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How to Make a DIY Cat Tree From a Real Tree

This post shares my DIY cat tree using real tree branches, including a full tutorial and lessons learned!

How to make a cat tree from real tree branches

I have wanted to make a cat tree with real branches for a long time. It’s one of those projects that’s been bubbling up on my dream project wish list for a while. I am ecstatic with the finished tree!

This is a long post, so bear with me. I will walk you through the entire process beginning with finding a branch to finishing up my DIY tree—plus I’ll share some great projects readers have made using this tutorial!

diy cat tree using a real tree

The inspiration for my tree

One day while we were at my parents’ house, my dad and I went out into the woods behind their house and emerged with two branches. Below is the cat tree before photo…just a bunch of branches!

I had a big vision for these branches! But first I had to let them dry out indoors, so while I was doing that, I started browsing some inspiration for realistic-looking cat trees.

branch laying on the ground in a forest

Some of my favorites are at Pet Tree Houses. They do some really stunning work. Definitely check them out if you’re in the market for a cat tree but don’t have the time to put in to doing one from scratch!

I tempered my expectations and decided to take bits and pieces from each design to incorporate in to something that I could realistically make. So I sketched out a super advanced design with a pencil and paper. With these fool-proof plans ready to go, I started gathering supplies.

plans for the cat tree

Supply list

(Affiliate links below; read more about those here)

Branches & support pieces

  • A big branch and a small branch. My small one is about 3′ tall, and my big one is about 5.5′ tall
  • A paint scraper—like this one here
  • Minwax Stain in Natural and Rust-Oleum Ultimate Polyurethane in Satin
  • Small hand-held saw
  • Sisal for scratching post portions
  • Faux vines—mine are old from Jo-Ann (Note: don’t use faux plants if your cats like to eat them. My cats don’t touch them, but would eat and throw up real plants.)
  • 2″ x 48″ dowel, cut in two pieces for the scratchers (here)
  • 2.5″ wood screws

Base & platforms

  • One piece of 3/4″ plywood cut to 2′ wide by 3′ long
  • 2 pieces of 1″ x 3″ x 8′ pine for the base’s ledge
  • Rust-Oleum Wood Stain in Kona and Minwax Polyurethane in Semi-Gloss
  • Decorative rocks—browse them on Amazon here
  • Stepping stones from Lowe’s—here
  • Pine scrap pieces in various sizes for the platforms
  • Brown faux fur fabric—reused

Miscellaneous tools & supplies

And here is the DIY cat tree tutorial!

(Remember to wear a mask and eye protection while sanding and working with wood, and wear an appropriate mask while working with paints, stains, and finishes. Follow the directions and warnings from your particular brand. Do not use any tools without proper training, precautions, and supervision from a professional. Read my full terms of use here.)

Step 1: Remove the bark from the branches

The first step for my DIY cat tree using a real tree was…to find a real tree and prep the branches! Once our branches were sufficiently dry, we stripped the bark off and then finished and sealed them. 

This is actually a lot of work, so I broke those steps out in to their own detailed post about how I stripped, stained, and sealed my branches! You can see my full post on how to finish branches for decor here. 

But here’s a glimpse at the very messy and very frustrating but very rewarding process:

cracked branch with bark on it
scraping the bark off of tree branches
removing bark from tree branches for a cat tree
bark removed from a tree branch

Step 2: Sand and stain the branches

After we stripped the bark off, we leveled the branches as best we could. Some people recommend a laser level, and while I’m sure that would have been 10000% times easier, we leveled the tops and bottoms of the branches by eyeballing and then sawing off very small portions at a time.

Next we used sandpaper to sand the branches. This helps you get any remaining pieces of bark off and just smooth everything out. Then wipe down the branches.

And then you can apply a stain of your choice. I used Minwax oil-based stain in Natural. I wanted the branches to keep a pretty, well, natural-looking finish. But I wanted to deepen the color and make a bit more rich.

applying stain to a tree branch
staining a tree branch

Step 3: Apply a few finish coats to seal the branches

I used a water-based polyurethane with a very matte-like finish to apply two thorough coats on the branches. Again, I wanted to keep a natural look. Nothing too glossy. Here are a few pictures of the finish freshly applied (first three pics) and dry (fourth and fifth pics).

staining a tree branch
adding a clear coat to the stained tree branch
adding a clear coat to the stained tree branch
stained tree branches

Step 4: Attach the branches to the base and finish the base

First, we pre-drilled holes in the branches. Our branches had a few cracks from drying, so we made sure to avoid those areas when drilling. We positioned and attached the branches to the main base piece, the plywood, by screwing 2.5″ screws up through the bottom of the plywood and into the branches.

We also added Liquid Nails on the bottom of each branch before screwing them on. Next, we built out and finished the base. We built a raised edge all the way around using 1″ x 3″ pine pieces cut to length.

This serves two purposes: it covered the rough edge of the plywood while also creating a space for rocks to make the tree bottom heavy. I stained the entire base in Kona and finished it with two coats of semi-gloss polyurethane.

mounting the branches for the DIY cat tree
mounting the branches for the DIY cat tree
mounting the branches for the DIY cat tree
mounting the branches for the DIY cat tree
mounting the branches for the DIY cat tree

Step 5: Create and install the scratching posts

Once the base was finished and the two branches were attached, we worked on the scratching posts. We made the posts using a 2″ x 48″ wooden dowel cut in to two pieces.

I stained and finished these in Kona and semi-gloss poly to match the base and glued sisal rope around them. To get the sisal rope to stay while the glue dries, we shot in a few staples with a hand-held staple gun. (We removed to protect our cats’ claws when the glue dried.) 

Then we dabbed some Liquid Nails on the bottom of each post and screwed them in to the base just as we did the tree branches.

stained dowels for platforms
creating the scratching posts for the DIY cat tree
creating the scratching posts for the DIY cat tree
creating the scratching posts for the DIY cat tree

Step 6: Create the platforms

I grabbed four scrap pieces of pine to use for the platforms. I loved being able to use these little pieces that had just been sitting around! The back scratching post platform is very small—more like a step stool for the little girl—while the front scratching post platform is a bit bigger.

The two higher platforms are about the same size—big enough for King Henry to max out. We also build out a tiny little ledge around the highest platform to coordinate with the base.

I decided to do a mix of stained (Kona) and finished (semi-gloss poly) platforms to match the base and platforms upholstered with faux-fur fabric. They had the same faux fur on their old cat condo, and they loved it, so I just reused that.

staining pieces of wood for the platform
staining pieces of wood for the platforms
adding faux fur to the tree

Step 7: Install the platforms

We used a combination of Liquid Nails, screws, and a nail gun to secure each platform in place. Here’s my dad looking adorable while we were attaching the platforms!

tree branch cat tree in progress
In the workshop working on the tree

Step 8: Add finishing touches and you’re done!

Yay, almost done! Time for the finishing touches. I put a few cheap stepping stones and big rocks in the base to keep the tree bottom heavy. The rocks are big enough so that neither cat will understandably mistake the base for a litter pan and Henry won’t eat them (he is an asshole and eats lots of things he shouldn’t).

The stepping stones allow them to walk around the base and helped me keep costs down since they were so much cheaper than the rocks. I also picked up some faux vines to wrap around the branches. I would not have used these if our cats were into eat fake plants, though. They ignore them.

DIY cat tree made using real branches with a cat sitting on it
platform and scratching post on a cat tree
DIY cat tree made using real branches with a cat sitting on it
DIY cat tree made using real branches with a cat sitting on it
DIY cat scratching post
DIY cat tree made using real branches with cats sitting on it
DIY cat tree using real branches
DIY cat tree made using real branches with a cat sitting on it

If you loved this, check out my raised cat feeder DIY, my easy DIY catnip toys, and my cat house side table build plans!

Total cost for this project

You’re going to love my total cost for this project. The tree I really loved was $800 (and used fake branches!). For my tree, I spent…

$75.12!

Here’s the breakdown of what I paid (I did use coupons for a lot of this):

Everything else? It was found, foraged, already owned, or borrowed with the help of my sweet dad!

DIY cat tree made using real branches with a cat sitting on it

More trees from my readers

Over the years, I have had a few readers reach out to let me know they used this tutorial to make a tree for their kitties. They graciously allowed me to share them to help inspire you all to create your own!

Bryan’s tree…

Bryan has some great tips, and I love how he added the L-brackets to secure the top platform to a wall to prevent swaying. Thanks for sharing, Bryan!

Hello, just wanted to pass on a short note of thanks for you wonderful cat tower project design! I recently became a Cat Daddy again, and my new baby (Wesa-Ki) is a very energetic Maine Coon kitten. He’s been a climber from the word Go, so I started looking around for something not out-of-the-box for him to get his exercise and observations. When I found your blog post, I said “Oh YEAH!” 😉 It took me about 6 weeks of gradual work, and learning new tricks to do this solo, but I always love a good challenge.

A few tweaks from your design, I extended the base width to 4′, and since it wasn’t going in front of a window, I extended the short side tray pieces of the top platform to extend to the wall. Added a couple of L-brackets to secure it to the wall, and gained some great stability to the tall branch, as it had a bit of potential sway at 5.5′ tall. Even using a 5″ lag bolt to secure it to the base, and using baseboard brads around it, there was just a bit too much play in it, but it’s rock solid now! The kitty and I thank you again!

-Bryan
building a DIY cat tree using real branches
Helpful method for stabilizing if you don’t have an extra set of hands.
building a DIY cat tree using real branches
Tree in progress.
finished DIY cat tree using real branches
Finished tree.
maine coon kitten on a DIY cat tree using real branches
This is the platform that he attached to the wall with an L-bracket. Obviously wouldn’t work if you’re putting this in front of a window but is a fantastic solution for securing the tree to a wall to prevent sway!

Alex and Julia’s Tree…

My jaw dropped when I got this email from Alex and Julia. Their tree absolutely blew me away! I love how it goes from the floor to the ceiling. It truly looks like it is growing up through the house. I am now extremely jealous that my tree doesn’t do this, lol.

Here are a few things they did that I also loved—

  • After scraping all of the bark, they filled the cracks with resin: “The only real step we did that you didn’t was to fill the cracks with epoxy resin stained with mica powder in a dark chocolate colour and sanded it back to a smooth finish afterwards. It took ages!” Genius.
  • I love the “toadstools” as well. You can see how they made those by stacking batting in one of the pictures below with Julia.
  • The branch that stretches out far to the side of the main tree—you can see that it is pretty thin and might be wondering how it is supported. If you look closely at the pictures below, you can see that they added two L brackets to the wall to help.
  • On that same perch, they very smartly made the fur topper removable by using what looks like tied cord and hooks screwed onto the bottom of the perch. Excellent idea for washing, and I’ll probably do that when I get around to replacing ours!

Thank you Alex and Julia for sharing!!

woman removing bark from a tree branch
Julia scraping the branch
tree branch for a DIY cat tree
woman stacking pieces of batting
DIY cat tree project
cute kitty on a DIY cat tree
DIY cat tree made out of real branches
gorgeous DIY cat tree made out of real branches

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collage that says how to make a cat tree using real branches with images of the process

Yield: 1 DIY Cat Tree

DIY Cat Tree Using a Real Branch

DIY cat tree using real branches

CAT LOVERS! I'm sharing the whole process for my DIY cat tree using a real tree. This natural-looking cat tree made from a natural branch looks beautiful!

Materials

Branches and Support Pieces

  • A big branch and a small branch. My small one is about 3' tall, and my big one is about 5.5' tall
  • A paint scraper
  • Minwax Stain in Natural
  • Rust-Oleum Ultimate Polyurethane in Satin
  • Sisal
  • Faux vines
  • 2" x 48" dowel
  • 2.5" wood screws

Base & Platforms

  • One piece of 3/4" plywood cut to 2' wide by 3' long
  • 2 pieces of 1" x 3" x 8' pine for the base's ledge
  • Rust-Oleum Wood Stain in Kona
  • Minwax Polyurethane in Semi-Gloss
  • Decorative rocks
  • Stepping stones from Lowe's
  • Pine scrap pieces in various sizes for the platforms
  • Brown faux fur fabric

Miscellaneous Tools & Supplies

  • Miter saw
  • Drill
  • Assorted sandpaper
  • Hand-held staple gun
  • Liquid Nails Heavy Duty Construction Adhesive
  • Various sized nails and screws

Instructions

    1. Scrape, sand, and finish the branches. For a detailed tutorial on how to do this read this post.
    2. Level the tops and bottoms of the branches by eyeballing and then sawing off very small portions at a time.
    3. Pre-drilled holes in the branches.
    4. Attach the branches to the main base piece, the plywood, by screwing 2.5" screws up through the bottom of the plywood and into the branches.
    5. Add Liquid Nails on the bottom of each branch before screwing them on.
    6. Build out and finish the base.
    7. Build a raised edge all the way around using 1" x 3" pine pieces cut to length.
    8. Stain the entire base in Kona and finished it with two coats of urethane.
    9. Make the scratching posts using a 2" x 48" wooden dowel cut in to two pieces.
    10. Stain and finished the scratching posts in Kona and semi-gloss poly to match the base, then glue sisal rope around them.
    11. Dab some Liquid Nails on the bottom of each post and screw them in to the base just like you did the tree branches.
    12. Create the platforms and cover with faux fur.
    13. Use a combination of Liquid Nails, screws, and a nail gun to secure each platform in place.
    14. Put a few cheap stepping stones and big rocks in the base to keep the tree bottom heavy. And you're done!

Notes

Note: don't use faux plants if your cats like to eat them.

Brittany Goldwyn
Latest posts by Brittany Goldwyn (see all)

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  1. jmuhj says:

    This is one of the most beautiful cat trees I’ve ever seen, for a price far lower than average trees in stores, and I’m sure it’s a lot of fun to make, too!

  2. sanghwa Joen says:

    I’m making CATTREE for my family cats.
    Your detailed explanation was greatly helpful.
    Thank you very much.
    Far away from Korea

  3. Tina says:

    This is genius! Thank you so much for sharing!

  4. Luciferbui says:

    Love this design.
    I would like to make infographic of all step in this article.
    Can you help me?
    I have sample here and have the plan to make infographic of all DIY product for pets
    Love your blog

  5. Suzanne says:

    Hi—I love this–I have 10—yes, 10 cats…all rescues!! I do TNR for a local Animal rescue organization in Erie, PA. Can I ask, Why did you strip and stain the branches?? Could they just be left natural, with the bark on–?? Thank you
    Suzanne

    • Hi Suzanne, thank you! I wish we could have 10 cats! I decided to strip and finish the branches because the bark will eventually fall off, and I just wanted to give the branches a clean and finished look. πŸ™‚

  6. Terry Cornelius says:

    Great project! I plan to build one myself very soon. I am wondering though, what’s the diameter of the branch you used?

  7. m clarke says:

    I do not have a Miter saw at my disposal nor can i buy one right now. Can you tell me if it was absolutely necessary to build this? This is so amazing, by the way. Thank you for sharing πŸ™‚

    • Thank you so much! The miter saw makes it easier, that’s for sure. Do you live around a place that lets you rent tools? You could also use a circular saw, which are typically cheaper than a miter saw. I’d be hesitant to use a bow saw because I’d be worried about not being able to get a flat enough cut for the branch to stand, but I’m also pretty terrible and impatient when using handheld saws. πŸ™‚

  8. Richard says:

    I’m not sure with this. But I’ll try this for ma own.

    Thanks for this inspiring idea’s.

  9. Andy says:

    So I’m actually in pogress of building something similar to the awesome cat tree you built. I purchased the exact stain and finish that you used. Did you happen to research if these were safe for the cats after they are completely dry? I tried looking online, but haven’t really found anything. I would assume it’s ok because it can be used for household furniture, but when it comes to the health of the cat you can never be to safe. Thanks in advance for any help you can share!

    • Hi Andy! I felt comfortable using that finish because it is from a reputable brand and used in products around the home. As with any stain or finish, I just wouldn’t let them around it until it is completely dry. My weirdos have been using this tree for over a year now and are healthier than ever πŸ˜‰ Good luck with your build!!

  10. This is a great idea!! Have to pin it – Would love to have you share at the Pleasures of the NW’s DIY party!

    http://www.pleasuresofthenw.com/do-it-yourself-craft-projects-link-up-31/

  11. Caroline says:

    Wow Brittany! This looks seriously amazing, my cats would absolutely love it. #SITS Blogging

  12. this. Is. The. Coolest. SO COOL. My cat would love this – except, so would my toddler, ha! Thank you for sharing at the Share the Wealth Sunday party – we hope to see you again soon!

  13. amy says:

    Such a great idea! Now I need to get my hubby to do it!

  14. Marie B says:

    WOW, awesome job!!! Our cat tree is the 1st thing you see when you walk int our beautiful, shabby Parisian front room and it is NOT attractive! We just bought it 6 months ago but I am selling it and making THIS beautiful one! Thanks for sharing!

  15. Emily says:

    You dont really explain how you attached the platforms? And it doesn’t look like you drilled down through the tops into the tree branch…or did you?

  16. Elizabeth says:

    Hi Brittany,

    Now that is a great idea! I’m always amazed at how expensive cat perches are. I’ve always wanted to make one but never thought of using tree branches. We’ll be getting to work on this one pretty darn fast πŸ™‚

    Blessings,
    Elizabeth

  17. Toni says:

    Crap – I just got rid of some big branches from the tree behind the house! …I could have used those! Nice Job on the tree! !

  18. Chad Green says:

    Can you please tell me what kind of tree that was. Can I really use any kind of wood or are some trees better suited than others??

    • Hi, Chad! We’re actually not sure. It was on the ground in a pile when we found it, and there are several different types of tree in the area. I’m sorry!

  19. I love this idea!! SO cute and practical!

  20. DORLIS GROTE says:

    How large are the branches and how much weight did you add to the base? I ask because I have a couple cats who can jump on a sofa from 6′ away and almost tip it over so I need lots of weight to prevent this. Love your tree, it would provide lots of bird watching for my guys.

    • Hi Doris! Thank you! The big branch is about 5.5 feet tall, while the smaller branch is about 3 feet tall. I was also worried about Henry tipping this over…he is a big cat and a jumper. I used stepping stones to weigh the base down and added in polished rocks for looks, though they also added some weight. I’d say that with the stepping stones and rocks, it’s about 30-40 pounds on the base. No way they are making this thing budge!

  21. Hermila Gaytan says:

    I love it very creative my daughter has two cats they probably would love this

  22. Rachel says:

    wow wow wow! i love it! good for you – so beautiful! What kind of tree branch did you use??

    • Hi Rachel! Thank you! We’re actually not sure. We pulled it out of the woods after it had already fallen, and I’m not very good at tree types. I can tell you that it wasn’t pine, though. πŸ™‚

  23. Sandi says:

    I love it, I have been planning on making one. Thanks for the inspiration. P.S. I love how you talk about your dad.

  24. Brittany Eckert says:

    This is beautiful! It looks extremely professional. Good job! I’m certainly going to pin this and come back later when I have space and time for this. This is amazing!

    • Thank you so much! I love it, too! I am even thinking about making a smaller version of it for my husband’s office. We’ll see where it falls on the project list. πŸ™‚

  25. Brandy says:

    I love this! We currently have a DIY cat tree that my husband made over 2 years ago. He wrapped it in leftover carpet and sisal. I’m really wanting a new one that isn’t so obtrusive, and your tree would be perfect. I have one concern though.. I have 2 cats, one tiny one and one HUGE fat one. He weighs about 17 pounds, and when he jumps on our current tree it really gets swaying. How sturdy is this construction for a fat cat?

    • Good question. This was a big concern of mine as well because Henry is a big guy. He isn’t fat, but he is very long, so he is heavy. All three of the bottom posts are completely stable when he jumps onto and off of them. I think the combination of Liquid Nails Construction Adhesive and long, heavy-duty screws helps with that. The high branch has a bit more give to it when he is going crazy and running up and down the tree. When he is sleeping on it it’s fine, but jumping on and off makes it sway a bit. It’s not going anywhere, but it’s not rock solid. Cutting that branch down to not be so tall would fix that, I think, since it doesn’t have anything to stabilize it in the middle or on the top. That’s what I’ll do if the swaying ever becomes too much in the future, but for now it’s not bad (and less than the store-bought cat tree we had before, so I’m not too hard on my construction skills πŸ™‚ )

  26. this is seriously so awesome, you win the best cat mom award! i saw this featured on talk of the town party, and had to come see for myself and give you some kudos!
    b

  27. Visiting from the Talk Of The Town Party – what a lucky cat! My Rexy would crazy for one of those. Pinning to share and refer back to. Love it!

  28. Diane says:

    Great job! Have plenty of branches and just need to find space to work on this. Oh yes, both Dad and kitties are adorable.

  29. You did a great job on your cat tree. When my cats wear theirs out I may just give it a shot and try and build one with real tree limbs. Pinning!

  30. Betsy says:

    LOVE this, and every cat in the world would love it too! Thank you so much for sharing with us at Talk of the Town.

    • Thank you, Betsy! My babies definitely do love it. I was so afraid that I’d spend all that time making it and that I’d get more enjoyment out of it than they would. Cats are weird like that. Luckily that wasn’t the case! πŸ™‚

  31. This. Is. AMAZING. Fantastic job- I’d love it if you’d link up to Talk of the Town!! http://www.sadieseasongoods.com/talk-town-link-party-14/

  32. I’m so in LOVE with your cat tree! Found you on Craftgawker! Pinning for reference later! Thank you!

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