DIY Pet Beds & Its Safety

Making a DIY pet bed for your furry pet can range from sewing something simple to complex woodwork. No matter which DIY pet bed idea you choose, the process of making it can be loads of fun if you have detailed instructions. The best part about DIYs is that you can customize the most minute aspect of the bed to suit your pet’s likings and your home’s decor. However, the most important question to ask yourself before you pick a do-it-yourself pet bed idea is, “will my pet be comfortable in this bed? And is it safe?”

As we all know having a pet and maintaining it can be slightly expensive with the pet insurance, grooming and everything else. But with a pet bed, it doesn’t have to be that way. You can make one yourself and take all the safety precautions to assure that the bed is as good as the ones available in pet stores or online. Search your attic for old drawers, broken end tables, crates, barrels, cribs, wagons, vintage suitcases, picnic baskets, TV consoles, laundry bags, etc, because you can turn almost anything into a fine bed for your pet.

14 DIY Pet Beds – Dogs, Cats & Hamsters

Here is a list of cozy DIY pet beds that range from simple revamping to slightly complex woodwork. You are sure to find the perfect idea along with all instructions to make these pet beds. Pick an idea for a bed for your kittens, cats, dogs of all sizes right from a Chihuahua to a Great Dane, and not to forget, even your little hamster. Every DIY idea also includes safety instructions to make sure that the bed is safe and comfortable for your pet to rest.

1. Dresser Drawer Turned Bed

An old drawer always makes a great bed for a pet!

Pets

Small and medium-sized dogs like Shih Tzus, Pugs, Spaniels, puppies, kittens and cats.

What You Need

Old drawer, paint, saw, sandpaper, cushion or pillow, and four round bun feet. You’ll need a saw and sandpaper if you want a little entrance.

Steps to Make It

• Find an old drawer to suit the size of your pet. You don’t want your pet to feel cramped inside it.
• You could cut off a portion on one side of the draw with a saw to make a little entrance. Don’t make the entrance too wide. Sandpaper the cut off part to make it smooth. You can skip this step if you don’t want an entrance.
• Paint it a funky color, stain the wood or you could stick pictures of you and your pet on it.
• Place a cushion with a cover that complements the drawer inside it and the bed is ready.
• You can add little legs if your furry pet doesn’t like to lay low.

Keep your pet’s bed near a wall in your bedroom. This is a great cat bed diy that you will love. This is one of the ideas for DIY pet beds.

Safety and Comfort Tip

If the drawer has sharp edges, sandpaper it. Blunt edges are always safer for pets. Make sure that the draw doesn’t have splintered wood and ensure that there’s no metal protruding. Layer the base with a thick fabric to make the bed extra comfy.

2. TV Console Repurposed into Pet Bed

Retro TV consoles make great furniture! It’s time to revamp that old console and make a cozy king-size bed for your pet.

Pets

Cats, small and medium size dogs. This DIY bed is perfect if your pet likes cozy nooks.

What You Need

Old TV console, paint, quilt or a soft blanket, and few cushions.

Steps to Make It

• Look for your old TV console in your basement. If you no longer have it, you might be lucky enough to find one in a thrift shop.
• Gut out all of the wirings carefully and take off the screen. (This video from 4:30-7:00 shows you how to do that.)
• Clean the console with a wet cloth and some detergent to take out all the filth. Paint it a color to suit your pet and reattach the back part of the console.
• Put a soft blanket to make a nice little mattress and throw in a few small cushions for your pet to snuggle inside.

Safety and Comfort Tip

Make sure there’s no broken glass or sharp edges. Line the insides with fabric so that the bed doesn’t look like the back of a TV. Add little curtains to make it even cozier. This makes will help answer how to make a cat bed basket out of a blanket. This is one of the ideas for DIY pet beds.

3. The Wine Crate Bed

Wine crates make classy pet beds.

Pets

Cats, small and medium size dogs.

What You Need

A wine crate or any other crate, hammer, screwdriver, sandpaper, paint/wood polish, paintbrush, cushion and a soft rug.

Steps to Make It

• Take the crate and knock off the top two pieces of wood using the hammer then take off the nails using a screwdriver.
• Sandpaper the surface to prep it up for painting.
• Polish the wood to give it a vintage look or you could paint it a color of your choice.
• Put a cushion inside and cover it with a soft cushion to complete the bed.
• If you want to add paw prints to the bed, use a stamping tool and a stencil.
• To add your pet’s name onto it, use wooden letters and wood glue to stick them to the crate.

Make sure you pick a crate that is big enough for your pet. Don’t get carried away by a small beautiful looking wine crate if you are making this for a medium size dog. This can be used as a wood dog bed frame. Your pet’s comfort is more important than the bed’s looks. This is also a simple diy cat bed.

Use furniture glides under the crate to avoid scratches on your flooring. You can drill holes into the bottom of the crate and use a hammer to insert the furniture glides into it or you could stick felt pads at the bottom. Even if you forget to attach furniture glides, don’t worry, your home warranty has such scratches covered. This is one of the ideas for DIY pet beds.

Safety and Comfort Tip

Don’t forget to check for protruding nails and splintered wood before letting your doggie into it.

4. The Basket

Whether it’s an old picnic basket or an unused laundry basket, it could make just the right bed for your kitty.

Pets

Kittens, cats, and small size dogs.

What You Need

Old picnic basket or laundry basket, and small blanket.

Steps to Make It

• Invert the basket so that the bottom part faces the wall
• Fold a small blanket and put it inside, the bed is done!

This is one of the simplest DIY pet beds.

Safety and Comfort Tip

If the basket is made out of wicker or cane, make sure there’s no cane or wicker sticking out. And if you’re using a cloth laundry basket, take precaution to see that the metal from the frame doesn’t protrude to protect your pet from getting scratched. This is the best wicker cat beds that you’ll ever see.

5. Vintage Suitcase

Pets

Cats and small, medium and large dogs.

What You Need

Old suitcase, pillow, rug, and table legs if your pet prefers a little height.

Steps to Make It

• Detach one-half of the suitcase from the other by taking off the suitcase’s hinges.
• Use round bun feet to give it a little height.
• Put a pillow with a contrasting color in it and your pet can take it over.

Safety and Comfort Tip

Make sure there are no metal buckles protruding, this could cause your pet discomfort. This is one of the ideas for DIY pet beds.

6. Cat T-shirt Tent

Pets

Kittens and cats.

What You Need

Firm cardboard, 2 metal hangers, cloth tape, scissors, pliers, and a T-shirt.

Steps to Make It

• Find a cardboard to use for the base of the bed. The shape of the cardboard can either be rectangular or square. Circles don’t work too well. 
• Detach the hooks of the hanger, bend the wires so that they form two identical U’s.
• Adjust the U’s so that the loose ends of the U extend across the diagonals of the base.
• Make a ‘+’ out of the base of the U’s (wires) and attach them with the tape so that the wires form a frame.
• Run cloth tape over the edges of the cardboard base to avoid breakage.
• Place the metal frame over the base and fold 1 ½  to 2 inches of the wire under the board. Fix it to the base using the tape. Make sure the edges of the wire are covered by tape to ensure your cat’s comfort and safety.
• Place the T-shirt on the floor, lift the bottom of the T-shirt and put the entire frame inside it. Adjust the T-shirt so that the collar becomes the entrance to the bed.
• Now fold the sleeves and the bottom of the tee under the base and sew it up.

Safety and Comfort Tip

Make sure that the cardboard that you’re using is broad enough for your cat to sleep on comfortably. If the T-shirt that you are using has a very small collar, it might be difficult for your cat to enter it and come out. You can also stick fabric on the base of the cardboard to make it cozier. Don’t worry, this can be used as a dog bed attached to bed. This is one of the ideas for DIY pet beds.

7. Chest of Drawers / Tables

Pets

Medium and large size dogs.

What You Need

Chest of drawers and a dog mattress.

Steps to Make It

• Take out 2 or 3 drawers from the bottom of your chest of drawers.
• Put a dog mattress on the floor where the drawers previously were and the bed is done.

You can make the same bed under a study table as well. This is an end table dog bed.

These beds are very easy to make because you really have nothing to do. You can put a soft blanket or a cushion to make it cozy.

Safety and comfort tip: Make sure your dog doesn’t feel cramped inside. If it’s a big dog, you may have to use a larger chest of drawers. The number of drawers that you’ll need to take out depends on the height of your dog. This is one of the ideas for DIY pet beds.

8. Broken End Tables

Pets

Cats and small dogs.

What You Need

A table, cushion, ribbons or scarves, round bun legs.

Steps to Make It

Turn the table over and put a cushion at the bottom.

• Fix these legs at the bottom (there’s a link in the first DIY that shows you how to fix round bun legs).
• Tie ribbons in bows around the top of the table legs.
• Wrap the scarves around the table legs or you can use them to make a canopy for the top.

Safety and Comfort Tip

Make sure the table legs aren’t pointy and that the bottom of the table doesn’t have splintered wood, glass or nails protruding. The table’s legs need to be taller than the pet, if not your pet could get hurt when climbing in and out of the bed. This is a simple cat beds diy.

9. Not-so-little Red Wagon Bed / The Cozy Wagon Bed

A cozy bed for a big boy or girl.

Pets

Puppies and small, medium, and larger dogs.

What You Need

A wagon, pillow, and a rug.

Steps to Make It

• Remove the wheels and axle from the wagon.
• Place the pillow inside the wagon and throw a rug on top.

Safety and comfort tip: Make sure that the wagon doesn’t have any metal sticking out. Use felt pads under to save your floor from scratches that can be caused otherwise. This is one of the ideas for pet beds.

10. Sweater or Shirt

Pets

Kittens, cats, and small size dogs.

What You Need

Old sweater/long sleeved tee, yarn, large-eye wool needle, scissors, pillow/cushion and cotton/baby blanket.

Steps to Make It

• Stitch the neck of the sweater.
• Stitch across the chest from the point at which the sleeves are attached to the sweater.
• Stuff cotton through both the sleeves so that the space is filled fully except for the first 4-5 inches of one of the sleeves. If you’re using a baby blanket, roll it up and do the same.
• Sew the sleeves at the point where the cotton ends.
• Put a pillow into the sweater through the bottom part and sew the bottom.
• Now put the fully stuffed sleeve through the few empty inches of the other sleeve and stitch them together. Just a little more stitching and the bed will be ready.
• Adjust the sleeves so that it forms a circular elevation around the body of the sweater and stitch it at the bottom so that there are no gaps.

Safety and Comfort Tip

Use a sweater or tee that has soft fabric so that your pet can rest comfortably.

11. Cribs or Toddler Bed

Pets

Medium, large and extra large dogs.

What You Need

Crib or toddler bed, dog mattress, a rug and a couple of cushions.

Steps to Make It

If you have a crib or toddler bed, that’s great!

• For a crib, detach one side along the length of the bed. If it is a toddler bed, remove the footboard.
• If you still have the mattress of the bed, you won’t need a dog mattress.
• Put a soft rug over the mattress and leave a few cushions for your dog to rest its head on.

Safety and comfort tip: If you’re making this bed for a large or extra large dog, check whether the legs of the crib/bed are still strong enough to handle your dog’s weight. This is one of the ideas for DIY pet beds.

12. Popsicle Bed for Hamsters

Pet

Hamsters

What You Need

Popsicle sticks, 2 thin wood sheets (14 x 2 cms), 1 wood sheet (10 x 8 cms), 1 wood sheet (10 x 6 cms) glue, shredded toilet paper or tissue (unscented).

Steps to Make It

• Take both the 14 x 2 cms sticks and place them parallelly on a flat surface on their sides.
• Cut off the rounded edges of the popsicle sticks and stick them to the wood sticks to make a frame for the bed. The frame will look like a flat sheet of popsicle sticks with two little walls on either side.
• Take the larger piece of wood and stick one side of the frame to it, just a few millimeters away from the bottom so that the hollow side faces up. Do the same with the smaller piece of wood. You will have a mini bed that is slightly raised from the surface with a head board and a foot board.
• Take the shredded toilet paper and put it on the bed instead of a mattress.

Safety and Comfort Tip

You can use any hamster friendly bedding for the bed. There’s no guarantee that your hamster will actually use this bed, but it’s definitely something you could try. This is one of the ideas for DIY pet beds.

13. Upholstered Dog Bed

Pets

Dogs of any size. It is commonly used for large and extra large size dogs.

What You Need

4 PVC pipes (1 ¼ inches), 4 corner pieces (1 ¼ inches), 4 legs (same PVC pipe 4 inches), a wrench, a minimum of 24 screws (6 for each side), and a thick square cloth for the base.

Steps to Make It

• Measure the length of your dog (in inches) from the nose till the beginning of its tail when it’s lying down. Don’t include the length of its tail. Add 5-7 inches to that number. The 4 PVC pipes need to be of this length. The length of the cloth needs to be about 2-3 inches longer than the length of the pipes.
• Fit the 4 PVC pipes to the 4 corner pieces to form a square frame. Make sure that all of the open ends are facing the same direction.
• Give the corners a little tap with a hammer to make sure that the pipes are fitted properly.
• Attach the legs to the bottom of the bed. Drop the bed down from about 2 feet, the frame will get aligned. If you feel that one foot is a little higher than the other, give it a little tap with the hammer and drop it down again. The frame is ready.
• Take the cloth and place it on a flat surface put the frame of the bed over it with the legs facing upwards. Make sure that the frame is equidistant from all four edges of the cloth. Fold all four corners in so that there’s no extra cloth protruding around the corners.
• Fold around 1 cm or lesser of the cloth along one side, give it a minimum of two folds. You may have to give it a couple more folds if the length is too much. Fix screws through the cloth into the pipe. You can stop drilling the moment the top of the screw touches the cloth. Drilling too much could reduce the strength of the pipes. It’s best to begin from the center and work towards the sides. The cloth must be fixed tightly and without any creases or gaps. You might want to take someone’s help while fixing the screws to make sure that the cloth is fitted well.
• Once you finish fixing the cloth on one side, start working on the opposite side. Pull the cloth so it’s nice and tight and fix one screw in the middle. Now take the wrench and turn the pipe in a little bit so that the cloth is stretched better. Ask someone to hold the cloth firmly in its position while you fix the other screws. Continue to work on the other two sides as well.
• Ensure that you put screws close to the edges on either side because that’s the part that usually starts coming off. You can use more than 6 screws per side if your bed is bigger. Remember, more the screws the stronger the bed.

Safety and Comfort Tip

Make sure that the screws are under the bed and not on top. Spread another cloth over the bed for hygiene purposes as you won’t be able to change the base cloth.

14. Barrel

Pets

Small, medium and large dogs.

What You Need

Wine barrel, drill machine, screws, saw, pillow, wood polish, and sandpaper.

Steps to Make It

If you are making this bed for a small dog

• Place the barrel on a flat surface vertically and check whether the metal bands around barrel are loose. If the bands are loose, hit them downwards with a hammer so that they’re fixed around the wood firmly.
• If you’re making the bed for a small size dog, you will only need 1/3rd of the barrel vertically. Drill screws into the metal bands to hold them in place. It’s better to do this on both sides of the barrel even if you’re just going to use one side of it. If you don’t fix screws into the bands, the barrel is going to fall apart.
• Now you need to figure out where to cut the barrel. Use a ratchet strap to mark the point at which you plan on cutting the barrel. Make sure to mark the point about 1 or 2 inches above the second band on the barrel. You can use a tape to make sure that the strap is fitted evenly around the barrel. Use a saw to cut the barrel.
• Use sandpaper to smoothen the cut part and make the edges smooth. You can make a little entrance for the bed by cutting off a small ‘U’ or a semi-circle on one side of the bed.
• Polish the wood and place a dark colored pillow inside it. The bed is ready.

If you are making this bed for a large dog

• Place the barrel horizontally and use the ratchet strap to mark the middle of the barrel.
• Cut the barrel in half or a little below the half marking. Smoothen the edges with sandpaper. You can also make an entrance for the bed by cutting out a semi-circle on one side of the barrel.
• Fix flat legs to the barrel to prevent it from wobbling and rolling.
• Polish the wood and put a pillow inside it.

Safety and Comfort Tip

Make sure that the nails don’t protrude through the bottom of the barrel and there’s no splintered wood. If you can’t find a pillow to fit into the barrel. Cut foam to fit the dimensions of the barrel and sew a cloth over it.

Pets and Home Warranty

In case you have forgotten to take precaution to attach furniture glides or felt pads under your pet bed, don’t worry. Even if you do have scratches on your floor that have been left by other furniture, it’s alright, because your home warranty has these damages covered. However, the scratches left by your pets on flooring and furniture are not covered under a home warranty, so don’t forget to get your pet’s nails clipped from time to time.

Home Warranty doesn’t stop at covering the repairs for your damaged flooring, it covers repairs and replacement of an entire list of items that make your everyday life hassle-free. Just like how it is required to check reviews and compare different pet insurance companies before choosing the right one for your pet, it is necessary to do the same for a home warranty.

Home Warranty Reviews has been providing reviews on home warranty to American citizens and helping them choose the right home warranty company depending on the city that they’re living in, for the past 11 years.

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