Building a Cat House

After my dear friend Wednesday_Elf (Pat) emailed me with the link to a lens she was impressed with, I visited.

Build Your Own Cat House by sharpturn is a tutorial for, well, building a cat house.

I was immediately reminded of the "How-To" project from Professional Squids last month. Paula had challenged members to write a concise, easy to follow lens teaching the reader "how-to" do or make something and convert sales. The only difference is this lens doesn't sell anything. As a matter of fact, it is very green as sharpturn suggests using left over or found materials to complete the project. It is a near perfect example of a tutorial lens.

I love a lens that teaches me something, is well organized and is personal in some way. I write and read memoir and enjoy learning about other people. In the introduction, sharpturn tells the reader he will be teaching him/her how to build a cat house, inexpensively. That was the teaching part. The personal part comes to play in these three sentences from the introduction:

I wanted to design and build a home for an outdoor cat that belonged to a friend of mine. My friend loved her cat but didn't want to spend $50 on a pre-built cat house found in many pet stores. It is a lot of money to spend on a box made of plastic."

This did it for me. Especially during the holiday season, I love to read of small, selfless acts that help others. He wanted to help a friend save money and provide shelter for an outdoor animal. His motivation was pure and simple. By sharing this experience with us on Squidoo, he takes it a step further, teaching others.

The lens itself is easy to follow, with concise instructions and images for each step in the process. The layout is easy on the eye with its color scheme and the small cat borders add some whimsy. It is a simple vehicle that he uses to convey his message.

He says in the intro "you don't have to be a master carpenter or building designer" to build a cat house. From the comments left by others visiting the lens and this lensmasters perspective, it's true. This is one of the best how-to lenses I have found on Squidoo. From the tools and materials to the design and process of building, he is gently leading every step of the way.

You may not have a cat or need a cat house but I'm sure you can appreciate a job well done. Teaching, being a green project and helping a friend (and her cat) are all good reason to visit Build Your Own Cat House.

Image Credit: Jenny by byrdgirl13