I want to share my experience in creating a four-level game complex for a cat, maybe it will be useful to someone.
At the end of August 2017, a new pet appeared in our family - a Canadian Sphynx kitten. Extremely energetic and curious creature) And my husband and I decided to buy her a game complex, so that she could get extra energy. But, because the kitten grows very quickly, we did not even consider small complexes, and the prices for large complexes were somehow not at all pleasing ..
After talking with her spouse, we decided to make a game complex for our cattery on our own.
To begin with, the future complex was drawn and it was estimated how much and what material we would need to buy, after which everything was bought, and we started to manufacture the complex.
Drawing for clarity attached.
First, we drew all the elements of the future complex on 2.6 cm thick chipboard sheets, after which all the parts were sawn with an electric jigsaw.
They washed and sawed all the plastic pipes, secured 4 corners on each.
After that, the details of the future complex were drawn on the back of the carpet. Kosh also did not lag behind, she sat somewhere on a hill, and was watching))
They made part of a big house.
The baseboard of the complex was sheathed with carpet. They fixed it without gluing, just with a furniture stapler. Four pipes were immediately fixed to the roof. Fastened with metal corners. The excess parts of the carpet near the pipes were cut off with a large clerical knife, all joints were glued with a glue gun.
In the same way, a regiment of the second level of the gaming complex was made.
The big house was sheathed with carpet inside, so that the cat was not cold and soft inside, as well as outside. The carpet was first glued, and fastened at the edges with brackets, for a more reliable fixation.
Next, we installed and fixed two pipes on the roof of a large house, and two pipes on a shelf of the 2nd tier.
Using a jigsaw, a hole was made in the shelf of the 3rd level, through which the cat could climb to get to the 3rd level, all edges of the carpet were fixed with glue and staples.
After that, they fixed the front semicircular wall from fiberboard to the house using self-tapping screws.
Installed and attached a shelf of the 3rd level with corners.
Sheathed the front wall of a large house.
Sheathed pipes located between the roof of a large house and a 3rd level long-pile carpet.
After they finished the pipes between the base of the complex and the 2nd level. I pasted the distant pipes with carpet.
The front ones were wrapped very tightly around a jute rope (6 mm), fixing the edge of the rope to glue and a self-tapping screw, gluing the rope every 5-6 turns. And on top and bottom of the pipe glued fluffy carpet.
Under the second level of the complex, we decided to hang a hammock, making it from the same carpet, which covered the main elements of the complex. They hung it on a rope made of jute (6 mm), secured it with a stapler to several brackets.
When the hammock was completely ready and suspended, we began to make a second (small) house for the 3rd level, and had to be with two entrances.
Just like a big house, they glued it with carpet inside and out. Only the roof of the house was not pasted immediately, so that later it would be more convenient to fix the pipe on it.
We assembled a shelf with 3 sides 10 cm high for the 4th level.
The shelf itself was trimmed with light carpet, and the sides were trimmed with dark, for contrast.
From below, this shelf is also pasted with carpet. did this so that there were no open parts in sight. The lower sides of the previous tiers are not visible to the eye, and the fourth level is always in sight.
After that, pipes were fixed at the 3rd level of the complex. Kosh continues to control us)
We installed the 4th shelf in place and secured it, after which we made a round platform for the convenience of the cat when jumping to the 4th level.
At this stage, the cat already in all checked the stability of the complex, jumping on the shelves, like a saiga))
It remained only to wrap the remaining pipes with jute and glue the carpet, as well as glue the carpet on the roof of the small house, and glue the pipe between the small house and the 4th level.
A pipe between the 3rd level and a round platform, too, only to another. Front pipe between 2nd and 3rd
level, as well as a long pipe between the 3rd and 4th level wrapped with jute and carpet. I also pasted a long distant pipe of the 2nd level with carpet, as well as two distant pipes of the lower level.
They took a small section of jute (6 mm) and tied a small ringing toy and hung it on the top shelf with a pair of staples, and on the 3rd shelf hung a thicker jute rope.
They put their favorite cat toy (track with balls) to the 4th level.
And here is the result of our efforts - a four-level game complex with two houses .. Of course there are schools, because we and my husband are not professionals, and in general we were engaged in the manufacture of such a thing for the first time, but we liked the result. And, most importantly, it was appreciated by our cat, who gladly jumps around the complex playing toys and sleeps in houses during the day (sleeps with us at night).
The dimensions of the complex are quite large: Height - 180-182 cm, width - 90 cm, depth - 60 cm.
I’ll show a couple of photos closer.
A small house with two entrances, a hammock, under which we put a cat’s bed, and, well, our cat herself, sleeping in a big house)
Cat complex appreciated! Nobody canceled horse racing around the apartment, our daughter loves to run the race with the cat, but the cat doesn’t carry the apartment as before. And when he runs over and gets tired of horse racing and games, and just watches what is happening around from the top shelf, or from a round platform.
And of course, as without photos of the contented sphinxes on the game complex)
And also a video of our cat mastering the complex ..
The game complex in the end turned out to be very stable. Its weight is about 90 kg. Such a complex is suitable for two, and for three, and even for five cats. And also suitable for cats of large breeds (such as Maine Coons).