Are you looking for creative DIY ideas to ‘catify’ your home? Discover 50 DIY ideas to transform your living space into a feline paradise. From stylish cat shelves to cozy nooks, these innovative designs will keep your furry friend entertained while adding a touch of charm to your home decor. Read on for inspiration on creating the ultimate cat-friendly environment for your beloved pet.
If you want your pets to be happy, healthy, and fulfilled, let them express their natural behaviors. A core part of this means adapting your home and yard to allow your cattos to move around as they would in the wild.
That’s where the ‘Catification’ Facebook group (stylized as ‘CATifiCATion,’ which we utterly love) comes in. Run by John Lobban and Elizabeth Berndt, it’s a wholesome and supportive community that unites feline lovers from around the globe. Its friendly members share creative and exciting ideas to create environments that cats will enjoy. We’ve collected some of their best ones to share with you! Scroll down for some DIY design ‘cat-spiration,’ you’ll find the credits under each photo, and don’t forget to join the group if you’ve become a fan.
We contacted Lobban, a professional graphic designer and photographer by trade and the group’s founder. He was kind enough to share some practical safety advice that new cat owners should remember when designing their feline environments. You’ll find his insights below.
More info: CATifiCATion | John Lobban Creative | Elizabeth Berndt Books
01.
So we have a stray who adopted us a few years back, and it’s been hard to keep him inside. He’s so happy being our “yard supervisor” that he stays inside at night but goes out during the day. My hubby wanted him to have a hangout spot outside, so he installed a lookout for him in a very shaded tree. If you have an outdoor cat, I highly recommend doing this. Our Brownie can manage the yard from a bird’ s-eye view! He’s a happy boy!
Lobban shared with us that he started the community in late July 2016 after building a kitty condo and a catio (i.e., a cat patio but punny) for his cats.
“There didn’t seem to be a Facebook group for those doing the same, so I created ‘CATifiCATion.’ My cat mentor, Jackson Galaxy, inspired the name.”
According to Galaxy, the star of Animal Planet’s ‘My Cat from Hell,’ the concept of catification revolves around creating feline-friendly environments. The goal is to cater to a cat’s instincts. Those include jumping, climbing, perching, playing, sleeping, eating, hunting, and claiming their own space.
From a design perspective, the aim is to balance function and form to create a stylish and optimal living environment for your cats.
02.
He’s not spoiled at all. Thanks to my neighbors who gave me their daughter’s old playhouse, this boy lives large!!
03.
One of our kittens won the lottery with this Cat Dad. He built this cat tree from scratch, and it was beautiful enough to share every step of the way. It is stunning. I told him he needed to make and sell them! It is not yet completed, but it is too gorgeous not to share.
The founder of ‘CATifiCATion,’ shared some significant safety concerns that new owners should know when catifying their homes. “These are my opinions formed by what I have seen posted over the years. Be conscious of the dangers a home or enclosure can expose your cats or kittens to. Mechanical or reclining chairs and some beds have internal mechanisms that will kill or injure animals. Cats love to explore and hide out. Those internal parts are hazardous if they are engaged and an animal is inside,” Lobban explained.
“The strategic placement of shelves for cats to climb provides much entertainment and exercise, but be mindful of the dangers should they slip and fall. Are there hazards below that make an injury possible? Do you have young kittens or older cats where heights could be dangerous?” Lobban shared what owners should consider.
Meanwhile, the group’s founder noted that cat owners should avoid strangulation hazards when designing enclosures. “Netting can be a hazard if your cat can get its head caught inside or become tangled,” Lobban suggested choosing stiff metal or plastic mesh with 1/2-square openings for enclosures.
04.
Easy, like Sunday morning.
05.
I finally finished my cat wall.
06.
Our BEAUTIFUL Blind Girl taking an afternoon stroll on the CAT WHEEL
“Avoid sharp edges or protruding nails or screws. For window perches, NEVER use a window perch suspended from the glass. These are popular, and suction cups are often used on the glass to support them. The shock load of a cat landing on the perch can shatter glass! Instead, support a window shelf with brackets attached securely to the wall or window frame. Placing a table in front of a window is an excellent option. There are portable camping tables that work quite nicely in front of a window and might look better than placing a heavy piece of furniture there,” he said, adding that this is what he uses.
Aside from these safety concerns, Lobban points out that owners don’t have to be excessive in how they design cat-friendly environments. For instance, you don’t have to go overboard with adding shelves. “Simple toys for daily interaction with your cats are important. My cats have several of the ‘Power Ball 2.0’ toys. These are the size of a golf ball with flashing LED lights and an internal mechanism that makes the ball move and bounce. My younger cats love these, while the older cats prefer to watch the younger ones play. These can be found on Amazon,” he said.
“Remember that the occasional paper shopping bag (never plastic) or cardboard box can provide something entertaining for them to explore; my cats love these just as much as the expensive toys. Most importantly, human interaction is the most valuable entertainment you can offer your pet.”
07.
My favorite thing is that I’ve thrifted for my cats. They love it.
08.
This is our kitty wall as-is; I’m still planning how to extend it around the whole living room!
09.
My granddaughter made this for her cats out of cardboard boxes (from Amazon)!
Lobban and Berndt, who run the group, live in Greencastle, Indiana. It’s a small college town and home to DePauw University. Berndt has an MBA in economics and is a fiction writer whose books can be found on Amazon. Both of them also occasionally make webcasts on YouTube.
‘CATifiCATion’ has been around on Facebook for quite a while. This year, it’s celebrating its 8th birthday. At this writing, the public group had an impressive 116k+ member count.
The project was initially created as a DIY resource for cat owners to share their ideas, plans, and successes in adapting their homes to their pets’ needs. The group is all about supporting each other, all for the sake of their beloved cats.
10.
Our catio is made with pallets.
11.
I installed a ‘Lord box’ over the PC.
Now, I can use my keyboard feline-free while simultaneously getting looked upon with reproach from above.
12.
I’m super excited to see this page come up in my suggestions! I make cat trees for a living in many different styles and colors. I’ve also done a couple of wall units, but your guys’ are way better. LOL, I’ll stick with the trees.
During an earlier interview with Bored Panda, Ingrid Johnson, a certified cat behavior consultant and the founder of ‘Fundamentally Feline,’ was kind enough to share her thoughts on introducing new pets to new environments. The important thing here is to go slow and not rush anything.
“For cats, a change of environment is one of the most stressful things they can experience. Start a new cat off in a SMALL room, like a bathroom or home office. Many humans think this is cruel and want to give them a lot of space, but vast open areas that are unfamiliar are very threatening and scary to cats,” she told us previously.
“Once they eat, drink, and use the litter box normally, you can slowly give them access to more of the house over time. Another critical point is to ensure that they keep eating in the face of this stressful change,” the cat behavior consultant said.
She added that patience is vital. It’s essential not to force anything.
13.
My cat tree is in full bloom! Looks a little like an album cover.
14.
The sunroom is coming together slowly but surely!
15.
“Let the cat come to you and get used to you and the household slowly. If the cat is timid, go in, sit down, and read aloud to them or scroll your phone and allow them to approach you If they want to and at their own pace,” Johnson told Bored Panda.
“Direct eye contact is threatening, so avert your eyes, stay quiet and calm, and hopefully, your cat will blossom, realizing they are safe.”
16.
Our girl Blu loves her outside catio/treehouse and inside cat wall.
17.
So, it’s safe to say they all seem to like their new wall mounts
18.
I finally finished my cat’s first bedroom and went to the next room.
According to an expert in cat behavior, playing with your new pet is an excellent icebreaker.
“Playing with interactive wand toys decreases stress and increases confidence, so try to engage the cats in play and explore a variety of toys, as many cats can be ‘prey specific’ and maybe only like feathers, small mice, or snakes, so you have to explore to find toys that interest them.”
19.
Ravi loves life on his catscape.
20.
Our latest cat wall installation.
21.
This is a space-saving idea. I painted a baby changing table, added foam padding, and turned it into cat bunk beds. I store cat toys on the bottom shelf.
During an earlier chat with Bored Panda, Vet Nurse Nina Downing from PDSA, the UK’s leading vet charity, walked us through what cats do for fun and explained how we can tell that they’re enjoying themselves. She explained that cats are solitary and watchful creatures by nature.
“They love to watch the world go by from high places, and they also sleep a lot and do not appreciate being disturbed! While many love to play, it needs to be on their terms and only when they’re in the right mood!” she told us.
22.
A cat bridge was installed, and access to dog-free space was granted.
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The PDSA Vet Nurse pointed out that cats play in a way that mimics their natural hunting behaviors, from chasing and pouncing to stalking, diving, hiding, and throwing.
“You can tell when cats are having fun; their faces light up, and their eyes go wide and bright as they become excited and alert; their senses heighten, and their pupils can widen. Their whole-body language becomes animated and light,” Downing said.
25.
The living room is now fully catified!
26.
I just installed this custom build for a client. They would repaint their door frames and molding, so they gave me a paint can, allowing me to match their home perfectly. I have more to install, but this was the bulk of it!
27.
Cat tree
According to her, cat owners can tell that their pets are doing well if they feel confident enough to have “a mad half-hour” where they “become full of fun and excitement, running around, chasing imaginary mice, sometimes whizzing up curtains, and being so full of fun that they can’t contain themselves.”
She continued: “If your cat is happy and confident enough to display this behavior, you can congratulate yourself on being a great cat owner, as your cat feels very comfortable in your company.”
28.
I got my kitty shelves up last night! I love how they turned out and can’t wait to add!
29.
We have plasterboard walls that won’t support climbing equipment. However, these window shelves are fantastic! They’re relatively cheap and very comfortable. Our cats love them, and I would highly recommend them.
30.
Some of my guys are enjoying the dryer weather. It’s still warm at 33.5 (a little over 90), but enjoying the breeze and hunting some lizards is still lovely.
So, dear Pandas, which of the feline environment pics from ‘CATifiCATion’ impressed you the most? Which ideas do you think you’d like to replicate for your pets? What advice would you give someone utterly new to owning a cat?
If you have a moment, we’d love to hear your thoughts. Oh, tell your cat(s) we said ‘hi!’
31.
I finally got all the main parts up!
32.
Lola and her cat shelves
33.
The cat wall was put on today
34.
Always a work in progress. I’m still not done, but I’m happy with the progress.
35.
I finally got started on my boy’s wall!
36.
I am thrilled with this first achievement for our two cats
37.
We updated our wall yesterday.
38.
My new kitty wall
39.
I made these out of cardboard.
You seem like the kind of people who would appreciate them.
The cat is Moz, and he’s not that into boxes, but it’s nice to have a hobby.
40.
I had added the plastic bowl to our wall, and someone asked if our babies use it. Well, yes, they do. Well, Flint just started, lol.
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Narrow balcony with cat shelves
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46.
This is my first time publishing here. This is the first step to following my dream: our Catsita, with eight cats waiting for their forever home.
47.
This has made my life so much easier
48.
I have three cats; this is part of our catification.
49.
The exterior is fenced-in. Next are boxes and ledges. I put some furniture in it for now so they could enjoy the day.
They love it already.
50.
Minimal cat wall in our little apartment
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