This amazing cat condo was created by my sister, Jackie, for my “fur niece.” It has provided hours of entertainment for a very wild and crazy cat. How amazing is it that Jackie not only built this, but did it for free?!
In addition to my chihuahuas, I have a cat named Fury. She is an indoor cat and like all indoor animals, she gets very bored! I’m always trying to entertain her, but sometimes she needs her own space to relax—especially when she’s grouchy! For a while, I wanted to buy a cat condo. The price, however, was always way too high.
One night, I was out shopping and I saw a huge display for coconut water. I got an idea that this could be the base for Fury’s cat condo.
I asked the folks working my local pharmacy if they would be kind enough to donate their display after the promotion ended. The manager agreed to give it to me and I was ecstatic to bring this home soon after!
Turning it into a kitty palace from a basic display was a cinch! I peeled the smooth logo off the sides and top front of the display. To encourage Fury to scratch and climb, I removed the outer layer of cardboard on these areas to expose vertical corrugation. (I slice downwards with a small crochet hook in the grooves to remove paper layer.)
This display is perfect and includes 4 shelves! The bottom is used for toy storage, shelf 2 has a small cut off corner for scratching, a climb-thru shelf 3, and the top self with circle cutout. (I used a dull X-Acto knife, but a friend suggested a jigsaw which would have saved a lot of time creating the holes!)
To jazz it up a bit, I took some leftover hemp cord from old jewelry projects and attached a ball to one end. You can add any toys your cat enjoys. Sometimes I stick a kitty “fishing pole” in the top hole or let her feather boa dangle down for a little rope swinging action.
My kitty likes a nice high place to escape from her brother chihuahuas and prefers to nap somewhere other than the windowsill when it gets too hot outside.
I had an foam neck pillow in my stash of camping gear and she sleeps perched in luxury. (Ok, the pillow was getting a bit ratty, but it’s clean and she still feels like a queen!)
If you would like one of these, try leaving a friendly note with your contact info for the store manager when you see a cardboard display! These displays are provided by product distributors and are brand specific, so they will only be used one or two times before the product they are removed from the store. Other stores toss these out completely. If you know someone who works in retail, find out when they will be done with their display.
Miss Fury LOVES her free cat condo! With a little bit of labor, you can modify a similar display to fit your cat’s needs. Fury is only about a year old, so she happily jumps up to the top level, but an older cat may need a laundry hamper as a step. Safe, fun, and free—what could be better than that…
Jackie, I have only one question: Will you please build another one for Pumpkin?
Interesting.. i will send this off to my friends with cats.. thanks for info and the share!
That’s cool that she did that for free. I bet the cat loves it!
That is so cool. The cats look like they are having a lot of fun.
What a great idea. I don’t have a cat but will let me cat friends know about this!
That’s pretty neat free idea for people with cats.
This is a really great idea. Cat condos are crazy expensive, and they don’t last. Great post.
This is so cute! Cats will be happy whether you made it yourself or you spent a ton of money on it – so why not? I think it looks more fun than the store-bought ones anyway!
I love this idea! Your cat looks like she is happy about it too!
Looks like the cats really enjoy their new setups! Makes for a great project indeed.
I laughed so hard when I saw your cat peeking through the hole on the condo. Super cute idea and I love that you recycled that display!
I don’t have a cat but this is a really cool idea.
This is an excellent idea and craft. The cat looks like it was helping fix it up. lol Thanks for sharing.
I’ve got three cats so making a cat condo would really come in handy in making them happy.
I am so stealing your idea lol We have 2 cats and they need something like this, thanks!
I have a love hate relationship with cats and I hate it when they scratch and destroy things. THe condo is a nice idea.
Lucky kitty!
Mine hates all things meant for a cat…but give it a tennis ball and it’s a happy camper.
i can see this becoming a huge Pinterest success! What a cool idea. 🙂
She did an awesome job! The cats look very happy.
Great DIY project! Turned out really nice. Thank you for sharing.
I have two cats and they would love this. Thanks for sharing such a fun and cheap idea to make for the cats.
That is so awesome!! I need to be creative like this!!
What a good idea. I am not very creative but I think I could do this. Looks like a low cost way to make the cats happy!
Turned out great! Would have never thought to use cardboard that way
That’s such a great idea. My kitty is older now but still needs a scratching post. She gets pretty persnickety whenever I change her old scratchers for new ones so I just rub catnip on them and she quickly forgets. I’ll be sure to check out the displays the next time I go to the store.
Great idea! My Boo would love to climb on that.