DIY toy guide
Cardboard Tube Catnip Cracker
A crimped kitchen-roll tube that rattles, rolls and releases catnip
Turn an empty kitchen-roll tube into a cracker-shaped batting toy: crimp the ends, fill it with catnip and a rustly treat, and it becomes a lightweight roller a cat can chase, paw and nose open.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time
- 10 minutes
- Cost
- Free
🧺 You will need
- 1 empty kitchen-roll or toilet-roll tube
- A pinch of dried catnip or silvervine
- A few dry kibble pieces or crinkly paper for sound
- Scissors
🔧 How to make it
- Sprinkle the catnip and a few kibble pieces inside the tube.
- Pinch one end of the tube flat and fold the corners in, cracker-style, to seal it.
- Do the same at the other end so the contents stay put but the tube can still be batted open with effort.
- Snip a couple of small slits or holes along the middle so the scent escapes and treats can eventually work free.
- Roll it across the floor to show your cat, then let them chase, pounce and pull it apart.
💡 Tips
- Leave one end only lightly folded for a cat that likes an easy win, or crimp both ends tightly for a real problem-solver.
- Use a fresh tube each time — once it is chewed soft, recycle it and make another.
Safety: Supervise play and remove any large softened or torn pieces of cardboard so they can't be swallowed. Skip this one for cats that habitually eat cardboard or paper.
📝 Notes
It joins two things cats love — a rolling, rattling object to hunt and a scent-and-treat reward to uncover — into a two-minute toy that costs nothing. The self-destructing design is a feature, not a flaw: shredding it is part of the enrichment.