DIY Cat Sign

A few weeks ago, we found a poor, helpless kitten on our walk around the neighborhood. And being the big softie and cat lover that I am, we took her home with us since she was starving! Fast forward a few weeks later, and miss Charlie has made herself very comfortable outside our home. We bought her an outdoor cat house, and since I am super extra, I even made a DIY cat sign to go on top of it.

I personalized the cat sign to include her name and a cute little cat heart beside it! And, my husband is even more extra than I am, and included a little outdoor light for her house too! I know, we are both ridiculous!

But, what can I say?! We just love animals and I can’t stand seeing an animal suffering. So when I picked her up and saw she was all skin and bones, I just had to bring her back with me and give her lots of food and loving!

And now she’s the best outdoor/shop cat ever, and absolutely loves her new little house! I thought it would be fun today to share all about how I created this personalized DIY cat sign for her, in cat you want to make one for your pet too!

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Materials Needed for DIY Cat Sign

Glowforge Aura Machine

Proofgrade Plywood

Gorilla Tape

Spray Paint (I used black and pink)

Finishing Protective Paint

Drill and Screws

Outdoor Cat House

So obviously before we talk about making the DIY cat sign, I need to talk about this outdoor cat house! It was an amazing purchase off of Amazon! I love how cute and adorable it is.

Since Charlie is an outdoor cat, we wanted her to have some kind of shelter from rain and things. And this one is not an eyesore at all. It actually looks super cute next to our house.

It’s a two story house that can actually fit 3-4 cats in it. So if you’re looking for a cute outdoor cat house, you should definitely consider this one. Plus, it was super easy to put together too!

And I love that it has a little porch area to it as well. She often sits out there on it as she likes to see what’s going on outside too!

Design The Sign

It shouldn’t come to a shock to you that I used my Glowforge Aura machine for this project. I know you can tell I am obsessed with it, since I have been making so many projects with it here lately. But, I just can’t help myself! It is so perfect to create custom name signs like this.

And, of course, even if you don’t have a cat, you can definitely follow all these steps to create a custom name sign for whatever pet you may have! Dog, cat, rabbit, you name it! To make the sign, I just opened the Glowforge App on my computer and picked out a font I liked.

I also measured the space above the outdoor cat house to see how much room I would have to make the sign. It ended up measuring 10″ by 4″. So I just drew out a rectangle in that size and made the settings to where it would cut it out.

Then, using the font I chose, I wrote out her name “Charlie” and positioned it to where it would fit inside the rectangle. The font name I used was “Pacifico” and I thought it was perfect because I wanted something that looked like it was handwritten.

To make it even cuter, I decided to add in some cat clip art. You can search for any kind of image when you’re in the Glowforge App and there are plenty to choose from! I found a heart with a cat cut out to it, and knew it would look perfect next to her name!

Print Out The Sign

Once you have the design made, you are ready to print! Printing is the most fun part when it comes to Glowforge machines in my opinion! It’s so fun to sit back and watch the machine do it’s magic!

I used a sheet of Proofgrade Light Walnut Plywood for this project. But, since I was planning on spray painting it once it was done, it didn’t really matter what color or kind of proofgrade material I was using.

Once it is done printing, you will need to remove the masking tape. To do this easily, I just use a piece of Gorilla Tape and it peels right off!

Painting The DIY Cat Sign

After all the masking tape is off, you can now paint your sign! I prefer to use spray paint for this because it makes it quick and easy. But you can also hand paint it as well if you like that better.

If hand painting, I always recommend Fusion Mineral Paint! And if y’all have been around here long enough, you definitely know that too!

I just used an old piece of cardboard and went out into the yard to paint the sign. I painted the back part of the sign black, and painted her name in a cute pink color. To keep the dot part of the “i” from blowing everywhere when spray painting it, I just taped it down to the cardboard instead.

Let the sign fully dry and then you want to add a protective layer to it to finish it up. Especially since it will be outside! I used Minwax Polyacrylic Finish Spray for this. I will link it below for you too!

Installing The Sign

Once the finishing spray is dry, the sign is complete and ready to be installed onto the cat house! My hubby just used his drill and some screws for this and installed right above the porch area to the house.

But first, you need to glue the letters onto the backing of the sign. To do this, I used the B-7000 Glue. I like using this glue for signs like this (such as my Hi Pumpkin Sign) because you can still move it around after you glue it.

It doesn’t set up automatically like superglue. So if you make a mistake, you can still adjust it!

So easy and simple! I love how the sign gives her house more personality and it just looks so cute! I’m definitely known to be extra with my cats. Even the indoor ones have their very own cat room, so it just made sense to give Charlie that too outside!

Let me know what you think of this cute DIY cat sign below! And let me know if you’re super extra with your pets too like I am! Please let me know I am not the only one! Pets are just the best, aren’t they?!