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How to Build Your Own Pet Car Seat Booster

| Updated September 26, 2017

Things You'll Need

  • Tape measure

  • Sponge or styrofoam block

  • Scissors or knife

  • Quilted fabric (about a yard)

  • Straight pins

  • Glue gun

  • Fabric glue sticks

  • Adhesive hook and loop tape

Many pet car seats consist of a fleece or sheepskin bucket-like contraption with a hollow steel frame. The car seat is strapped into the automotive seat by using the seatbelt. If you have a small- to medium-sized pet, your car seat sits too low on the seat for the animal to see through the window. By building a booster to insert beneath the pet car seat, you can elevate the car seat to the right height for your pet’s viewing pleasure.

Measure the length and the width of the pet car seat. Add 2 inches to each measurement. These modified measurements are the length and width required for your booster.

Put your car seat into the automotive seat. Place your pet into the car seat. Measure the distance from your pet’s eyes to the window. This measurement is the depth required for your booster.

Measure and cut sponge or styrofoam according to the modified length and width measurements from step 1, and according to the depth measurement from step 2.

Place quilted fabric onto a table with the wrong side up. Center the foam on top of the fabric. Fold the width sides of the fabric over the top of the foam and completely cover it. Cut away the excess fabric, leaving an extra inch on each fabric end. Fold the raw edges of the fabric under. Pin the fabric to the foam.

Fold the length sides of the fabric over the top of the fabric-covered foam. Cut the fabric to the depth measurement plus 1 inch on each length side. Fold the raw fabric edge under. Position the folded edge on top of the fabric already pinned onto the foam. Push pins through the fabric layers and into the foam. If there is too much bulk at the four corners, cut a triangle from the fabric at each corner.

Unpin the fabric. Using a glue gun, glue the width sides of the fabric onto the foam. Squirt glue over the foam. Press fabric onto the glue.

Fold the raw fabric edge under as you did in step 6. Squirt glue on the fabric already glued onto the sponge, and beneath the folded edges of the length sides. Press fabric onto the glue.

Turn the booster over. Place the booster on your automotive seat. Using the length and width measurements of your pet car seat from step 1, cut two continuous strips of adhesive hook and loop tape.

Remove the backing, and press the hook strips beneath the pet car seat. Press the loop strips onto the booster top.

Place the pet car seat on top of the booster, pressing the hook and loop tape together. Install the car seat into your automotive seat.