DIY Cat Tent (8 Easy Steps)

This cat tent is super easy to make – you really just need a t-shirt, some wire hangers and a piece of cardboard. As a bonus, it really only takes five minutes, so if your cat ignores it you didn’t put too much effort in.

Things you will need:

• a cat
• a medium t-shirt
• a 15 x 15 inch piece of cardboard (mine was 13×15 and a little wonky)
• 2 wire hangers (like these)
• tape
• safety pins
• something to cut the hangers with and help bend them – I used a large pair of pliers.

Directions:

1. Cut the hangers. Cut off both squiggly ends. You can untwist them and then cut, but that’s not really necessary.

2. Shape the Hangers and Reinforce the Cardboard If Needed. Shape the hangers so they look like U’s – try to make them smooth and pretty. You want two graceful curves that will go from corner to corner of your piece of cardboard.

3. Poke a Hole in Each Corner. You should be able to use the end of the hanger to do this! Make sure it’s at least a half-inch in from each edge and not too large.

4. Tape the Two Hangers Together. Cross the two hangers in the middle and make sure all the ends touch the surface you’re working on. Tape them together really well so they don’t shift. Push the ends through the holes you just made in the corners.

5. Bend the Ends and Tape Them Down. Bend at least an inch on the bottom of each hanger so it sits against the bottom of the cardboard. Tape the ends down flat against the cardboard – make sure you tape it well so it’s nice and smooth and won’t snag the shirt when you pull it over!

6. Check and Make Sure Everything’s Lined Up.

7. Create a tent. Pull the shirt over the tent frame and position it so the neck hole is in the front middle and the bottom of the shirt is trailing behind the tent frame. Flip the whole thing up so the bottom is facing you and the hole is pointing upwards. Fold up the excess from the bottom of the shirt and tighten it up so the neck hole is taut and safety pin the bottom in place. Then pull the sleeves tight and safety pin them in place too.

8. Give It to Your Cat! You can place a paper bag at the bottom for your cat but that is totally optional.

We want to give a huge shout out to jessyratfink for this awesome DIY! It is awesome!