How to Make a DIY Cardboard Cat Hut

Cats and DIY cardboard boxes are a match made in heaven: besides being a safe and cosy place for them to sleep (which they do for up to 20 hours a day!), your cat’s natural instinct is to seek out confined spaces like cardboard boxes. Back in the day, this would serve as both a place for them to hide from predators as well as stealthily stalk their prey.

Make your cat truly feel at home with some of these easy cardboard cat house ideas:

Add a blanket or cushion to line the bottom.

Taking an upright cardboard box with the bottom intact, seal the bottom with some tape or glue. Make sure the seal is in place, then add an inexpensive pillow, old blanket or even wrapping paper (for some extra rustle) that you’ve had lying around to the base.

Cut some windows for your cat to peer out from.

Lay your cardboard box completely flat on the ground. Using a pen or marker, draw the shape of a window or door large enough for your cat to squeeze through. With a box cutter, cut around the outline you’ve just created and voila!

Wrap the box in a t-shirt.

Now’s the perfect time to make use of that old t-shirt you never wear anymore. With the box upright, seal all the sides with glue or tape and cut out one of the “walls” or sides out using a box cutter or scissors. Take your t-shirt (it should be one large enough to fix your cardboard box inside it) pull the shirt over the box, tucking the sleeves in against the box. Align the neck-hole of the t-shirt to the same side as the empty wall, so that your cat can pop in and out through the neck-hole as it pleases. To “seal” the t-shirt, staple the ends together at the back.

Incorporate their favourite toys!

You can attach one of their favourite dangling toys to the doorway or opening of the house as some extra entertainment. For a simpler option, throw a ball of yarn or your kitty’s favourite small toy into the box to keep them entertained inside. You can also station their scratching post right next to the box, leaving them to go back and forth as they please.