Filing cabinet cat door: a litter box enclosure from a curb find

Why

Litter boxes are ugly, and every "furniture style" enclosure online costs more than the cat did. A two-drawer filing cabinet is the right size, has a lid that opens for cleaning, and shows up free on curbs constantly.

Steps

1. Pull both drawers and remove the drawer rails.
2. Mark a door on one side panel: about 8" wide and 9" tall, bottom edge 2" up from the cabinet floor.
3. Drill a starter hole in a corner, then cut the opening with a jigsaw and metal blade. Go slow.
4. File every cut edge until you can run a finger along it without catching. This is the step that matters.
5. Press rubber edge trim around the opening.
6. Slide the litter box in through the top and put the top drawer front back on as a lid.

What went wrong

I cut the door too close to the bottom the first time and the trim would not seat. Two inches of clearance fixed it. The cat ignored it for four days, then moved in permanently.