Cat Tree Basics is a step-by-step instruction book detailing how to build your own cat tree. There are 8 different designs with over 200 photos detailing the whole process. The designs range from an 18 inch scratching post to a large 5 foot tree. Also included are plans for a tunnel. Every step has a photo in which to compare your own progress. Most designs require only basic tools. Exact dimensions are provided so your local Hardware store can cut your wood for you. A Supply list is provided for each design along with approximate costs. You can then pick out your carpet and start assembling. Email help is always available.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From the Author
My cat, Ted, is a beautiful, deaf, blue eyed, white, Turkish Angora. And he loves going to the pet supply stores in the area and climbing on all the cat trees. In the store he has a dozen trees to climb on, around, and through. It's his heaven on Earth.
Unfortunately, the prices on most medium to large cat trees are $150-$300. Not that Ted isn't worth it. But at that price, I could only buy one. Ted's joy seemed to stem from jumping between trees like a gymnasium. He needed several trees to play on. For my own sense of style, they needed to be in a color other than brown, beige, or cream.
Obviously, the solution was to build them myself. I would build many of them and call the project Ted's Town. So I searched and I searched for information on how to build a cat tree. I couldn't find any instructions. Anywhere.
So I designed and built a couple of trees with only a small amount of info to go on. The first one was really bad. The second needed help.
Then I got some ideas from friends & relatives and built a couple of trees that Ted was crazy about. And being a publisher by trade, it seemed only natural that I should print a book to save other people the headache & expense of guessing how to build one. That is how the Ted's Town Guide to building your own Cat tree came about.
Pet store cat trees are not expensive because of the materials. They are expensive because they take a great deal of time to build. Pedestal Palace through Tree #3 each take between 20-30 hours to build from beginning to end.
Commercial tree makers have a couple of advantages. One is mass production. The other is the Pneumatic Stapler: a staple gun powered by compressed air. It is faster and more powerful than any hand-powered stapler. But your tree is going to look every bit as professional. No one will be able tell that you even used staples, because we're going to take the time to conceal them. In many ways your tree will be sturdier. When the center post becomes loose, you can turn it over and tighten the screws.
Check around your garage before you run to the store for supplies. You may already have some of the wood needed. And don't forget that your hardware store can cut your wood for you if you don't have the right saws at home. Just take them the dimensions.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tree Your Cats With Ease,
By Nancy L. Prince (Oak Ridge, TN USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Cat Tree Basics (Spiral-bound)
This book is a terrific resource for any cat owner. It has lots of pictures and step-by-step instructions for building cat trees that you can customize to fit the space available, the size of your cat, and how elaborate you want your cat tree to be. Cat trees sell in stores for hundreds of dollars, and this book will enable you to make trees that are just as good but cost only a fraction of the store-bought ones. (Plus you can carpet them to match your decor!) You don't need fantastic carpentry skills, either, to build cat trees if you have this book. This book is one of the most helpful I've ever seen. I recommend it without reservation.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
the best book I could find on the subject,
By Julia D. (Reston, VA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Cat Tree Basics (Spiral-bound)
This is a great book for people with minimal carpentry skills. I didn't want to spend $100+ for my 2 kittens to have a cat tree, so I ordered this book from the actual webpage (the shipping is quicker). The book isn't "professionally" bound ; it looks like it was done at a [copy shop], but the content is great and it is worth the [price]. You really need to read through his instructions a couple of times to verify you understand his directions. I managed to build a really nice cat tree (6 feet tall with 5 shelves) following his instructions for about $60. Plus, since you do the work yourself, odds are that your carpeting job will look much better than a store bought tree. I wasn't able to find any other directions as detailed as the ones in this book, and I totally recommend it.
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