You probably know that I’m a big fan of the IKEA Stolmen pole cat tree hack, using pre-made cat shelves from either ContempoCat or Hollywood Franklin, the two companies that manufacture cat shelves designed specifically to work with the Stolmen pole. Well, if you’re a bit crafty, like Hauspanther reader Susi and her husband, then you might be able to hack your own shelves to use with the Stolmen pole system. Susi knew exactly what she wanted to create, so she gave the instructions to her husband and they set to work creating this beautiful DIY project for their two cats (well, actually for their one cat Rufus, who is the tree dweller of the two.)
Susi outlined all the specifics of the project on her blog The Glam Cat. Basically, they used 1/2 inch plywood to cut out the shelves, then sanded, primed and painted them and glued carpet remnants to the top of each shelf.
The shelves turned out beautifully and Rufus loves her new cat tree. Susi completely understands the importance of Catification, plus she’s not afraid to try her hand at creating her own DIY project:
“If I can, I take inspiration from ready-made and try to build it on the cheap. That’s why your site is soooooo awesome and über useful to me. It’s a never ending source of inspiration. Many people don’t realize how much catifying your home will improve the lives of our buddies. Food and shelter is great, but it is by no means enough!”
Thank you, Susi, for your inspiration!
Looks awesome! I had to purchase shelves (from Hollywood Franklin) because (a) I’m not crafty and (b) I don’t have the right kind of saw to create these shelves, even if I were crafty!.
I recently moved into a small studio and to save space, I have a loft bed, which is 7 feet in the air. This type of cat climbing tree was required for me, because my cats love to sleep on the bed, but could no longer reach it after we moved! So for us, the climbing tree is sort of like a circular stair case up to the bed.
Now if only I could get my non-climber to get over her fear of heights and join us up there, things would be perfect!
Hi Rebecca
I just posted a comment by myself about the Franklin Hollywood tower. 🙂 I totally understand what you are takling about..
My cats love it so much.
I prefer the Franklin Tower because of the fantastic quality and the shape of the stairs – a great work of designer Peter Sehorsch! The carpet still looks like new. And the first steps I bought are from 2007 – right after Peter had patented his idea and sold the first ones.
I used a little trick to get my cats up the pole 😉 put some catnip (really not much!) or some other cat treats your cats like on the stairs.
With my cats the trick worked!
This is the first I’ve heard about the Stolmen pole from Ikea and the shelves from those two companies. I’m checking this out pronto! But please feel free to show pictures (or show them again, if you’ve already done so. I may possibly have missed this before though I try to always read your emails.) Thanks so much!
Here’s another great DIY version:
https://www.hauspanther.com/2013/03/04/custom-modern-cat-tree-using-ikea-stolmen-system/
I used it with the Whisker Studio shelves on a recent episode of My Cat From Hell with Kashmir and Darla:
https://www.hauspanther.com/2013/07/23/behind-the-scenes-on-my-cat-from-hell-kashmir-darla/
and last season with Olive and Pepper:
https://www.hauspanther.com/2013/02/12/behind-the-scenes-of-my-cat-from-hell-creating-the-revolving-door-for-olive-and-pepper/
WONDERFUL! Creativity put to positive use never fails to inspire. And the possibilities are endless!
I’m sure the kitties appreciate the tree just for them. Great idea.
Thank you very much for this tutorial. Yesterday I finished the build tree with shelves for my cat. It looks great. Fury slowly interested in the shelves (She is fearful and slowly learns new things. It is a matter of time). I have yet to add sisal rope and a thin green carpet on each shelf.
The result you can see here: http://mywhiteloft.tumblr.com/post/67860542252/new-cat-tree-for-my-cat-ikea-hacks-today-i
How did you make sure that the pole itself, doesn’t spin when the cats jump on and off of it?
This is awesome!! I’ve been looking for ideas for a cat tree that would fit a small corner at the top of the stairs. I have a small narrow cat scratching post there now but I wanted something that would allow the cats to jump up and climb. I’d also like to maybe put some cat shelves over top of the doors in the hallway too. Thank you for the instructions and the link to get the paddles.