DIY toy guide
Hanging Cardboard Swat Mobile
A dangling mobile of light cardboard shapes for batting practice
A few cardboard shapes hung on short strings from a stick make a swaying mobile that a cat can bat, spin and chase from below — self-resetting play that keeps a bored indoor cat busy.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time
- 20 min
- Cost
- £1 or less
🧺 You will need
- A stiff piece of cardboard for cutting shapes (fish, leaves, simple circles)
- Cotton string or thin ribbon
- A light stick, dowel or sturdy cardboard tube for the crossbar
- Scissors and a hole punch or skewer
- A little catnip or a crinkle of foil taped inside a shape, optional
🔧 How to make it
- Cut three or four simple shapes from the stiff cardboard, each about the size of a large coin or bigger so they are easy for a paw to hook.
- Punch a small hole near the top of each shape and thread a short length of string through it, tying it off.
- Tie the shapes to the stick or tube at different lengths so they hang at staggered heights and cannot easily tangle.
- Hang the crossbar somewhere the cat can reach from the floor or a perch — a door handle, a chair back or a low shelf edge — using more string.
- Give one shape a tap to set the mobile swaying and let the cat discover it; add a whiff of catnip if interest needs a nudge.
💡 Tips
- Hang it low enough for comfortable reaching but high enough that the cat has to stretch and jump a little.
- Vary the shapes and string lengths so the movement stays unpredictable.
- Take it down between sessions if your cat is a determined chewer of string.
Safety: String and ribbon are a serious swallowing hazard, so supervise play and never leave a cat alone with a dangling-string toy — take the mobile down or hang it out of reach when you are not watching. Use short lengths, tie them securely, and retire any shape that becomes chewed or soft enough to tear into swallowable pieces.
📝 Notes
A gently swaying, self-righting target is ideal for the bat-and-pounce part of the hunting sequence, and because it moves again at the lightest touch it rewards a cat for staying engaged. Hung at cat height it also encourages stretching and little leaps, adding a bit of exercise to the fun.