Materials: Engan 2 drawer 2 door, catbox, motion sensitive light
Description: I followed the basic instructions but skipped the part about the drawers instead opting to use one of the side panels from a drawer to join the two drawer fronts together. Once attached using the 2 provided L bracket that were supplied + 1 other larger one I had bought at Ikea as well I mounted the drawer fronts to the unit.
With all parts together I put the back on but only nailed the top part down to the middle then used a jig saw to trim off the bottom half, then jigged out the cat door oh so very carefully.
The entry hole is protected around the edges with Ikea cable tube held on with the remaining nails from the backing. The bottom where the box is sitting on is one of the drawer bottoms.
Last steps were to add in a motion sensitive light and I added 2 more L brackets with another drawer side to act as a brace so the box won't shift when in use. The concern was the cat could potentially trap himself in side.
~ mcquarris
Wow! I love it! I'm just waiting to move in my new appartment in a couple of months to copy this hack!
ReplyDeleteEnough already with the cat hacks!!!!
ReplyDeleteI can't get enough of these cat toilet hacks! :-)
ReplyDeleteCompletely offtopic, but that's some lovely Giger art on the wall!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea, but is the door fronts attached to the front of the unit? thus how do you clean out the cat box?
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the replies :)
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ddgiant said...
I love the idea, but is the door fronts attached to the front of the unit? thus how do you clean out the cat box?
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Yeah this was an issue during build. My original attempt was to use invisible hinges from the hardware store on either the side or bottom of the cabinet drawers. The issue with this is the pressboard is very difficult to properly affix hinges strong enough to hold the weight of the drawers vs. not having screws showing through the visible side. So after hours of trying to get it right I gave up on it.
The second idea was to install the top drawer guide bars on the cabinet and build the top most drawer minus it's bottom. This worked, and out of the three idea's I tried it was the closest working hybrid I think possible. The issue was even though I bought a new catbox that was not as wide it didn't easily come out of the cabinet when the drawers were pulled out. Though I do recommend that build as a valid way to make this hack, as it utilizes the already premade holes and provided parts in the way the dresser was designed, there is something to be said for simpler solutions that work 100% of the time.
I opted for attaching the drawer front's to the dresser using L brackets and having to slide the unit away from the wall to clean it. It's less design specific but also has no moving parts for wear and tear.
I just want to comment that when dealing with this or any other pressboard product to pre-drill holes. You'll find that screws hold tighter and there is less damage to the product.
Seems like every other "hack" these days is yet another cat crapper... :\
ReplyDeleteCoolest application of sci-fi/horror art in a cohesive design EVER.
ReplyDeleteTo all cat hack haters: just don't read them!
ReplyDeleteThere ARE people for whom not liking the looks of a litter box is not enough reason for not having a cat, but for those who don't have short of a mansion having the litter box out in the open (in your living space) will always be second best. So clever ways of hiding it are very much appreciated!
If you somehow base hinged the face you could then lock it in with a latch of some sort on the sides to gain access to the area.
ReplyDeleteThat way you could leave the back on to maintain support.
-b.
Yap, this is a great hack... I just had to comment on the Giger art too >.<
ReplyDeletemcquarris
ReplyDeleteFirst I still love the idea and am looking at trying something sim here.
One thought that I had on the posible access from the front was to put hinges of some sort either on the top or the bottom so the front can be hinged open, or some how make them removable with out using the slides.
When I get to mine I will post it up here and see what you think.
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ReplyDeleteIs your cat liking it? No problems at first? I am not sure if my tiger would go inside... Nice hack though!
ReplyDeleteI love this idea though I'm thinking about having the doors on the bottom and hopefully one drawer on top to store bags and scoop. The second drawer front would need to be attached to the frame as I use a 32qt sterilite litterbox.
ReplyDeleteThis way I can easily open the doors to clean the litterbox as well as prevent urine on the walls since the back will be closed. My older cat started standing to pee so I don't want it on the walls. I also plan to spray polyurethane all over as well and caulk the edges to prevent leakage.
Thanks again for your creative ikea insight.
I love the "hide a catbox" entries! I'm always looking for ways to hide my kitties litterboxes. I currently use the Hol Storage Box to hide my downstairs box, but I need another option for my upstairs. This seems perfect because it can be out in an open room, rather than one of the guest bedrooms. And I like the height inside. My cats like to stand up!
ReplyDelete