Turn An Old End Table into a Pet Hideout

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If you are a longtime reader of my blog you probably already know that I have two cats that I treat like family. While I always want the best for my furry companions, there is one thing that drives me crazy about being a pet owner and that is the fact that my cats seem to always want to get litter everywhere.

I’ve tried different things to try and keep the litter contained such as high-sided litter boxes and mats under the box, but nothing seems to work. Then one day when my friend was over, she suggested that I make one of those pet hideaways out of an old end table that I had. I figured that I would give it a try!

A while back I picked up an old end table at the thrift store. It was in rather rough condition and it looked as if someone had started painting it but gave up. At the time, I saw the potential in it but wasn’t completely sure what I was going to do with it.
After talking to my friend, though, I decided to give the hideaway a chance.

Chalk Painting and Transforming an End Table to a Pet Hideaway

As I said, this end table had been from a thrift store and then stored in my basement for a while so before painting it I needed to give it a good cleaning. I then gave the surfaces a light sanding. This will allow the paint to adhere properly.

After cleaning the piece with a good cleaner, I removed the hardware on the front. You could always keep the doors on, but I figured since they would be open all the time anyway and they looked a little outdated so I would just remove them.

I wanted a combination of a cream color as well as a coral color so I decided to tape off the edges of the area so that I could get clean lines.

I painted the trim with the cream color and then the main color of the hideaway was the coral color. It will probably take a couple of coats to get full coverage. Be sure to let the paint dry between coats.

After you have painted everything to your liking, you have to be sure to seal the piece. This is particularly important when you are using chalk paint. This means using some sort of wax or polycrylic.

Once everything is complete, all you have to do is make it a cozy place for your pet. This may mean putting a pet bed inside it, or in my case, I put the litter box inside of it. This will keep everything contained and (hopefully!) keep litter from being tracked all over my house.

Using TIDY CATS Free & Clean Litter

As I said before, I treat my cats like family. This also means giving them the best even when it comes to the litter they use. This is why I use new Purina® TIDY CATS® Free & Clean™ unscented clumping litter. My cats already have some allergies so I wanted a litter without added dyes and fragrances.

TIDY CATS Free and Clean gives me the odor-absorbing power of activated charcoal plus TidyLock® Protection to lock away odors by using activated charcoal. In addition to preventing ammonia odor for 2 weeks, this litter also clumps tight and is 99.9% dust free.

I was able to pick up the TIDY CATS Free and Clean litter in a 35-pound bucket at my local Target. It was very easy to find in the pet supply aisles. Plus, it was on sale so it was a fantastic deal!