Introduction: How to DIY a Cat Run From Stackable Cube Grids

By Blog - Create With Jennifer
About: Hi everyone! I'm a dedicated craft blogger who is very much into nature, animals and outdoor life. In the picture with me is my feline muse, Cosmo, whose purr-sonality and antics inspire a few of my projects.

Hi all! Are you like me and have rather limited carpentry skills, but want a doable solution for your indoor cats to get a little taste of the outdoors? Well then you are going to love this tutorial. In it, I'm going to show you how I made this outdoor cat run out of interlocking stackable cubes and a few other tools that will not be near as laborious as other methods than involve lumber, screen wire and the use of power tools. For my cat run, I used three sets of these stackable grids made for home organization - but people are finding out how versatile these are, and work especially well to build a C and C enclosure for guinea pigs, rabbits and cats! I got mine from Amazon but you can get them from home improvement stores too. .

Supplies

Multiple sets of interlocking storage cube grids - I used 3 in all.

These grids are 14" square and made from heavy reinforced material. So they will be strong enough for this project. There are 10-12 in a set. How many sets you'll need will depend on how big you want your cat enclosure to be.You'll also need a package of zip ties and possibly a leveler or hammer.

Step 1: Plan Out Your Cat Run

First, decide how big you want the enclosure to be. You may want to draw some blueprints to go by. Keep in mind that the way these grids are designed, you can always add on to them in the future.

Step 2: Connect Your Grids Together

Connect the grids together using the round connectors that are included. Notice that they have slots in the sides and back so you have different options for putting the grids together. Start by joining the corners, as they were intended to be made., like this.

Use a zip tie to reinforce the grids after assembly, as I'm doing here. Although the grids are strong, they do sometimes pop out of the connectors' slots on the sides and need a little securing. Continue putting your grids together side by side and the corners. For stability, I would start with the very bottom and complete the perimeter. Then build up onto the next row of grids above .

Step 3: Build Out Your Grids

Keep building up your cat enclosure in this manner. Here's how mine looked after the third level. I would recommend not going above three levels as there is a chance it come become wobbly if you make it too tall. Also be sure to put them together from the outside towards the middle so you have room to move around while you work.. You don't want to get painted into a corner so to speak.

If you want to create extending tunnels, plan your cat run to have an open space on one side while assembling the other three grid sides. Another thing you can also do is assemble perching platforms if you have any extra grids left over, just by inserting a single grid into a middle row. Cats love perching and climbing.

Step 4: Finish It Off

Well here is how mine looks! I want to extend the end out a little to the side and build onto it, but I ran out of grids, eventually I will get a few more sets so for now I sealed it off on the end and finished. Now your furkids have a nice place outside to lounge around and climb, play or recline without worrying about them getting hit by a car or harmed by another animal or bad person, and give them a little bit of outdoor time, too!