News, Advice and Resources for Thoughtful Pet People
Check out these clever Ikea furniture hacks to make attractive covers to disguise you cats’ litter box. Two are made with “Snack Boxes” and the third is made using the “Hol Storage Box”, which may no longer be available. But, Ikea has lots of things that could be turned into litter box cabinets.
Here’s another DIY litter box cabinet.
Here are directions for making your own green roof dog house. (Don’t miss the previous post on a do-it-yourself green roof veranda.) And be sure to check out these directions for making your own green roof dog house (scroll down) from the people at Sustainable Pet.
The two articles give information on supplies needed, what to use to water-proof, proper soil mixtures, and good plants to use—non-poisonous, don’t need fertilizer, pest free, native.
So what’s so cool about green roofs? They:
As I said in the previous posts on the green roof dog houses (DIY: Green Roof Veranda and Green Roof Dog Houses), a green roof dog house won’t save the planet by itself, but it can start the conversation, it can serve as a small scale trial for a larger green roof, and it can give your dog a comfy place to relax when she’s outside.
Find out a lot more about green roofs at GreenRoofs.org.
I love the green roof dog houses at Sustainable Pet, but I can’t afford to spend $3000 on a dog house. Instructables comes to the rescue again!
Check out this brilliant Do-It-Yourself Green Roof Veranda (less a house and more of a covered deck.) It has thorough instructions and lots of helpful photos with notes. You can do this! If you use pressure treated lumber, make sure you get a safe version, or use naturally rot-resistant wood like cedar or cypress, or use plastic lumber.
I really like this design! It has a good over-hang so your pup will be well shaded and the floor is well away from the drain holes in the roof, so your pup will stay dry too. The elevated floor will keep your pet cooler and keep them away from bugs. You can easily put a blanket or a pad on the floor to give your dog more cushioned spot to hang out. And the Green Roof Veranda will look great in your garden.
So what’s so cool about green roofs? They:
As I said in the post on the green roof dog houses you can buy, the Green Roof Veranda won’t save the planet by itself, but it can start the conversation, it can serve as a small scale trial for a larger green roof, and it can give your dog a comfy place to relax when she’s outside.
Find out a lot more about green roofs at GreenRoofs.org.
Check out these great instructions for a beefy cat scratching post/cat tree. It’s a no-frills, utilitarian design, but it looks easy to build and that it will last forever. You can make it fancier by painting the shelf supports and by the color carpet you use to cover the shelves. And if you don’t cover the center post in sisal, you could paint it too.
You will need a drill, a saw, and a good staple gun (I recommend an electric one to make sure you get the staples sunk deep.) And be sure to stagger the shelves and make them large enough that your cat can actually climb the tree.
Don’t miss these previous posts on a DIY cat tree and a DIY scratching post.
Make your own hidden litter box cabinet. You can camouflage you cat’s litter box and make it match your other furniture.
These instructions are pretty good, but you will need some knowledge about the use of power tools. And you’ll need something like a jig saw to cut the opening. The design includes a wire platform made from an inverted wire basket to help get cat litter off your kitty’s feet. My cats wouldn’t like how open the grid is on the wire platform, so I would use something like a wire cooling rack (for baking) that has a smaller grid. Or you can leave the wire platform off.
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