Upcycled Simple DIY Cat TeePee From TV Tray

If you’re a cat person (or looking for an awesome gift for someone who is) we’ll show you how easy it is to make a DIY cat teepee from an old TV tray! If you haven’t noticed indoor TeePee’s are all the rage now and have been around for kids for quite some time such as this kids teepee tent. It ends up cats LOVE them as much as kids! We made the one below using an old TV tray and a king size pillow case! As we have several kitties in our home you can always find one of them in it.  We’ve always had at least one cat in our home plus at least one dog. Such as “Auggie the pencil Cat” or “Love Cat” both of which have posts on here. If you have both we have some excellent puppy posts also such as Oliver Sprout & Free Potty Training Puppy Chart and How to Potty Train a Dog to Use a Bell & How to Make One!  

Cat TeePee Supplies

• 1/2 inch dowel We used a square 1/2″ dowel because we had one on hand. A round one will be fine.
• TV tray  You can find these at thrift stores!
• pillow case (king size)
• scissors
• staple gun, heavy duty
• drill / screw driver
• Hand saw (this is our favorite!)
• Faux Sheepskin rug
• Eucalyptus leaves (extra) Eucalyptus bouquet with flower

Instructions

 

Remove all screws from TV tray except for the ones holding on the 2 pieces of wood running along the shorter sides of the table top.  These will be used to attach the legs back on later.  Discard any additional wood pieces.

Separate legs from table top

If your TV tray is missing a connecting rod for one set of legs, like ours was, you need to create one.  This is where the dowel comes in.  Measure (square or round dowel) to the same size as the side with the legs that are still attached together.

Cut the dowel.

Screw the cut dowel into place as shown between the two legs, using the holes that are already there.  Don’t worry about the other bar connecting the first set of legs.  Only one set needs this piece.

Flip the table top face down on the floor, showing the remaining two wood pieces we left running along the short ends of the table top. Screw the cut dowel piece as shown. (its already screwed into the legs on the ends)

Screw the matching bars at the end of each set of legs into the two wood pieces running along the short ends of the table top. Be sure to screw them to the outside of these and not the inside, so that the teepee covers the full tabletop piece. Pre-drill the screw holes if you are working with thicker screws.

Once they are attached to the table top, lean them together to form the teepee.Once you are happy with the angle, screw the top crossing points of the legs together on both sides.  Again, it is recommended to pre-drill these holes so that you don’t crack or split the wood.

You can paint the stand if desired. We kept ours plain. Lay out the pillow case and cut off the two seams running along the longest edges of the case.  Do not cut the seam on the short end of the pillow case. Drape the pillow case over the teepee frame with the one remaining seam running along the top of the frame. Fold the edges up equally on both sides so that the case lies smoothly between the legs of the teepee.

Cut through the part of the top seam of the pillow case that is folded over, allowing it to lay flat.

Place a staple in the top of the teepee to hold the pillow case in place as you attach it.

Wrap the edges of the pillow case around the base of the teepee and staple underneath.

Wrap the other edges around the front and back of the teepee legs and staple into place. Cut away any remaining fabric.

Add any decorations, tassels, pom poms, or flourishes you want. Place a blanket (we used a faux sheepskin rug) or pillow inside and you’re good to go!

We used some eucalyptus leaves we had on hand and a large pom pom for added décor.