How to Make a Cat House out of a Plastic tote: To keep your cat safe and warm in the winter, you can build them a house, but what if you don’t have any wood?
If you have a plastic tote that you are not using, then that’s perfect for this project. You can get started by cutting off the handles on top of the bag. Fold the bag in half so that it becomes a rectangle. Measure how tall you want your house to be and cut off one of the short ends. Then unfold your bag – now it should look like a rectangle with one long side missing. Fold up one of the corners to make a triangle shape, then measure down from the triangle about 4 inches and cut out another triangle shape at that point.
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Next cut out triangles along each side of the long edge of your bag. Unfold these triangles so they are all flat pieces. You will use these triangles again later when assembling your house, but for now set them aside carefully where they won’t get dirty or lost.
What You’ll Need
– A tote bag
– Scissors
– Tape
– Piece of cardboard or stiff paper
Cut the Handles
off of the Tote
The easiest step of this project is to cut the handles off of your bag. Simply fold up your bag, and make a cut in the middle, about 6 inches from the top. Then unfold your bag again. You should now have two rectangular pieces with one long side missing. Fold up one of the corners to make a triangle shape, then measure down from the triangle about 4 inches and cut out another triangle shape at that point.
Next cut out triangles along each side of the long edge of your bag. Unfold these triangles so they are all flat pieces. You will use these triangles again later when assembling your house, but for now set them aside carefully where they won’t get dirty or lost. The last thing you need to do is to fold up the other corner so it creates another triangle, then measure down about 4 inches and cut out another triangle shape at that point.
Fold the Bag
Now you need to fold the long edge of your bag down about 4 inches. This is where you will place your triangles when assembling your house.
Cut Off the Short End
Now you can cut open one of the short ends of your bag so that the handles are no longer on it. You should now be left with a rectangle shape with one long side missing. Fold this edge up to make a triangle shape.
Measure and Cut
Now measure and cut off the corners from your tote bag. When you’re cutting just the corners, be sure not to cut into the sides of the bag which you will use later. You should now have a rectangle with one long side missing at one end and three straight edges – two short ends and one long edge.
Use Your Triangles
Now you’re ready to use your triangles. Take one of the long triangles and fold it in half. Now it should be a triangle with a long side and a short side. Place your triangle with the open end facing down on the floor or table, then take one of the other triangles and place it on top of the open end of the first triangle with the open end facing up. Now you have a rectangle/square shape with two triangles on each side.
Take one of your 4 inch wide pieces from earlier and fold in half lengthwise so that it is now 2 inches wide by about 3 feet long. Lay this piece across one of the edges of your rectangle with the short edge running parallel to the triangle’s long edge. Pull this piece tight so it is snug against all four sides – you want to make sure this will not slide around when you put in again later.
Assemble and Add a Door.
Now it’s time to assemble your bag house. The easiest way for this is to lay the pieces so that they form a rectangle,
with the triangles facing one way and then another.
You’ll want to stagger the pieces so that they overlap each other, then use tape or string to hold them together.
When you’re finished, fold up one of the long sides of your bag so that it has a door. Now it’s time to decorate!
You can draw on the door any animal character you like (or your own name!), or use markers or stickers. Put toys inside for your cat to play with, or fill it with their favorite treats. Maybe make this a gift for someone special who doesn’t live nearby?
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