How to Make a Kitty Play Center Out of an Old Television Stand

Well, this one’s pretty much a self-explanatory project, but as with any type of building or repurposing, there are a few rules, guidelines, and the like. But this will work with any old TV center, entertainment center, etc. I just recommend that you take the doors off if they could cause any problems. Glass doors should definitely be removed, and any entertainment centers that close up completely might not let in enough air. That would be so sad for your little kitties! I guess there really is an ideal piece of furniture to have for this project. When I say anything will do, I mean an entertainment center with lots of wide open space for the cats to play in. I have one of those things that’s basically just a series of shelves put together in a weird way so that it looks post-modern, but really, it’s just purrfect! ….Yeah, that was a lame joke… Oh well. Let’s just get started.

First, off, measure every surface of your entertainment center. I mean the walls, the tops and bottoms of shelves, even the outside if it’s part of your vision. This accomplishes two things. First, we’re going to be covering everything with carpet so the kitties can scratch and have something to cling to. We don’t want them sliding around or falling! Plus, you’d always hear their little paws moving and scratching on the wood, so that would be kind of irritating. Second, if you are dealing with an entertainment center that isn’t quite ideal for this, you get the measurements to see which areas need to be either widened or closed off completely. This makes the center safer by reducing the chances of your kitten getting stuck in the thing.
Next, go out and get your carpet. If you happen to have some or happen to know someone with some carpet to spare, that’s fantastic! I would recommend you go to your local pet store and have a look at a scratching post. You want to use that kind of carpet that they have on most models of post and scratch houses. It’s most likely Berber or a similar make. It’s the cheaper stuff they use in schools and other such areas. The kitties love that kind of carpet, as it is very easily scratched without pulling back on their claws and such. If you want to, you can put in little samples of another type of carpet. Those little fuzzy white kinds of carpet are pretty good. You know, it’s the kind your grandma had in her house when you were young. I would just recommend you steer clear of shag carpet. That’s the kind I was talking about pulling back on your kitties’ claws. Very sad!

Now, in order to apply the carpet to your piece of furniture, it is probably best to use a form of wood glue or, even better, a non-toxic rubber cement or sealant. Simply apply sparingly and lay the carpet down. (I hope you had the sense to cut it down according to your measurements before you put on the glue…)
When you’re done, let it dry and air out a tiny bit. Even if you used a non-toxic glue (which you really should have), just let it sit near a fan for a day or so. That way, there’s really nothing there to harm your precious little things!

Have fun! Enjoy!