How to make a cat coffin bed

What you will need:

• heavy duty cardboard or thin plastic, or even plywood. Be sure it is sturdy but that you will be able to cut it. If you don't have a way to cut plastic or wood easily, you'll probably want to use cardboard. But remember some cats like to scratch cardboard, so they may tear it up over time.
• a thinner material to use as a liner for the inside of the box and the bottom of the lid.
• your outside fabric, enough to cover the entire outside of the box and the inside walls with some overlap onto the bottom. Also there should be enough for the lid. This fabric should be a dark color and it should be strong enough to last. If it's velvet you want, you may have trouble keeping it clean and it may wear out faster than some materials. This material you might not want to use on the bottom of the box.
• your inside fabric. You won't need much, just enough to cover the bottom of the box and the bottom of the lid. It should be a really strong heavy material in a contrasting color. Some popular coffin colors are black on the outside and red or violet on the inside. If you don't like the way some heavy duty fabrics look, think of it this way, you can keep it covered with the top of the coffin.
• glue gun and plenty of glue sticks, staples if using cardboard, or nails for wood.
• batting, or some other form of padding for your cat to sleep on.

How to make it

Determine the size of the coffin desired. Be sure the cat will fit inside and be able to roll and stretch and that it is fairly deep, for example, about 18 inches wide at the widest point, about 25 inches long, and about 10 inches tall (this is just a guess based upon the size of my cat). On the cardboard, draw out the desired shape of the coffin. To see diagram click here. Around this coffin shape, you'll want to draw out the walls, whic on paper looks like rectangles coming out of each side of the coffin. Be sure they extend out to the desired depth of the box. Also cut out the lid, if you are going to have one (for effect or when the cat is not asleep). It should be about the size of the bottom plus the thickness of the material all the way around. In other words, it should be slightly larger than the bottom. On the thinner material, draw the shape of the coffin bottom twice, and be sure one piece will fit snugly into the bottom of the box, and the other is slightly smaller than the lid.

Cut out the lid and the two inside pieces. Cut out a piece of batting to fit the piece that will go inside the bed.

Cut out the shape along the outside, do not cut the sides off the bottom unless you plan to re-attatch them with your nails or tape. Without cutting all the way off, carefully score the edges of the bottom, between the bottom and the sides of the box. If using cardboard, this will simplify bringing the sides up. If using plastic or wood, it may be easier to completely cut off the sides and placing tape over the cut on one side of the material, to keep it in place while attatching the sides.

Fold up the sides and use duct tape or packing tape to hold them up. Use plenty, as this is what will be holding the box together, unless you are going to use nails in wood. Be sure the sides are reinforced for the weight of the cat.

Lay out your exterior fabric and place the box in the middle. Neatly drape the fabric up around the sides and into the box. fold or tuck the fabric under at the corners to make it neat, and, if necessary, glue the fabric down on the corners to keep it in place. Bring the fabric down into the inside of the box, and be sure it lays flat against the sides and bottom. It is okay for there to be some extra fabric around the edges of the bottom. Staple or glue the fabric in place. Be sure the staples don't go through to the other side. Do not use nails (they'll go through the material and come out the other side). Wrap the fabric around the lid and staple or glue to the bottom. It is okay

Glue the batting to one of the inside pieces, and cut around the edges to fit. Place the fabric on this piece and the lid liner piece, just as on the lid. Cover them on one side, and glue or staple to the back of each piece.

Using more glue if desired, place the padded liner, backside down, inside the box and let the glue set. Using glue, attatch the lid to the liner and let the glue set.

The box is basically complete. If desired, it can have decorations (such as silk roses) placed on top. If you want to protect it against the cat fur or dirt or whatever, you can scotch guard it but be sure it is completely dry and sturdy before letting the cat near it.

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