9 Stylish IKEA Hacks Your Cat Will Love

As a proud parent of a cat, a pup, and a lot of plants, I’m a firm believer that family also includes our adorable pets. And family members deserve beautiful and functional surroundings.

You might have already upgraded your own spaces with IKEA hacks for your bathroom, tiny kitchen, and closets, but if you haven’t given your cats their own IKEA hacks then it’s time to change that. After all, your cats can appreciate a good IKEA hack just as much as the next human. (And yes, your cat definitely considers itself a human.)

Here are nine IKEA hacks your cats will love—and you will, too.

Dare I call a litter box stylish? This IKEA HOL storage crate converted into a litter box might be the most creative hidden litter box solution I’ve seen.  It not only seamlessly flows into the rest of Samantha’s (@myhousewokeuplikethis) home decor, it also serves another purpose as a bench (or let’s be real—a catch-all that you can fling sweaters onto). 

Samantha said this DIY IKEA hack was pretty simple, too. “We just used a jigsaw! It was super easy, and the cats immediately took to it,” she says.  “We also have a litter mat inside for them to step onto to help keep litter in.” Another smart move.

Did Sophie-Charlotte (@sophiecharlottechapman) intend for her cats to take over the RASKOG utility cart or did it just happen? With a little prompting by an inviting pillow in the bottom shelf, the cats don’t seem to care who started it.

When Sara (@kar.animals) started fostering kittens, she knew they needed a place to play, so she created a cat wall out of the IKEA Algot (now BOAXEL set).  She loves the flexibility this shelving set gives her.  When she has kittens, she can use the shelves on lower levels, but as they grow, she can add some distance between the levels to give the cats the challenge they crave.

Another fun cat wall comes from @dailydoseofoshi who used the IKEA EKET cabinets to create an assortment of cat cubes so that rescue cat Oshi can watch over his kingdom from his special wall.

Ellen chronicled the process of turning her IKEA STUVA bench (usually meant for toy storage) into a chic hidden litter box on her Instagram—including measuring and cutting the opening, the mid-way point, and the final product (which followers were offering to buy off of her!)

She says that while she opted for a more hidden opening on the side, it would probably be easier to install the opening on the front, since it’s single paneled.  She also recommends adding lights or setting it by a bright window so that your furry friend can see what’s going on inside.

The IKEA DUKTIG doll bed is the perfect size for cats—and this hack is just as cute as it is practical. Nothing can cheer my spirits up more than seeing animals in doll beds. You can even double and triple them up for multiple cat naps.

This IKEA GAMLEHULT ottoman is meant to maximize on space by storing books, blankets, or other coffee items, but how much cuter is it when it’s storing kittens? An empty cubby hole is always an invite for cats to play and lounge.

Seeing cats taking over the IKEA doll beds is an adorable sight, but there’s another IKEA human item that’s perfectly cat-sized: the IKEA POANG rocking chair. The chairs now also come in kid size for your smaller cats.

Dina (@blondechick) took a single IKEA KALLAX cube with a door, cut a hole in it, and then placed fur around the hole.  After adding a pillow to the inside of the cube, her cat has decided it’s his forever home.  Dina said the door has held up, as she has now moved it onto a longer KALLAX, and her cat still loves it.