Cats love to climb, scratch, and explore different levels in your home. Cat trees are the perfect playground for your cat, but while buying one can have its merits, they’re often expensive and not customizable.
So, why not make your own? You can use PVC to easily create cat trees for your cat, personalizing them to fit in with your home decor. This article has gathered eight amazing DIY PVC cat tree plans you can create at home, and while some are simple and others more complex, they’re all sure to be great gifts for your cat to enjoy safely.
The 8 DIY PVC Cat Tree Plans
1. Modern Cat Tree With PVC Pipe By Cuteness
| Materials: | 40 feet of 1″ PVC pipe, 14 1″ four-way Tee PVC pipe fittings, Six 1″ three-way PVC elbows, Four 1″ PVC end caps, 1″ two-hole pipe straps, ½” plywood (enough for five 18″ X 16″ boards), PVC cement |
| Tools: | Drill, PVC pipe cutter or saw, spray paint (optional) |
| Difficulty Level: | Moderate |
This ingenious plan cleverly uses PVC piping to create a multi-level play area for your cat. Sleek and made with a professionally manufactured look, this cat tree goes together quickly and can be tweaked to your liking due to the flexible nature of PVC.
This plan uses spray paint to tie the whole cat tree together, which is optional but can make the tree look polished. However, some specialized tools are needed here, such as a PVC pipe cutter, so check that you have the materials you need before beginning.
2. Cat Tree for Small Space By Cool Cat Tree Plans
| Materials: | D110-1,000 mm sewer pipe, D110-250 mm sewer pipe, D110/110 sewer pipe triangle, Three D110 sewer pipe cups, D110 sewer pipe 90 angle, X D110/110 sewer pipe coupler, 6 mm L x 60 mm W sisal rope, 40 L x 40 W x1.2 H cm plywood for cat bed, Four 39 L x 4 W x 1.2 H cm plywood for bed walls, 40 L x 40 W x 2 H cm foam cushion, artificial fur fabric or fleece, 35 L x 35 W x 2.6 H cm plywood for base, screws, gravel, rocks or sand |
| Tools: | Drill, hand/band saw, staple gun, hot glue gun, spirit level, box cutter |
| Difficulty Level: | Difficult |
The simple layout of this cat tree plan is made more luxurious with materials such as foam and artificial fur. This plan ensures that comfort is guaranteed for your cat, and the PVC pipes and plywood join together seamlessly, using the PVC joints and their mobility. You can customize the cushion with a different fur color (or even material) of your liking, but be aware that this plan uses some tools that may not already be in your garage, such as a band saw.
3. DIY Balcony Cat Tower By Meow Lifestyle
| Materials: | Organizer (craft organizers work well if big enough), coconut twine, old towels, zip ties, PVC piping to connect the unit |
| Tools: | Drill, scissors, hammer |
| Difficulty Level: | Moderate |
This tower plan cheats a little by using a ready-made PVC frame, but this fact may be one of the best features of this plan. Not only is it time-saving, but it means your tower will be both stable and customizable.
In addition, coconut twine is used as a woven lattice between the shelves, making impressive-looking but irresistibly scratchy surfaces for your cat to lounge on. A bonus of this tree plan is that it is purpose-made to fit on a balcony, but make sure to secure your patio with netting or a barrier before placing the cat tree on it. This frame may not be sturdy enough for heavy or large breed cats. Ensure that your kitty can’t become trapped in the twine by ensuring no large holes and that their nails are trimmed.
4. Homemade Cat Tree By Budget 101
| Materials: | 6-inch PVC pipes, 12-inch PVC pipes (enough to make five 12″ squares), Six PVC corner pieces, 12 PVC T pieces, fabric for the shelves |
| Tools: | PVC primer, glue, glue gun, staples, and staple gun |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
While this plan isn’t the most detailed on the list, it’s easy to construct. It’s a small but sturdy cat tree that uses fabric as the shelves (which can be changed to suit your decor), and it’s inexpensive to make. It also needs minimal tools (the most niche of them being PVC primer), which means it’s the perfect DIY project to start on a whim on a cozy Sunday afternoon.
5. Carpeted Cat Tree
| Materials: | 12-inch concrete form, Three 2’ L X 6’ W plywood boards, 16 ½ feet of junk 2x4s, 16 ½ feet of 8 inch PVC pipes, Four packages of sisal rope, 60 feet of carpet (from remnant carpet section), Five long lag bolts, Six X Lag bolts with large Torx head, one foot of fabric for a cat hammock |
| Tools: | Drill, handsaw, glue gun, staple gun, glue |
| Difficulty Level: | Hard |
This carpeted cat tree plan was originally designed for an individual cat and living space, showing the true versatility PVC gives you when dabbling in DIY. This plan needs more materials than others and is more complex (needing a handsaw and specific drill bits to complete), but if you fancy a challenge and your cat deserves a treat, this may be the cat tree plan for you.
The result is an incredibly impressive cat tree that looks like it could be sold in a pet store, and it’s not expensive to build (if you have the tools necessary at home before building).
6. Duct Tape & PVC Condo Tree
| Materials: | Five 10-foot pieces of 1/2″ 40 PVC pipe, Four ½” PVC T connectors, 11 X ½” furniture-grade PVC 3-way connectors, Nine ½” furniture-grade PVC 4-way connectors, 75 yards of colored duct tape, 10 inches of 2″ PVC pipe, 2-inch PVC coupler, ½-inch PVC reducer, 2-inch PVC end caps, 5 feet of ¼” sisal rope, scissors, Three white 36″ L X 48″ W trifold, heavy-duty cardboard display board, utility knife |
| Tools: | Drill, mallet, PVC pipe cutters, measuring stick, Stanley knife |
| Difficulty Level: | Moderate |
This plan for a large PVC and duct tape condo is incredibly well presented, with clear instructions and pictures included in the steps that make crafting this condo a breeze. This plan also uses illustrations of how your condo should look as you’re constructing it, making it one of the easiest-to-follow cat tree plans we’ve come across. The heavy-duty display board adds rigidity and stability, while the duct tape means the tree will fit into any home once decorated.
7. PVC Cat Hammock By Pet DIYs
| Materials: | Eight X PVC piping cut to size, Eight PVC elbow pieces, Eight T connectors/ three-pronged connectors, ribbon, fabric |
| Tools: | Glue gun, glue, sew, sewing needle and thread |
| Difficulty Level: | Moderate |
It may not strictly be a cat tree, but this cute DIY hammock can be added to any cat trees you’ve brought or made and can be moved from place to place with relative ease. You can customize the fabric to suit you, and this plan has enough space around the fabric itself that you could hang cat toys and dangling feather chasers. It’s a hammock and a toy all in one!
8. DIY PVC Cat Scratcher Addition
| Materials: | 3″ PVC Pipe, 3″ PVC cap, 50 feet of 3/8″ of rope, wood round, marking and measuring tools, gloves, PVC bits |
| Tools: | Drill, glue and glue gun, scroll saw |
| Difficulty Level: | Moderate |
No cat tree is complete without a scratching post, and this PVC cat scratcher plan can be the perfect addition to your cat’s tree (whether it’s DIY or store-bought) because it’s enjoyable to make and long-lasting, utilizing heavy wooden elements and light PVC pipes.
This isn’t the easiest plan on the list. Still, the impressive detail in the instructions (paired with pictures and a video) means that it’s a challenging build without being frustrating. You’d need to be prepared to begin building this plan as it does use specialized tools (such as a scroll saw).
How Tall Should My Cat Tree Be?
The overall size and height of your DIY cat tree will depend on the materials available to you and the size of your cat. Larger cats will need bigger platforms to move around, heavier bases on the tree for stability, and likely will need more height.
Smaller cats don’t need as much space, but they’ll still need enough levels on their cat tree to be able to explore their vertical space, scratch, and retreat to higher ground when they get stressed.
5′ L x 6′ W is generally a good size to aim for when making a cat tree, as a tree larger can become cumbersome to move. Some store-bought cat trees reach from floor to ceiling, so there are options to explore if you want inspiration for your DIY PVC cat tree.
Conclusion
There’s nothing more satisfying than making something yourself at a relatively cheap cost. These DIY cat trees can be beautifully combined with fabric, twine, and wood to create a cat tower for your furry friend. Our eight plans range from large to small, easy to more complex, but we hope we were able to spark your imagination and inspire you to try one of these DIY cat tree plans out.
