Cityscape Bliss

Lifestyle blog based in Prague

DIY Easy Cat Teepee (£5 & 1 spare hour)

DIY Easy Cat Teepee (all you need is £5 & 1 spare hour to make this!)

You might remember Cookie’s very first teepee that my mum made – we still have it & after so many years it’s still going strong. But after building a teepee for the world’s first ever estate agent for cats for Blue Cross  I’ve decided that the cardboard cat house was just too popular with our two little rascals not to share with you and your own furry monsters. Let’s fill the world with these easy cat teepees – they cost less than £5 to make, take about an hour to assemble from start to finish and you can even add your very own patch of grass for that extra jungle feel!  

What will you need to build your own cat teepee?
? 1 medium cardboard box from Wilkos (they sell a pack of 5 for £6 – buy it here – but you can get any other cardboard box that’s the right size – see below – I find that 1 of these boxes is the perfect size for a whole teepee!)
? wrapping paper of your choice (I got mine from TK Maxx but there’s plenty available on eBay & Etsy, you’ll also find some more minimalist patterns in IKEA)
? twine
? a pair of good sharp scissors (or a Stanley knife & a nail)
? double sided tape
? artificial grass for that jungle fakeover (ours is Pembroke Artificial Grass from Carpetright – the quality is amazing – you don’t have to worry about it shedding in the house & they have various types to suit every budget – find their full range here)
And how to build the teepee?
It’s super easy. It honestly won’t take you more than an hour! First of all you’ll need to cut up the cardboard – you’ll need 5 pieces to start with. Ours is 65x45cm. Once you have your pieces, take two of them and cut off a corner from each at the distance 25cm from the top and 15cm from the bottom (these will make the teepee entrance). Now take your wrapping paper and double sided tape. Cut up the wrapping paper so it covers your pieces perfectly, both inside and out, and secure it in place with little squares of double sided tape (avoid using glue as chances are the little munchkins will try to bite it and you don’t really want them to be licking glue). Place 2 pieces next to each other and make 10 holes along each edge of the piece either with scissors or a nail. Cut up 10x 15cm pieces of twine and tie your two pieces together making a knot on what will be the inside of your teepee. Repeat until you’ve done all pieces and finish with the two pieces making the entrance. Et voila – your cat teepee is done! You can either place it on a little fluffy rug or you can cut out a circle (70-80cm in diameter) from artificial grass to give it a real outdoorsy feel.
Both Cookie & Pippin love their new teepee – it’s super easy to fold away when you need more space and because it’s made out of a sturdy cardboard it’s harder for them to knock it over when they’re playing. You can also make seasonal teepees for Christmas & Easter or just change up the pattern depending on your mood/home decor. Cookie’s absolutely obsessed with the artificial grass – it’s the right amount of cushioning for this lazy butt and the right amount of scratchiness for his paws! I’m thinking about doing a fancy twine edge on it but since it’s such a good quality and doesn’t shed I won’t rush it.   
What’s your cat’s favourite bed to sleep in?
Have you ever made a cardboard house for them?

? Carpetright were kind enough to send me a little bit of their artificial grass for Cookie & Pipps to sleep on (thank you so much!) however this post is in no way sponsored – I’m a cat lady by nature, constantly thinking about new DIY cat toys for my little furry rebels! 
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