build. I use the concrete forms as well. I like how you keep the staples at a minimum, most people use too many hazards on them that cause injuries to claws and such.. Well done.

[@mboyer68]

Good job! Pre drilling is definitely the way to go! Makes it easier to assemble and better in my opinion. You can use silicone to glue the carpet down. It'll take more time to cure but if you don't have a 100 watt glue gun, it's a good option. I'm going to bury a bunch of catnip under the carpet and see if it makes her go crazy?!

[@Uquityabtchn]

Excellent job, I bet you made your niece very happy. I also found your mildly sarcastic humor, to be quite entertaining. "So you managed not to burn yourself gluing down those edges, here's a much better chance " LOL

[@dandewolf7250]

Great video, thank you.... You do a great job explaining everything...You should have your own T.V. show.

[@imaginationgal1]

This guy reminds me of the red green show. And i love it. 👍🏽

[@jtchurren]

Awesome stuff brother! Thanks! The best gifts are made at home and look like they could be bought off a shelf.

[@audiotechlabs4650]

Whoa! I must make one of these for our cat. Happy Holidays. Please keep these "gems" a comin'. Thankz

[@ryelor]

Matt, this was great! Thank you!

[@tlsafir]

You have a great personality, reminds me fondly of my dad.

[@rm709]

This is extremely well done! I’m impressed with your presentation and script- excellent!

[@PorterCBlue]

Love this. I'm making one for my cat and while one would think this is simple-I really wanted to see how others dealt with the seams.

[@LoneWolf-yp2mo]

Great video ! We already have one but you make it tempting to build one !! Just finished re-carpeting ours where the cats scratch it with their claws. My wife asked if they would actually USE it if we bought it !! I said OHHHhhh yeah !! Ours is 8 feet tall and 4 feet long. THEY LOVE IT !!!! They have worn it out several times !! I just keep repairing it !! Thanks again !!

[@TealCheetah]

Regarding hot melt burns, they sell finger tip covers for just such a reason. And thank you for saying 'cool/harden' regarding the glue. So many channels say hotmelt 'dries' and its like, no.....

[@cettybermejo9000]

Amazing!!! Thank you for this video!!! I got a whole bunch of concrete form and excited to buid my cat an indoor gym!! Woohooo!!! 🙌🙌

[@mrsagathahudson5227]

I'm watching this in Nov 2018. I think it's a brilliant cat tree and I don't even have a cat yet.

[@ttfweb1]

I envision a far side cartoon where hell is building carpet covered cat trees. Nice video.

[@be-kind00]

I have had a few trees that I had to re-carpet. I don't suggest gluing unless you have no intention of ever re-carpeting.

[@maryescamilla9620]

Nice narration, cute and easy tree.

[@Bostish2]

I love your humor!

[@timlidstone6460]

extremely well done! very concise! who knew hot glue! Ive been planning and scrapping for months and design stuck,keep it simple| Great tips, great advise| My girlfriend thinks Im cheap, you saved me 150. Now that Im an expert a run of 10 might give me a little beer money|

[@kristenkatz8425]

Wow!! I wish we had this when we built our first cat tree!! We didn't carpet anything until it was all the way built. It's not going to shock anyone when I tell you thst it never got fully carpeted..lol.

[@toniche3577]

Wow! That's a fabulous cat tree. Great tutorial. Thank you.

[@puckingery915]

darn fine presentation man, thanks. I have several cats and will be building a bunch of trees so I appreciate the useful information

[@seanmcgrath2049]

This is a great video! Really simple explanations, pragmatic tips, and some humor thrown in. Really well done, man, thank you for this!

[@josejr2195]

Keep doing what you do, The video was enjoyable to watch while learning.

[@WhiteCatShirataki]

Absolutely fantastic tutorial! Me and my cats Thank You!

[@CalliNightmare]

My God, thank you ever so much for putting out a video like this one ♡♡♡ I am so excited to start making mine!!!!

[@borountree4539]

This is a nice video to learn how to build a cat ladder/perch. Probably obvious I have an issue with most designs for cat trees. I feel a true cat tree should provide exercise that an indoor cat isn't likely to get or get enough of without the tree. However most so called trees these days have so many levels so close together that cats just saunter right up and park their overweight butts for a nice nap. Levels should be spaced to require leaping, jumping, or actually climbing up the carpeted posts. These are natural activities for cats and help to keep cats both mentally and physically healthy.

[@brianoneill3916]

Highly entertaining Matt - nice work!

[@cherylpemberton1676]

I get FREE cardboard tubes from a carpet store, leftover from rolls of carpet, they throw them away anyway! Or ask a carpet installer... Same with FREE carpet samples from carpet stores.

[@jonaeflure]

Cheryl Pemberton Thanks for the tip. It's really helpful.

[@Stephanie-cd6pc]

this is the most informative video i've seen on making a cat tree, thank you!

[@TealCheetah]

Love your sense of humor!

[@conirish2004]

Was thinking about building a tree for my cat and thought I would check this out. It is puurrrfect. (lol) Believe I have all the stock on hand. So Here I go. Thanks for a great video.

[@dreaaluna7191]

This was really Cool watch. Gave me some great ideas thank you. Great !

[@katrinawhitlock3224]

This was the Best video. Totally answered all my questions.

[@keithcronk7980]

GREAT JOB. IAM OFF TO THE SHOP TO BUILD THANK YOU BROTHER

[@Madge778]

This was one of the funniest videos I have seen. I am not afraid to make one now. Thank you so much.

[@cpgirlee6640]

Hi Matt,AWESOME cat tree!! Thank you so much for your wonderful video. I found it to be very down to earth, easy to follow and extremely informative! Most of the DIY cat tree videos on youtube do not go into detail and are not at all useful. I agree with Dan DeWolf, you should have your own tv show! Wish you were MY uncle...I have six cats and they all love cat trees (they already have 8 cat trees)!

[@lianag6488]

I love this video! I laughed so much and it was very informative. I know this video is old but I would still like to thank Matt. Great job!!

[@ltweight98]

Thank you for your tips. I'm not going to make a new one. I'm just going to recover the one I have. It is sturdy, it just has a horrible covering, so I'm going to put real carpet on it. Thanks again for your tips with the carpet. I do really like the one you created though. Not sure I could do that. Hopefully I can accomplish the recover job on mine. 😁

[@ginaseverson82]

Thanks for the video its very helpful! We are dog people who have been adopted by a young mama cat that showed up with newborns a few months ago. She has decided we are now her subjects and demanded that we go forth and buy her food toys and a thrown that she will sit and rule our lives from on high. I believe this will be a much cheaper option. Just don't tell her royal highness that its homemade!

[@InFireTruk]

I've been wanting to build one for my fur babies...I think I have a shot at it ow. Thanks Matt! I really enjoyed the video!

[@eileencarman9752]

Great work in explaining this project!

[@salkdjfasldkfjsdlk]

Floated the idea of building my own but after watching this, I'm headed to the pet shop to buy one.

[@soozie6able]

Excellent simple to follow instructions thank you x

[@bigbluefrog]

Awesome video. I now feel like I can tackle this project now. Thanks!

[@hajerm]

nice tips!! i am making one of these with no plans and i also used a cement tube form, but i measured it double length, added an inch for the folds and i glued it to the outside first... i anticipate i will have to cut some out, such as a sliver because as you mentioned, the inside is smaller than the outside, but maybe i can just lay the seam over and put that at the top. nice work :) i am REALLY having a difficult time securing the branches (i am using 3 cool limbs rather than 2x4's) to the base tho... need to get the best angle cut and that it difficult.

[@gofigure4920]

Very nice..but if I am going to make one I would want a really tall one like 7 feet high. And the one made out of thin tree trunks are beautiful!

[@ChristopherAMacleod]

Hey, I'm going to make one of these...very similar....for my mother's cat. I'm sure they will both be very pleased with it. Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

[@ltdees2362]

🤣...not getting burns or busted knuckles takes the fun out of the project❕...Excellent tutorial, thanks for all the tips...I've got enough scrap lumber to frame it out and I'll dumpster-dive a local carpet-floor-covering center...look out cats 😼😸😼...here it comes 😎

[@evilhorde1]

Excellent instructional. It never occurred to me to use hot glue on the edges and as a consequence my cat trees look like hell.

[@flitdek]

very professional looking, this really helped me. Thank you

[@analeisel8074]

I love "dirt simple"./....you crack me up!!!

[@randallmacdonald4851]

Thank you, Matt. Your video was a very, very good instruction for the beginner. Not sure I can ever afford the band saw you have, but I already have a jig saw. :)

[@messageswithmarni5706]

Nice cat tree. Was thinking about making a big one for my 3. So thanks for the how to video.

[@linklindsey5658]

I have had really good luck with contact cement gluing carpet to anything. Thanks for the vid I needed a good idea on how to do this!

[@Pete.G]

I feel your pain, recently made a cat tower ~6ft tall, 3ft wide and 5ft long for a friend. About 400m of sisal and 5m of fabric. Luckily they didn't want carpet so the fabric went around corners pretty well!

[@francebat9012]

I would of loved to see u put & secure the 4 harms in place at the beginning

[@doryjackson4664]

SMART, ON POINT AND COMPREHENSIVE!!!...THANK YOU!

[@micahnielsen1]

"The next horrifying step..." hahaha.

[@ForwardNewsToday]

6:20

[@ManiacKomplex]

dude..... so with just this vid im building crazy cat abodes now and filling orders locally.... thank you very very much for this tutorial

[@cadenscorner5225]

Very informative and will save you hundreds.

[@brandoncornell4479]

loved the video. i wish i had half the tools lol. its ok ill build on with a kitchen knife and a paper clip

[@clnbond]

I've just watched your headboard video. Seriously, your videos are brilliant. As said on there, the icing on the cake would be to see what you've made in situ and in use, just a still would work! I'd have loved to have seen a pic of your fantastic cat tree in its new home with cat(s) strewn across it! 😻😻

[@moyaozyer-key3067]

Love the sarcasm, I might just try making one for my cats 🐱

[@kimheartsuds]

Great video, very informative! Also, I really enjoyed listening to you talk! You're doing a great job 👍👍😁

[@codyshaffer5391]

Warm up the carpet, makes it easier to work with. Seeing how he is wearing 2 shirts, Iam guessing it isn't hot in his shop.