How to choose pet-safe materials for a cat enclosure?

[Janey1]

I'm building a cat enclosure which will be outdoors but undercover - is there a way to tell which timbers and paints are safe for pets? Planned products are Plywood Pine Premium BC Grade (I/N: 0390157), DAR Pine Standard (8400009),  DAR General Purpose Pine (0021182) and Cabot's Timbercolour Deck And Exterior Paint (1520555).

[JacobZ]

Hi @Janey1,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it's great to have you with us.

While there is no specific "pet-safe" rating for construction materials, I would be looking to use untreated materials and water-based paints.

I can confirm that the products you have selected are all untreated pine and suitable for this application. The one consideration I would keep in mind is that all plywood products use an adhesive to stick the plies together which would not be so healthy for your pet if ingested in significant quantities.

I would advise having a look at Taubmans 1L Accent Semi Gloss Water Based Enamel which can be tinted to a variety of colours to fit your style and requirements.

You might also like to have a look at these previous projects from the Workshop community for some inspiration:  

• D.I.Y. projects for pets

If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

Jacob