Last month, being short of dollarinos but long on ambition, I thought I'd
try to turn an existing 3-foot tall carpeted cat perch into a cat tree.  I
went to Home Depot and bought two 2x4s, a 4-foot heavy cardboard concrete
mould, more staples for my staple gun, rubber cement, and way too much
indoor/outdoor carpeting.  My plan was to carpet (using the staple gun) both
2x4s and attach them on either side of the existing cat perch; cut the
4-foot concrete mould in two and glue and staple gun indoor/outdoor
carpeting on the interior and exterior of the 2-foot "tunnels" for catly
comfort and entertainment.  The idea was to attach one tunnel underneath the
lowest perch and attach the other tunnel on top of a small length of wood
that would bridge the 2x4s -- "Voila," I thought, "instant cat tree."

I spent one Saturday on cutting the tunnels and carpeting, stapling and
gluing them outside on my driveway to the bemusement of my neighbors (so I
wouldn't asphyxiate from the rubber cement fumes).  The next Saturday I went
back to Home Depot and bought fancy-coated 3-inch wood screws so I could
attach the 2x4s, tunnels, etc.  I also sweet-talked my DH, Byron, into
helping me assemble this stuff.  It was not as easy as I'd thought it would
be -- Surprize!  We spent quite a long time (did I mention I have a
wonderful DH?)-- got the 2x4's attached and then had to attach the top
tunnel to a 2-inch by 4-foot wood piece (which DH had to saw into a much
smaller length with the absolutely wrong kind of saw plus plenty of
perspiration(yep, and did I mention, Byron's a good sport, too?).  Gee, the
drill doesn't fit into the diameter of the tunnel (well, dangitall, did I
mention Byron's patient, also?!)!!! Well, with some ingenuity we managed
anyway and, "Yes!," we got a tunnel perched on top of the cat tree and the
whole contraption (heavy, now, too!) back into the house in front of the
window....

Well, the tunnel survived me placing a scared Robin cat (10 lbs.) into the
tunnel; Byron and I felt proud and successful and walked into the kitchen.
About  5 minutes later, I hear a KA-THUD!  And, sigh, the tunnel did NOT,
alas, survive the impact of the "pleasingly plump," Ms. Midnight.  The
tunnel tore right off the support and now all that was on top was the 2-inch
wood slat...I then had plans for attached a wooden platform to the top for
the next weekend... but wait, there's a happier ending to this cat tree tale
(which didn't involve more work or stupidity.)

Robin adopted this cat whatever-you-call-it as his "jungle gym" -- he hangs
over the wooden slat on top and curls around and tries to grab his tail; he
balances on it like a circus performer and sometimes he just straddles the
thing and lets his legs hang over either side.  Then he rolls and hauls
himself around the 2x4s, wrestling it with all claws extended (I attached
sisal rope to one side) and has himself an exhausting but definitely jolly
old time. (This weekend I'm going to have to get shots of this for ya'll;
it's hilarious.)  So I guess Christine's Folly is going to stay like it is.
The 2 carpeted tunnels are free-standing and useable and I do position them
in front of the window on the ground and Midnight likes them very much for
bird-watching.

And I think my handyman days are over...

Christine