Tags
decorating, DIY, Ella, life, projects
Okay, it seems I keep showing you guys the ugliest corners of my apartment (I swear there are cute parts, too), but our place is cheap, in an awesome neighborhood, and we have great neighbors. So, I try to take what I have and make it work! Like this hideous cat tree.

Our pantry/music studio/Ella's playroom. Also, where half-finished projects and a basketball go to die.
Well, Ella loves the darn thing. When she needs to go a little crazy and let off steam, she’ll dart up it, hang off it, kick it’s post, and generally abuse it. When she needs a little Ella time, she likes to hang out on the top platform, far above any silly human. It’s also perfectly positioned between two windows, which allows for maximum bird watching. So, even though it’s about my last choice in design, I couldn’t bear to get rid of it.
Enter Tim Gunn and his Make It Work mantra. Last weekend, I finally completed a project I’ve had in mind for months. I recovered it with a mix of carpet and soft fleece, trying to blend it in with the rest of the apartment as much as possible. Not an easy task when you’re talking about a seven foot carpeted monstrosity.
I picked up some batting and a soft, pretty gray fleece from Hancock Fabric several weeks ago (on sale!), but had some trouble finding a good solution for the carpet. I tried a few carpet stores, hoping to score remnants for free, but they either didn’t do that or didn’t have anything that would work for this. I needed the carpet to be cut pile, not looped, so she wouldn’t pull it apart with her claws. It also couldn’t be too thick to roll around the post and staple, and I wanted a neutral color. I found one that would work at a local carpet store, but it would be over $50! Um, no. This is a cat tree, people. Be serious.
Finally, two weeks ago, I decided to try Walmart. Score! I found a perfect, light beige, cut pile, 3×5 rug for only $12! (Are you as excited as I was? I thought so!)
Okay, down to business. First, I took the post apart and rolled the carpet around one piece to measure where to cut. I marked the back with a Sharpie, and started cutting! No need for a fancy carpet cutter; scissors took care of the job just fine. Four pieces, for the four sections of post.
Sidenote: that was the only picture out of three that I don’t look deformed thanks to my double joint-ness. See?
Anyhoo, where was I? Oh, yes, regaling you with tales of cat-tree madness. So, after cutting four equal pieces, time to staple!
Oops.
No worries!
I also wanted to carpet the base, but after cutting out four pieces for the posts, I was left with a weirdly shaped remnant. I ended up covering it in two sections, which worked out well because I needed to be sure there would be an adequate opening to attach the first post section. I cut the corners off and folded it over in three parts, then stapled underneath and around the corners. I cut a small semi-circle for the screw to fit through where the post attaches, and repeated with the other side.
Now, onto the platforms! Are you still with me? Good.
This phase was much, MUCH faster. I cut the batting so that it would cover the top platform (where she usually sleeps) with 8 layers, and the other two platforms with 6 layers. Then I just stapled away, using the same method I used for the base.
I poked a hole through the batting where the posts attached and cut out a small circle.
Honestly, I totally guessed how much cloth I would need when I bought it, but it worked out. I covered the top platform all around (since you can see underneath it), but only covered the tops and sides of the other platforms. This time, I wrapped it like a present, rather than cutting out the corners.
I cut holes into the fabric for the posts to attach, and it was time to put it back together! Whatdoyouthink?
Up close. Check out that softness!
So, what did Ella do when she first saw it?
Well, she yawned in amazement.
The she played for a while.
And, finally, she slept. (awwwwwwww)
All in all, I think it turned out pretty well, considering I had absolutely no idea what I was doing!
What projects have you done lately? Anybody take something ugly and make it work? Anybody surprised I wrote an entire post about a cat tree? Yeah, me neither.
Loved your pics and commentary! I too am a cat lover and entirely understand writing about a cat tree.
Me too, lol.
Cat lovers, unite! 🙂
Me too. I’ve got a naughty cat myseft. 🙂
HAHAHAHAHA my cats are the same lol
LOL You are an amazing catmommy!! I have 5 cats and you have given me inspiration to change something in their monotinous little world and make it new for them. Thanks
Aw, thank you! She makes me ridiculously happy, so it was the least I could do!
Super talented! Your cat looks to quite enjoy it. Who wouldn’t though, really. Great post!
Thanks! 🙂
Wow. I’ve never enjoyed a post about a cat tree and an oddly double-jointed woman so much in my life.
Seriously. Who knew?
😉
Haha, glad I could entertain/scare! 😉 I always forget about my double jointed-ness, until someone gets grossed out.
Did you ever think about extending the cat tree to make platforms close to the ceiling? Cats galore without touch ground.
Good idea! Maybe once the bruise on my thumb heals … (from the staple gun!)
Um… good job?
I really don’t understand what was wrong with the blue. And I’d be willing to bet that any shed fur is going to be way more visible on the lighter colored carpet and fleece.You did a good job with the reupholstering though.
My husband and son built a cat tree for our three cats many years ago. It, too, went floor to ceiling, covered with carpet remnants. So much cheaper than pre-made ones…and better built! They absolutely loved it!! Good job!
Oh man, I’m impressed. I just recovered it! That’s cool they actually built it.
“Norman” wouldn’t happen to be Norman, OK, would it? I have family who lives there…
Why, yes, yes it is!
If you see any of my relatives, tell them howdy for me! 🙂
Eep. I’m so impressed! It looks 1000 times better and your kitty is sooo cute. Great post!
Thank you! Love your blog! 🙂
This is adorable! So sweet that you went to such an effort for your cat 😀 And it looks WAY nicer now. I LOVE the photo of her astounded by your incredible craftsmanship. Well done!
Haha – “my incredible craftsmanship,” I like that.
Looks great! Blends in better with the walls. LOVE your commentary!
You are one rockin’ pet parent! 🙂
I *wish* our two cats would use one of these! Instead they insist on scratching the aging Ikea wooden furniture we still have lurking in the corners of our house!
Gosh I love cat posts.
Funny photos too, especially the double-jointed thing. 🙂 I like your blog, & I’m feeling the 30 theme. I turn 30 this November, so I’m right there with you!
Thanks for the inspiration 🙂
Girl, I was not too thrilled with the idea of turning 30, but I was just thinking recently how it’s actually a pretty cool time in your life. You just gotta take it by the balls and show it who’s boss! (and maybe invest in some wrinkle cream) 😉
What a sweet little nuggie!! She loves her new post!
And she loves her Auntie Brooke!
Nice DIY! The blue was hideous. I like the neutrals and how the cat tree practically disappears into the walls. Your cat seemed thrilled with the results too – and I know how tough it can be to impress a cat. I had fun reading this post (no pun intended).
Aw, thanks!
Nicely done. Great writing, and pictures. The double-jointed thing though. . .Scary! 🙂
Haha – I aim to scare! (I almost just wrote “I ARM to scare,” which would also be accurate)
I don’t have such elaborate furnishing so they climb on the fridge to get their nap away from silly humans ❤
This one's about my cats! https://wonderworldofawondermind.wordpress.com/2011/09/14/stinky-rascals/
Cute!
That is an awesome tree! I also have a cute kitty like yours. Keep up the great writing! I have multiple half finished projects myself. I’m currently making wall flowers out of toilet paper rolls. It’s seen more as a kids craft project but I like it 🙂
Ooooh, sounds interesting! I’d like to see that.
!!!!
8 layers of batting covered in fleece? No wonder Ella slept on it. I think you’ve made your kitty very happy. Mine just have the furniture and the ledge that goes 3/4 of the way around the family room. Actually, they have the run of the house. 🙂
“run of the house” = accurate 🙂
this was fantastic! – how adorable!
-grace
Since we have 4 cats in our home I was immediately drawn to your post. Can you believe we don’t have a cat tree? We should probably get one, after all, they let us live here. Good job! I think you shamed us into it.
Glad I could help! 😉 After all, it IS nice they let you stay.
“Then just screw it in (that’s what she said)” ~ I burst out laughing when I read that. 😀
I almost wrote something waaaayyy dirtier … but decided to keep it PG-13. I’ll let your imagination run with that.
This post is just a way of you telling me that I’m not so good of a dog owner because I do not build stuff for him. haha, just kidding. It actually looks pretty cool.
And the picture of the cat with the mouth open is epic. Nothing like using that caption with that picture.
Congrats on being freshly pressed & thanks for hinting at me that I need to work on something for my dog lol
Ella is pretty EPIC!
The picture of your cat staring in amazement is fabulous. That was wonderfully good timing 😀
Congrats on Freshly Pressed! And I must say, I was mighty entertained reading this post, even though it was about upholstering a cat tree! 🙂
Thanks! I was really surprised (and happy) when I found out about being Freshly Pressed.
Nice work, you make it look easy, I am sure your cat will love it.
Great project! Your kitty is so cute; I have six and when they decide to play, OMG- Earthquake! I enjoyed your post.
Hahaha – “earthquake!”
good job on the cat pole. good thing dogs don’t climb, otherwise I would have to make one for them as well.
Well done you done a wonderful job, im a cat person aswell and a proud owner of a ginger kitty cat. 😀 The picture with the kitty looking right at the tree is AMAZING i think it really is thankful for all the work you put into making it, your a really good photographer aswell.
What a great story..you must really love that kitty! 🙂
Yes. I adore her like crazy! Probably to an unhealthy degree…
Great idea – my cats are jealous now.
ES
Lucky cat.
All in all, pretty much jealous! At the beginning of the summer I decided to diy a cat tree for my tiny furry one (Spike – so named for the hole in her ear caused by ants that were eating her when we found her in a trash can 0.0). This stupid project only cost $50 (a bargain compared to store bought cat trees half it’s size) We should have taken cues from your design and gone with simple.. but Spike just keeps giving us those eyes and we just keep making it bigger! View my completed project on photobucket here: http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad119/compmastercustoms/Pictures%20to%20share/spikesfirstday.jpg
Congrats on learning how to ‘make it work’ 🙂
Wow! That is awesome! Very fancy-pants.
Very nice
WONDERFUL! It looks so much better now. Getting our cat Freya a cat tree was the single best decision my husband and I have ever made for her.
Very cool, I’m going to attempt to make one for my cat’s Maxie and Izzy. The have a elaborate house but I want to have something else for them. Thanks
Good luck! 🙂
Ah, very creative, I like
ZOMG!
Cutest thing ever!
that cat is just adorable!!
Concats! Purrfect project!
Double jointedness is a sign of being more evolved, isn’t it? 🙂
HAHAHAHA … “concats!” And yes, yes it does mean I’m evolved. I’m glad someone gets it! 🙂
i have 4 cats and 2 kitten.. so i definitely understand what you mean of “ridiculously happy” 🙂
they’re always greeted me -meowing choir!- when i get home from the office and then i feel like all the mess disappeared 🙂
So sweet! Nothing like coming home to happy kitties.
You are pretty darn creative! I’m impressed. I don’t have a cat tree either but now I want one! I love the picture of Ella yawning…. she’s too cute!
I love the title of this post (very catchy!) and the post itself. Great pics too! Your cat is adorable. Congrats!
Haha, that’s so cool that you made it yourself! And I love the huge YAWN. Ah, she is sooooo impressed she just had to show it. LOL. I also love the picture of you cutting the carpet and using your foot in the process; you look like a cat yourself! 😀
That is great! We have 5 “kids” and have gone through the same tower at least 4 times. WIll have to give this a shot!
wow, i am thoroughly impressed! my husband made a smaller kitty condo once and it was not an easy project… but it was so worth it. your tree is beautiful and you definitely “made it work”. Ella loves it… showing all the very happy kitty signs. I recently inherited a hideously scrappy looking file cabinet, and decided to sand it and refinish it in a slick black. it now looks so nice in my office. how fun to make it work.
kitty so cute! this post was great, but my favorite was the “where half finished projects go to die”.
So you know about those project black holes, huh?
Awesome! Reminds me of a cat tree my hubby built several years ago. Love your kitty Ella!
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Freakin’ cats.
Don’t mind me. I used to love cats.
Now? Allergies. Mo’fokken allergies my friend. Also, Kudos on your oddly bendy limbs.
Great job on the cat tree! My first thought upon seeing the blue tree was, Oh, just cover it with a carpet that blends…and then you did!..while entertaining me with your text and pictures, and that cat! what a hoot! Pretty, too! ..the cat, I mean. the tree, not so much, but the stuff we do for our beloved kitties. We’re hopeless, eh?
Great job!! My sister did one in her sunroom from a large tree branch that she also put carpeted benches on and wrapped hemp cord. The cats LIVE in it. 🙂
You have so much patience and is so talented. I love cats but never had the opportunity to own one due to my hectic lifestyle.
Wow! thanks for the instructions. I think I’ll do this for my cat.
This is awesome! Great job, it blends a lot better with your apartment and isn’t as conspicuous!!
Congrats on being Freshly Pressed! Since you’re such a pro, you can now help me re-cover mine! Dexter would love it! I just need to find an easy way to make the three platforms bigger….his fat ass barely fits on the ones it came with.
Hahaha Dexter’s ass isn’t fat, it’s just padded!
that’s great! Step 1, getting a cat
Oh yes, I forgot to mention that one.
Enjoyed the writing!!!
Thank you! 🙂
I am a cat lover too.Love this kind of our friend.
i love the play by play of the kitty condo remake 🙂 i wish my cat were the type to use one. my cat just looked at one i got her and walked by like- uhm, yeah- sure…
my current project is my wordpress blog and soon to be- halloween project which has me posting a new poem (halloween-related) each day, leading up to halloween. the poems are written by me and are to be creepy in nature as well.
this is all in an effort to complete my get over break up project which has been slow going.
Awww, *hugs*
I wish I could have ctast but I’m super alergic, great post anyway (:
“You can keep a dog; but it is the cat who keeps people, because cats find humans useful domestic animals.”
– George Mikes from “How to be decadent
“There are two means of refuge from the misery of life – music and cats.”
– Albert Schweitzer
Love! Especially the second quote.
Admire your dedication to colour matching and kitty comfort. Ours have the benefit of the great out doors, but that looks like one amazing cat tree! Concatulations on its completion!
confessionsofacatwoman.com
wow, good!
I appreciate your effort for your cat i like the way you design cat corner
Your apartment looks great, & you really look at home creating in there. Your cat is lucky!
Congratulations on being “freshly pressed” and completing the cat tree….your blog was delightful and anyone who can make me laugh at 8am is a true talent!
Oh wow – *blushing* 🙂
I like that you just DID this, without knowing anything about it or caring about that!
Also, whenever you make some sort of sacrifice for your cat and you think it looks ugly, just imagine what it would be like with kids!
Hahaha I know I will need to let go of my
controllingspecific ways before then!Ella is super cute, and i have a cat myself, and have been meaning to try something like this, great post, thanx for sharing..
Such a cute cat 🙂 The tree looks much better now.
Love it!
I just moved overseas (Sicily) and our cats are surviving in our hotel with just a thick rug to pull apart and destroy, they are longing for their cat condo. The one I bought came in neutral tones, but the carpeting on it is really thin and I’ve been thinking about re-carpeting the platforms (the columns are wrapped in sisal). your post is inspiring – this is definitely a project I could take on!
Congrats on Freshly Pressed, too!
so.jealous.ohmygodsicily. 😉
Thank god we bought our scratching post (that is as big as yours) in the color you turned it in. We actually wanted red – cause it matches the couch. You should do mine.
Nice work! I tried to build something for my at in my apartment and it was a disaster. I was, however, able to fix my closetastrophe and make it work! http://mirandomology.wordpress.com/2011/05/16/the-closetastrophe/
^_^
Nice! Love the jewelry solution!
impressive!
Love the photos of your kitty! Sooooo cute.
This almost makes me want to buy a cat and build a house tree.
Another cat owner here…Love the pictures…Ella looks super sweet 🙂
The perspectives on this post make it all the more amazing to read! Really enjoyed the post!
My word, that was a labor of love!
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Awww, she s super cute! The cat tree is well done 🙂
Love the post and the pictures, and the fact that you did all that work for your cat! Great job, you can see that she appreciates it 🙂
Love the remodel! Great post to see on FP!
The first picture with the cat is amazing.
Good work covering up that monstrosity… I was actually able to find a cat tree that matched not only the apartment, but the cat, too!
Wow! Your cat is SO COOL looking! What kind of cat is she (or he)?
She’s an Egyptian Mau, named Alice.
I fell in love with the breed due to their spotted coat and their personality (plus I like all things Egyptian), and decided I had to have one… She’s an amazing little thing.
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Great idea and well done!! Read your “about me” page and can totally relate…I’m a so-cal transplant now living in OK…with two cats. (Must be an OK rite of passage…) Anyway, good stuff you got here!!
Oh cool! Welcome to Oklahoma! That must have been quite the culture shock. 😉
I’d love to have a cat, but I’m allergic to them really bad. Thanks for sharing your project. Connie
http://7thandvine.wordpress.com/
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i want to give my cat a present like that
very innovative….
He is so cute I cant stand it LOL.I miss my pussies. There is nothing cuter than a posh pus having a play on his very own pet palace.
Oh wow you did an AWESOME job at fixing that up. Our cats scratching post is completely trashed and it’s looped carpet so there’s remnants everywhere. We definitely have to get it fixed up. You’ve given me hope! Hahaha
I asked my cats and they agreed that you write well!
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Loved it! All of it! Congrats on being Freshly Pressed too!! Which is almost as awesome as the new cat tree 🙂 Hopefully Ella got an extra treat for helping you with the Freshly Pressed thing. I am a cat-lover too. His name is Stanley and he pretty much gets what he wants… so believe me, I get it!
Ha – thanks! She most definitely got an extra treat … but probably didn’t notice since she is always getting treats. Say hi to Stanley!
P.S. The cat tree looks awesome! Total transformation!
Great site – love the cat
Aw, thanks! 🙂
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