My cat's cardboard castle collapsed, and the fix came from a stranger at the dog park

Last Saturday I spent 4 hours building a three-floor cardboard castle for my cat, complete with little windows and a ramp. I was so proud, but by Sunday evening the whole thing sagged and flopped over like a wet noodle. While walking my dog at Riverside Park, I complained to another owner about how my cat wouldn't even look at it now. She laughed and told me to stop using hot glue and start using duct tape wrapped around the cardboard edges, plus a few wooden dowels for support. I went home, redid it in about 45 minutes with her method, and my cat has been sleeping in it every night since. Has anyone else had a DIY project saved by a random tip from a stranger, or am I just bad at picking adhesives?

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the_ruby3d ago

My 2019 attempt at a cat shelf ended up in the trash after two days, so I feel your pain. The hot glue thing is such a trap, it looks strong until it fails. Duct tape with dowels makes total sense to me now, it is basically the same trick I use for fixing my garden trellis every spring. Strangers have saved me more times than I can count, like the guy at Home Depot who told me to use a cheap sanding block instead of my fancy tool. You are not bad at picking adhesives, you were just using the wrong one for a heavy, moving animal. Cardboard is a liar, it looks sturdy until a cat decides to test it.