How To Make A Cat House
This post contains affiliate links and/or images. I want to tell you about two of my best buds. My sweet cats, Meep and Hazel. We rescued these sisters when they were four weeks. We even had to hand feed them until they were able to eat on their own.
These sweet cats have taken over our hearts! They have also taken over our beds, the sofa and anywhere else we tend to rest and relax.
That is when I decided I needed to learn how to make a cat house out of cardboard boxes for Meep and Hazel!
I hope you can see from the video how easy it was to make this cardboard house! We had all the supplies we needed right at home!
It took way longer to decide how to decorate it than it did to make it! If I can learn how to make a cat house out of cardboard boxes, you can too!
What you will need to make your DIY Cardboard Cat House Tutorial:
- Two medium cardboard boxes
- Painter’s Tape
- Paint
- Paint Roller and brush
- Xacto Knife
- Scissors
- Hot glue gun and glue sticks
- Tape measure or yardstick
- Pencil
- Card stock (optional)
- Stencil (optional)
- Washi tape optional
Step One: Tape bottom of box closed with painter’s tape
Step Two: Turn the box upright. Using the box cutters, cut the two side flaps that are perpendicular to you.
Step Three: On the two remaining flaps, you are going to cut them into triangular tips. To do this, take your tape measure and find the center of the top of the flap.
From that point, draw a line from that point, to the corner of the bottom of the flap. Repeat on the other side. Cut on the penciled lines.
Step Four: From the second box, cut two sides off. Tape together with painter’s tape. This is your roof.
Step Five: To connect the roof, hold the piece from Step Four with the taped seam running vertical in front of you.
Using painter’s tape, attach the triangular points from the main box to the roof. Use enough tape to make it sturdy.
Step Six: Using your Xacto Knife or box cutters, cut out a window on one or both sides of the house.
Step Seven: Next, you need to cut a door. You have a few options here. You can cut out a square that is big enough for your cat to easily get in and out of the house.
Or you can cut an archway to make it more stylish. You can also cut flaps to fashion into a door. Whatever you want! I used Washi Tape to outline the door. I think it looks snazzy!
Step Eight: Now you get to paint your house! We used acrylic paint, but you can use leftover house paint if that works. I try to make it as affordable as possible, so leftover paint is always a plus!
We had a stencil from another project, so we decorated the house with that. I love the way it looks, even though it took us forever to decide where to place the stencil!
Step Nine: Now you get to decide what you want to do with your roof. We decided to just paint the roof with a complementary color. You can also use card stock and make individual shingles.
We decided not to do this because it takes a long time to accomplish. If you have the time, it does add to the overall look of the house.
You can also draw them on if you prefer. Again, whatever works best for you and your kitty!
Step Ten: Using scraps of flannel or fleece fabric, line the bottom of the house. This will make a comfy bed for your kitty to lay on! Or you can make this easy to sew DIY cat bed I made for Hazel!
Now your house is ready for your cat to enjoy! Be sure to leave out a tasty treat for them to snack on. Do y have a cat or small dog you would make a house for I would love to hear about them!
Lana simanovicki says
June 29, 2017 at 5:17 pmMy mini pincher would love this
Judy Thomas says
June 29, 2017 at 6:09 pmWe have 5 cats and I think they would all love one. I will have to make one for Demon first as she just had her ears removed due to cancer and she is not feeling the best. We also have Daisy, a grumpy old girl, Dobby, who is devoted to us 😉 Aio , a fluffy madam and Tiny, a neurotic little girl with anxiety who hides a lot .
JAY SMALL says
June 29, 2017 at 6:19 pmI dont know how to post on the blog so I will just post this here
Kristen @ My 3 Little Kittens says
June 29, 2017 at 6:25 pmYou can never go wrong with cardboard boxes and cats. They are made for each other ..hehe
Heather @ Kraus House Mom says
June 29, 2017 at 6:25 pmMy youngest would make all sorts of things out of cardboard boxes. She made a couch out of a romaine lettuce box, a complete village out of boxes and I even cleared out my dining room one time to accommodate the giant house she built with the box my bike came in, Your cat house is adorable.
Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle says
June 29, 2017 at 6:37 pmThat is super cute! I love how easy it is to make. I don’t like to do anything too involved. I love it!
Bill Sweeney says
June 29, 2017 at 8:16 pmThat is awesome. I’m sure any cat would love this. After all, they’re attracted to boxes.
Sarah says
June 29, 2017 at 8:17 pmWhat a cute idea. I could definitely see a cat taking to this sort of house. And it’s so cool that you made it yourself!
Jeni says
June 29, 2017 at 8:18 pmThis is an awesome up-cycling project. What a fun way to use something you likely already have on hand, and let your cat get a new place to call home at the same time.
Lisa Favre says
June 29, 2017 at 8:38 pmThis cat house is just way too perfect! I love that I can make it myself and in fact, this project looks pretty realistic for me. I’m not the best when it comes to building stuff!
Heather says
June 29, 2017 at 9:08 pmOh my goodness, that is adorable. I need to have my girls surprise my mom with a house for her cats. They would love making it, and I know my mom would be touched.
Jeanette says
June 29, 2017 at 9:45 pmThis would be fun to make! My friend has 3 cats and I think they would all love this! I might have to make it as a gift to her! 😉
Kami says
June 29, 2017 at 9:59 pmOh this is just the cutest! My cat, Oliver loves when I get packages so he can claim the box!! This would seriously be his dream home!
Sarah L says
June 29, 2017 at 10:35 pmThat’s such a cute cat house. Thanks for the instructions.
Dawn Lopez says
June 30, 2017 at 1:27 amThis looks like a fun family project for our cat! I bet he will love having his own little house to hide in. I think just about any cat can appreciate a cardboard box.
Toni | Boulder Locavore says
June 30, 2017 at 3:57 amThis is really cute! This would be a fun activity with the kids this summer!
mycraftingworld says
June 30, 2017 at 7:01 amI like that. We don’t have cats but I can make it on a smaller version for dolls. Thank you for the ideas. I will see about Prime again. I had it for a year but do not order that much so I quite.
Jennifer G says
June 30, 2017 at 9:42 amThis is such an adorable cat box! I love it. I am going to have to get my neighbour to make one for her cat.
Dana Rodriguez says
June 30, 2017 at 10:50 amThis is absolutely adorable. I love this idea! I think I will make one for my cat!
Margot C says
July 2, 2017 at 9:14 pmI should do this with Alysia. She loves the kitties and she needs something else to do besides sort of terrorizing them.
Barrie says
July 2, 2017 at 10:16 pmI LOVE the creativity of your house! I’m going to make one for my brother’s small dog.
Edna Williams says
July 5, 2017 at 2:55 amMy Buddha would love that! What an adorable cat house!
Kayla J says
July 5, 2017 at 1:34 pmThis is so creative and cute! Great idea for cats and even other small pets! #client
Mary Songer says
July 7, 2017 at 5:08 pmWhat better material to use to make a cat home than a cardboard box? Cats and boxes just go together. Good tip on the cat food from Amazon. I love shopping with Amazon.
Nancy says
July 11, 2017 at 7:45 pmYou often hear about dog houses. A house for a cat is a bit more unique. This is a very cute example of a house for a cat.
Jenna Hudson says
July 13, 2017 at 8:32 amMy dog would like a little place like this to hang out. Amazing that it’s just made out of cardboard!
Sue E says
July 17, 2017 at 1:46 amWe already have a cardboard box for our cat, Mocha. We got it from Hobby Lobby so ourfurry friend would have her own space apart from the dog. She has a soft towel and a couple of her catnip toys in there & her toy ball with a small bell in it. She loves it! I did pin the cat house tutorial to my Furry Friends board.
Carol says
July 17, 2017 at 10:11 amThis is a great idea. I have the same boxes in the house after a move so will have to empty some & try this. The question is whether they’ll sleep in it or rip it apart.
Anne Marie Carter says
July 18, 2017 at 5:32 pmThis is a wonderful idea for a cat hideout. Usually cats like boxes better than anything that is bought for them.
Linda Szymoniak says
August 17, 2017 at 6:25 pmOur cats love boxes – even my old girl who doesn’t like typical cat toys and such will jump into open boxes. I’ve made some boxes up for them, but never decorated them. I’ll have to do something like this for my cats!
Mary Songer says
September 13, 2017 at 7:47 pmI have two cats. One of them is kind of a scardey cat and would love a house like this to hide in. My other cat chews cardboard boxes and would also love one only it would look like it had been attacked.
mycraftingworld says
September 29, 2017 at 7:17 amThis is so cute. We are going to make a smaller version of it for a toy dog. Thank you for the idea.
Lynne B says
September 29, 2017 at 3:46 pmI love your reduce/reuse/recycle craft! And Amazon Prime is a wonderful service.
Richard Hicks says
October 20, 2017 at 4:03 amIt is such a cute little cat house. Want to give this a try one weekend. Would have to make two to keep our two felines happy!
mycraftingworld says
March 31, 2018 at 7:14 amThis is so cute. we need to make one for a doll house. We can adjust it.
Lynne B says
August 31, 2018 at 9:03 pmThis is a great project. I love that it’s downright cheap!
Richard Hicks says
August 31, 2018 at 10:02 pmThis is so cute. We have 2 cats and I think they would love it too.
Rachel says
August 31, 2018 at 10:24 pmI love this its a great idea looks like it came from the store