DIY toy guide
Cardboard Cat Café Playhouse
Two boxes joined into a two-room house with doorways and a window
Join two boxes into a connected two-room hideout with arched doorways and a peek-out window — a playhouse that doubles as an ambush den and a nap spot.
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Time
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
🧺 You will need
- Two medium cardboard boxes of similar height
- A box cutter or strong scissors
- Non-toxic tape
- A pencil
- Optional: pet-safe non-toxic paint or paper to decorate
🔧 How to make it
- Cut the top flaps off both boxes.
- Stand the boxes side by side and cut a cat-sized arched doorway through the shared wall so the two rooms connect.
- Cut a round window in one outer wall at cat-eye height for light and peeking.
- Cut a second low doorway in another wall — cats settle better in a den with two exits.
- Tape the boxes firmly together and smooth or fold over every cut edge.
- Decorate the outside if you like, let any paint dry and off-gas fully, then drop a blanket into one room.
💡 Tips
Two exits stop a cat feeling cornered and double the ambush fun. Position the window so your cat can watch the room from inside.
Safety: Remove all staples and keep tape on the outside where a cat cannot chew or lick adhesive. Use only non-toxic, pet-safe paint and let it dry completely before letting your cat in.
📝 Notes
When it gets tatty, recycle it and build another — cheap novelty is the whole point.