Introduction: CAT FEEDING PLATFORM
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About: I'm a refugee from Los Angeles, living in backwoods Puerto Rico for about 35 years now and loving it. I built my own home from discarded nylon fishnet and cement.
This raised cat feeding platform will make feeding your cat a little easier on your back. You don't have to bend over all the time to fill the bowl. Rats can't raid the feeder, and there is also some entertainment value in watching the cat jump. It's a poor man's circus act, without the burning hoops.
All the parts are recycled materials. The base is a discarded fan base, 18" in diameter. The 15" diameter platform is a round piece of plywood from my scrap wood collection.
The pole in this feeding platform telescopes for height adjustment. It came from another fan base. When my cat was smaller, he needed a 5-gallon bucket set next to the platform as a step for getting up to the food. Not any more.
All the parts are recycled materials. The base is a discarded fan base, 18" in diameter. The 15" diameter platform is a round piece of plywood from my scrap wood collection.
The pole in this feeding platform telescopes for height adjustment. It came from another fan base. When my cat was smaller, he needed a 5-gallon bucket set next to the platform as a step for getting up to the food. Not any more.
Step 1: THE BASE
A good base is a wide base. This one measures 18" in diameter.
The wood under the platform has a hole that fits over the top of the vertical stand pole, thus securely holding the platform.
The feed bowl is made to slide on and off the piece of wood that protrudes from the side of the platform. I used some PVC material from pipe scraps to make the channel underneath the bowl that holds it in place.
The wood under the platform has a hole that fits over the top of the vertical stand pole, thus securely holding the platform.
The feed bowl is made to slide on and off the piece of wood that protrudes from the side of the platform. I used some PVC material from pipe scraps to make the channel underneath the bowl that holds it in place.
Step 2: THE PLATFORM
The round piece of plywood has some rubberized cloth stapled to it around the rim underneath. It hides the scrap plywood, and gives the cat some good grab for its claws if ever needed.
There is a piece of 3 X 4 wood with a hole drilled in it that is nailed to the bottom of the platform. The hole slides over the vertical base pole and holds the platform in place. It also allows the top of the platform to spin a little on the pole. There is enough friction that it doesn't spin when the cat jumps onto it.
If you make this design from store-bought materials, you could probably use a section of threaded metal pipe with flanges at top and bottom for mounting it to a plywood base and plywood platform.
As another alternative, you could probably get a piece of large-diameter PVC pipe with flanges for mounting the top and bottom to plywood in the same way.
There is a piece of 3 X 4 wood with a hole drilled in it that is nailed to the bottom of the platform. The hole slides over the vertical base pole and holds the platform in place. It also allows the top of the platform to spin a little on the pole. There is enough friction that it doesn't spin when the cat jumps onto it.
If you make this design from store-bought materials, you could probably use a section of threaded metal pipe with flanges at top and bottom for mounting it to a plywood base and plywood platform.
As another alternative, you could probably get a piece of large-diameter PVC pipe with flanges for mounting the top and bottom to plywood in the same way.
Step 3: THE BOWL
There is more than one way to mount a bowl on a stick. I solve many problems using PVC pipe. PVC, polyvinyl chloride, is a thermoplastic. When heated it softens. It hardens up again when it cools.
I added on this PVC to the bowl I had by cutting a strip section from a piece of pipe, heating it over a gas stove and forcing it into shape over the bowl and piece of wood until it cooled.
You might find it simpler to get two nesting bowls. Screw one of them to the wood. The food bowl will rest in the holding bowl, and be easily removable for washing.
I added on this PVC to the bowl I had by cutting a strip section from a piece of pipe, heating it over a gas stove and forcing it into shape over the bowl and piece of wood until it cooled.
You might find it simpler to get two nesting bowls. Screw one of them to the wood. The food bowl will rest in the holding bowl, and be easily removable for washing.
Step 4: A STEP UP
This is the step the cat sometimes uses for getting up to the platform. It is a 5-gallon plastic bucket with a round piece of rubber floor pad glued to the lid. The pad material is to make a non-slip surface for the cat's paws. You could always store bags of cat food inside the bucket to get a little extra use out of it.