The making of this incredible DIY tree branch cat tree is beautifully documented in a video by TheTypehype, who designed and built it for his two cats Karl and Elmo. What very lucky kitties to have such a creative dad! Check out the video below to get inspired:
The messiest part involved trimming the branches and removing all the bark from the tree. Karl and Elmo were happy to help with that part of the project.
He wrapped parts of the branch with sisal rope (available on eBay and Amazon
The end result is a magnificent cat tree that would look beautiful in any home and is sure to please every cat. Very well done!
Gorgeous and absolutely cat-pleasing! I miss doing these great DIY projects with my ex, who could build anything.
one of my cats is probably to fat and lazy to ever use anything like this, tho my otherone will love something like this
How does he get it to stand up and handle the weight of the kitties?
He placed the branches on both sides of the top of the square arch on his living room and also, he made the base wider with the rope.
Looks like kitty heaven for sure !! Any cat would love this !!
So glad to see a man who loves cats and cares enough to make them happy. A million cheers for him.
I know I was thinking the same thing!! What a guy!! My ex would be like” not in my house..” That’s why he’s my ex, at least he loved my Siamese babies.
This is so cool! I loved the video 🙂
Looks great! Wonder where I’d find a branch like this; then there’s transportation. Wish he’d explain how to secure the sisal and how the branch is secured upright.
Anyone have any suggestions on finding a tree like this? Seems no brainer to keep an eye out or maybe talking to a tree removal service. That said, for someone willing to spend a bit of money, are there any other ideas on how to source this?
Wonderful work, and the cats seem to love it! I have a question, how was the base built to stand steady with it? Or do the branches at either side of the door help to keep it stable?
How did he anchor the tree to the floor ?
What is the base? How does it stand without falling over?
Jessica, Itnlooks like the branches futon either side of the beam that comes down and separates the to rooms. It Prob fits very snugly up there. Thats just a guess though.
I saved a small tree we cut down to do something just like this! I can’t wait to make it!!
Look at 1:14, you see a quick shot of the base. The tree is stabilized by the branches on either side of the doorway. This is amazing but I am sure that that tree was very heavy and getting it into the building was a multi-person job! What a great tree – lucky cats!
great idea, how did you secure it to the floor? thank you for your reply
I use 3/4″ fence staples to secure sisal rope. If I have something round that needs to be secured to the wall for stability (like a cat tree with a base that’s not heavy) I use plumber’s tape, which has pre-made holes and is flexible enough to wrap/bend around whatever weird shapes you’re dealing with! No too aesthetic, but the cats don’t care and how many people look that far up anyway?
I love the whole concept, however I don’t see what is used as a base so it doesn’t topple over.
Love it. Very creative. How on earth did you get that inside to begin with ><
Great Idea I want make one!
How did you attached to the floor or ceiling?
This is great! Great apartment by the way!
Wow!
Thanks everybody for your kind comments on this!
Well, it wasn´t that easy to get the tree inside the house – and it´s quite larger than it looks like in the video 🙂
The tree itsself isn´t attached to the ground (or the ceiling) at all – it just perfectly fits into the the room and is kept by the ceiling lintel (??? I don´t know the english word for that, the peace of wall that is parting the rooms).
The sisal rope is fixed with a staple gun…(About 10 $ in your local building center)
If you want to build one by your own: I know it sounds crazy, but there are 100 meters (330 feet!) wrapped around the tree! So make sure you order enough of it!
Cheers,
Alex
Hi Alex – this i brilliant! Any chance you want to fly to Atlanta and make one for my Tess the Mess 🙂
I have a question as to what diameter sisal rope you used? I have seen 1/2 inch and 3/4 inch on Amazon and not sure which would be better. Also – were you able to find it in quantities higher than 100 feet? I only see 100 feet and that seems like a lot of joins.
Thank you and give your babies belly scratches from Tess (she loves them!!!)
Thanks, Clarice
Very nice. You Can build your Own cat tree from Kattens No. 1 parts.
So cute, I love it!
I’ve built my own cat tree before and man let me tell ya, that’s a lot of ropes. You never know how much rope you need to wrap a pole until you build your own cat tree. I was surprise the first time i discovered it. To put thing in perspective, if you’re using a 1/2″ sisal rope to wrap around a 1-foot pipe with diameter 1″, it’ll take you 10-feet rope to do the job. That’s 10 times the length of the pipe. And it’s only for a very thin scratching pole. Say if you have a good and thick 1′ pole with diameter 9″, it’ll take you probably 50-feet of rope. 50 times the length of the pole. That’s a lot of rope.
I was going to do the same thing for our house, but my husband said we would bring bugs into the house. That did you do about all the crawly things that live in the wood?
I agree I put a tree branch in a. Outdoor enclosure I built but use bee hesitant to bring bugs inside too.