DIY toy guide
Cardboard Peek-a-Boo Flap Box
A closed box with cut flaps a cat can peer, paw and pounce through
A sealed cardboard box with a few flap-covered windows cut in the sides becomes a peek-a-boo den. Your cat sits inside and swats at a wand teased past the flaps, or watches the room through the gaps — an ambush hideout that doubles as a play station.
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Time
- 20 minutes
- Cost
- Low
🧺 You will need
- A medium sturdy cardboard box with a lid or closing flaps
- A craft knife or scissors
- Tape
- A wand toy or a favourite ball
🔧 How to make it
- Tape the bottom of the box shut and close the top so it holds a firm cave shape.
- Draw three or four windows on the sides, each a little wider than a cat's paw, and cut three sides of each so it opens as a hinged flap.
- Fold the flaps back and forth a few times so they hang loosely, then smooth any rough edges with tape.
- Cut one larger doorway low on one side so your cat can climb in and out easily.
- Let your cat settle inside, then tease a wand toy past the flap windows so they can paw and pounce at it from cover.
💡 Tips
- Vary the height of the windows so some suit sitting and some suit a lying-down ambush.
- Move the wand slowly and let it 'disappear' behind the cardboard to keep the hunt exciting.
Safety: Tape over every cut edge so nothing is sharp, and keep windows big enough that a paw slides in and out freely and cannot get wedged. Supervise cats that chew cardboard and replace the box once it is gnawed or crushed.
📝 Notes
Peering and swatting from inside a den lets a cat rehearse the watch-and-ambush sequence of real hunting from a place that feels safe, combining a secure hideout with active, paw-led play in one recycled box.