Building a Better Catwalk

Does your cat have a little too much energy and no way to burn it off? Here’s a solution we saw on Houzz.com that will not only be a blast for kitty, but it LOOKS really cool, too:

In my house, we have two cats. One is a kitten, so there is always something going on cat-wise, unless they're sleeping (which only seems to happen when we're NOT at home).

My two biggest pet-peeves with the cats is them walking on tables or counters and them being underfoot, almost daring you to step on them. It drives me nuts! We're working on the squirt-gun training, but when I ran across the Cat Transit System, I was amazed. This truly is a better mouse trap.

With the CTS, the cats can still run around, but now they're out of the way and hopefully not on the counters and tables. See what you think and let us know if you think this would work for your cats.

Building A Steampunk Cat Transit System

The following article is from http://www.houzz.com/IDEABOOKS/32752674/LIST/GEEK-LAB-HOW-TO-BUILD-A-STEAMPUNK-CAT-TRANSIT-SYSTEM

The first thing you’ll need to do is figure out where your cat transit is going to run. This transit hugs the walls, which makes for an easy hook-style support system.

While you are considering the run placement, you should also think about what your cat likes to do. Most cats like to hide, peek out from hiding, jump on top of things and be up high. This system is designed according to those likes.

 Photo Credit: Jillian Northrup - Because We Can

Run then loops around the room, giving many high vantage points for the cat to peer down from.

A cutout allows hiding and peeking.

To create the system, use Sonotube, which is a cardboard tube with a waxy interior finish used for casting concrete. Sonotube is cheap, readily available at most hardware stores and easily cut with a jigsaw. Cut about one quarter of the Sonotube off to allow the cat to see over the edge and to make it easier to clean inside. [Read More..]

See How to Build a Steampunk Cat Transit System for full directions!

Materials

12-inch-diameter, 4-foot-long Sonotube (about $12 each)
Speaker carpet (about $20 per roll)
Button-head cap screws (about $2.50 each)
Gorilla Glue (about $6)
Acorn nuts (about $1.20 each)
Sheet of plywood (about $45)
Primer (around $15)
Metallic paint (about $15 per quart)
Metallic spray paint ($7 per can)

In the end you will have a very industrial-looking system and a very happy cat!

BECAUSE WE CAN

This amazing Houzz feature comes from Jillian Northrup of Because We Can!

Because We Can is new kind of Architecture firm: A Design-Build Studio. That's a mash-up of architects, artists, builders, designers, and fabricators. With our own robot-empowered fabrication shop, we make what we design.

For more information visit: becausewecan.org