Pallet wood kitty condo for two cats
We have two cats and they are the outdoor, active, and perpetually curious type.
They eat in the house and sometimes sleep inside during the day when I'm working, and if it's seriously cold out they come in overnight.
They used to nest down on a regular basis in a multiple bay dog kennel that the previous owners had built but it was old and filthy dirty so when the opportunity came up we stripped and cleaned it out, including the timber internal structures (think of a shed divided into several little wooden compartments). By returning it to a small but usable shed we left the two feline dudes without a cold weather refuge!
To remedy the situation I made a "condo" for them, which is located in the same shed. They continue to have access to it 24/7 through a pet door.
Perhaps condo is something of an exaggeration. It's an enclosed bed for each cat, integrated into a workbench so that it's useful for us too.
The bench is made primarily from pallet wood, double skinned for insulation. There is a shelf raised off the ground and there are two box bed inserts, which can both fit on the shelf or up on top of the bench so that the cats have their own space or can pile in together if they want.
I started with a full 1.2m by 1m pallet and cut straight across the boards tight up against the central support blocks, I flipped it upside down and mounted legs to the four corner support blocks.
It was easier to build the main structure this way up and it is almost identical to the pallet workbench I made previously.
I glued and screwed a secondary support to the inside of each leg, flush to the bottom of the pallet and then added an apron about 20cm from the bottom for rigidity and to provide support for the floor of the bed compartment.
Next I paneled the outer pallet layer of the bed compartment's ceiling, taking care to scribe around the legs on the two outer slats. Then began paneling the short sides straight onto the outside of the legs.
I didn't cut them to length before fitting, instead I glued and tacked them straight on, all flush at one end. I cut them all to length afterwards using a circular saw along a straight edge.
Next, I paneled one long side. This is the back of the kitty condo, I'll be leaving the front completely open because the box bed inserts will have their own doors facing each other across the space.
Finally I topped the bench part with the last piece of left over warped 18mm ply from my Pallet Wood Bench., it just about pulled flat!
The box bed inserts are incredibly simple construction, butt joints with glue and brad nails, and one side only partially covered to leave a door opening. They're made from 12mm OSB, sanded smooth and finished in hard wax oil.
The front panel of each box bed is removable so that we can clean them every now and then; to wash the cushions and give them a good vacuuming.
The finished unit is is far from pretty and is really heavy from all the double layers of timber.
I'll come back in a week or two and make a couple of drawers to go in the two gaps made by the half pallet but in the meantime, it should be a warm place for the cats to hang out when they don't want to be in the house and it's cold outside.
The completed and bench component, hard-waxed and ready to put in the shed:
Finally in place with the cat beds in place - one up one down - kitty condo!
Seal of approval? .. hopefully!
They eat in the house and sometimes sleep inside during the day when I'm working, and if it's seriously cold out they come in overnight.
To remedy the situation I made a "condo" for them, which is located in the same shed. They continue to have access to it 24/7 through a pet door.Perhaps condo is something of an exaggeration. It's an enclosed bed for each cat, integrated into a workbench so that it's useful for us too.
The bench is made primarily from pallet wood, double skinned for insulation. There is a shelf raised off the ground and there are two box bed inserts, which can both fit on the shelf or up on top of the bench so that the cats have their own space or can pile in together if they want.
I started with a full 1.2m by 1m pallet and cut straight across the boards tight up against the central support blocks, I flipped it upside down and mounted legs to the four corner support blocks.
It was easier to build the main structure this way up and it is almost identical to the pallet workbench I made previously.
I glued and screwed a secondary support to the inside of each leg, flush to the bottom of the pallet and then added an apron about 20cm from the bottom for rigidity and to provide support for the floor of the bed compartment.
Next I paneled the outer pallet layer of the bed compartment's ceiling, taking care to scribe around the legs on the two outer slats. Then began paneling the short sides straight onto the outside of the legs.
Next, I paneled one long side. This is the back of the kitty condo, I'll be leaving the front completely open because the box bed inserts will have their own doors facing each other across the space.
Finally I topped the bench part with the last piece of left over warped 18mm ply from my Pallet Wood Bench., it just about pulled flat!
The front panel of each box bed is removable so that we can clean them every now and then; to wash the cushions and give them a good vacuuming.
I'll come back in a week or two and make a couple of drawers to go in the two gaps made by the half pallet but in the meantime, it should be a warm place for the cats to hang out when they don't want to be in the house and it's cold outside.
The completed and bench component, hard-waxed and ready to put in the shed:
Finally in place with the cat beds in place - one up one down - kitty condo!
Seal of approval? .. hopefully!
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