Cats are known to be power nappers and heavy sleepers. In fact, studies show that the average cat sleeps 16 hours a day. Even if you wake them up to play, they will eventually find a spot where they can curl up or lay down for a decent sleep. A loving cat lover will always make sure that their cat will never be forced to sleep on the cold, uncomfortable floor.
With the help of a simple-to-make cat hammock DIY, youcan ensure that your pet will be able to rest well without hurting their back.
A cat hammock is a perfect solution if you’re looking for a way to give your cat plenty of rest in a more comfortable place. It also helps keep your pet clean since they won’t have to lay down on the dirty floor outside your home or under the chairs.
The materials we use for the hammock are also soft and smooth so your cat won’t be able to resist it. In fact, your cat might love it so much they will curl or lay down in it right away even though you’ve just finished making it and haven’t hung it up yet.
There are three types of cat hammocks you can make ranging from easy to ones that are a bit more complicated. The functionality, durability, and appearance of the hammock will definitely vary by difficulty, so expect a good-looking hammock if you go for the harder one. But just because it’s hard doesn’t mean that it’s really that complicated to build.
We will explain everything in simple-to-follow steps. So without further ado, let’s start planning the hammock your cat will surely love to lay in.
The Easiest and Simplest Hammock
All the hammocks we are going to help you DIY in this article are relatively easy to make, but this one is the simplest of them all in terms of both difficulty level and appearances. What makes this a great choice is the fact that you won’t have to spend too much money, or you might not need to spend any at all.
The hammock is also guaranteed to be fast to complete. Just a bit of time and effort are required. Some even say that this type of hammock only needs 10 minutes to make. Before you start making this hammock, check out the following materials you need to collect first:
- Fabric – Almost any type of soft fabric will do. Be sure to pick one with a size of 24 x 14 inches or larger so cats of any size can have extra space as they lay down in it. The fabric must also be thin enough for it to be fitted through a coat hanger.
- Plastic Coat Hangers – These will serve as the “holder” of the hammock. This means that there must be one coat hanger on each end of the fabric. If you wish to use metallic or wooden coat hangers, it’s also fine; we’re just aiming for the cheapest yet reasonably durable one here.
- Curtain Rod – This is where you will hang the two coat hangers so your cat can be lulled into a comfortable sleep as the hammock swings from side to side.
- Needle and Thread – You will do a little bit of sewing here, so try to remember what you learned in your home economics class.
How to Make It
The following steps are really simple and will require less than 10 minutes to accomplish:
- Lay the fabric flat on the floor, then place the coat hangers on both sides of the fabric.
- Loop the fabric to the hanger. At least 2 – 3 inches of fabric must be looped on either side.
- Secure the hanger to the fabric by sewing it. Sew the center of the looped area together with the other side of the fabric. Any type of stitching will do, as long as you know how to sew.
- Find a place where the curtain rod can be placed for hanging the coat hangers. Make sure it’s between a pair of upright surfaces and make sure that the upright surface is tough enough to withstand the weight of the hammock and the cat.
This type of hammock is very simple, and only required items commonly found inside a house. If you wish to do a quick hammock for your cat, this one is definitely for you! If your cat really loves sleeping in the hammock, perhaps you can consider making more permanent ones later.
The Hammock Lounge
This version is the best-looking of them all since it looks like a double-decker bed. It’s also inexpensive since it only requires you to use some stuff that you should be able to find lying around in your house. We will categorize this as a normal difficulty hammock since it will take a little bit of effort, but the cost of this hammock ranges from $0 up to $7 only!
Here are the materials you need to collect:
- Cardboard – This will be used as the base of the hammock. A whole cardboard box is just exactly what you will need for this task.
- Fleece or Any Soft Fabric – It will serve as their bed. To lower the cost, you can use your old T-Shirt or sweater and cut the fleece or the fabric to make it fit inside the cardboard base.
- Cutter – You will make cutouts on the cardboard box and the fleece.
- Ruler and Marker/Pencil – For measuring and marking the areas needed to be cut.
- Hot Glue – You can use any strong adhesive.
How to Make It
It won’t take more than 15 – 30 minutes to make this hammock. Here are the steps:
- The cardboard box must be glued shut.
- If you’re using a set of cardboard, make cutouts and glue them together until you form something that looks like a double-decker bed. You could skip the next step if you did this.
- Mark a huge square on all sides of the box, except the top and bottom.
- Cut through the marks in order to make a huge space that will serve as the entrance and exit for your cat to her “lounging spot.”
- Prepare the fleece by cutting it a bit wider and longer than the cardboard base. For example, if you’re using a 15 x 25 inches box, it’s best to prepare a 20 x 30 inches fleece. Prepare two fleeces of the same size.
- Place the first fleece inside the bottom area of the cardboard base to serve as the “bed.”
- Cut a small slit into all of the corners of the fleece.
- Cut two small holes on each side of the corner, and then place the edges of the other fleece into the hole. Tie it shut to make the fleece swing freely as a hammock.
- Optional: You can also add some pillows on the bottom fleece to make your cat feel more comfortable.
You can even give your cat the leftover fleece so that they will have an extra scratcher to play with in their personal bed. This type of bed is very versatile, can fit in any part of a wide room, and you can relocate it everywhere since it’s lightweight.
It also gives your cat a feeling that they have their own “bedroom” in the form of a hammock. After all, cats love small and private spaces.
Masterly-Stitched Hammock
This type of DIY cat hammock requires quite a lot of effort since you will need some rather serious stitching skills to get this done properly. This is the hardest to make of the three since sewing the hammock will not just take a while, especially when done by hand. However, it is also the most beautiful and durable of them all.
Some hardware tools and supplies will also be required to accomplish this type of hammock. But don’t worry about the costs; this hammock could be totally free if you already have the needed supplies somewhere in your house. Even if you don’t, it will cost no more than $10. The materials and tools required to make this beautiful hammock are:
- Fleece – Since cats really love soft stuff, you should consider using fleece. Fleeces are also sturdy enough to support the cat’s weight even if your cat likes to swing the hammock quite roughly.
- Cotton Batting or A Small Pillow- A cotton batting can make the fleece feel fluffier. A small pillow can be used as a replacement if there’s no batting.
- Scissors – You will be cutting things throughout the preparation process, so make sure you have a pair of sharp scissors.
- Pins – These will be used to secure the areas that need to be sewn to make things easier for you.
- Webbing Ribbon – A webbing ribbon serves as the strap for hanging the hammock.
- Needles and Threads/Sewing Machine – The sewing is the core of this DIY hammock making process. It would be faster if you could use a sewing machine, but you can also use needles and threads if you feel like it.
- Metal Hooks and Carabiners – For hanging the hammock. Bring four of each.
How to Make It
Once again, this hammock takes quite a lot of effort. Thus, the following steps must be carefully followed and skillfully done to get the best results:
- Cut the fleece into two. Be sure that it’s measured to fit the average cat, so make it around 20 x 20 inches each or bigger.
- Make a hem of around half an inch on all sides of the fleeces. Press the hem firmly for it to be secure, or you can apply some pins on it.
- Cut a square of batting. It should be a few centimeters smaller than the fleece. If you chose to use a pillow, skip this step.
- Pin one fleece square to the batting or pillow.
- Next, you need to prepare the straps by cutting four 10-inch long webbings.
- Pin the end of the webbing straps to every corner of the other fleece to make it look like an unfinished hammock.
- Form a loop on the webbing by placing the other end on the other side of the fleece. Remove the pin and re-pin it over the webbing loop.
- Sew the pinned areas and the edges of the fleece and batting/pillow sandwich to secure everything.
- Note: If you’re not entirely skilled with stitching, please leave it to someone skilled at the craftwork. It will provide better results if done that way.
- Attach a carabiner on all four webbing loop ends.
- Assemble the metal hooks on any place where the hammock can be hung. Install them by drilling and screwing the base to the wall, and then attach the hook.
- Use the carabiners to hang the hammock on the hook.
This is the most comfortable type of hammock that you can make for your cat, and it’s very portable. You can even bring it to the beach if you’re planning a weekend getaway. Also, any hammock design can be added to this type of craft. You can even add frills if you have a female cat.
Wrap Up
These are three of the best types of DIY cat hammocks that your cat will surely love to sleep in. Rest assured that you will never find it expensive to make one, but if you want it easy, go for the improvised hammock. If you want to make it more versatile and better-looking, go for the stitched hammock.
All in all, you should also remember that no matter what type of hammock it may be, as long as it’s soft and comfortable and you made it with all your heart, your cat will love it.
Which type of hammock do you plan to make? Or perhaps you already have one at home? Did you buy it or did you make it yourself? Please share any hammock-buying or making tips and tricks in the comments section below!
