DIY toy guide
Linked Cardboard-Box Train
A row of boxes joined into a peek-through tunnel-train of dens
Three or four cardboard boxes lined up nose-to-tail, with archways cut between them, become a long connected 'train' of hidey-holes your cat can run through, ambush from and nap inside.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time
- 30 min
- Cost
- £0 (recycled boxes)
🧺 You will need
- 3–4 cardboard boxes of a similar height
- A craft knife or sturdy scissors
- Parcel tape
- A pen for marking archways
- Optional: a blanket or old towel for the last carriage
🔧 How to make it
- Line the boxes up in a row, open-top or with the top flaps folded in, all facing the same way.
- On the touching walls between each pair of boxes, mark and cut a rounded archway big enough for your cat to pass through comfortably.
- Butt the boxes together so the archways line up into one continuous tunnel and tape them firmly at the seams.
- Smooth or fold down any sharp cut edges and cover them with a strip of tape so nothing scratches.
- Cut a couple of small peep-holes in the outer side walls so paws can shoot through mid-chase.
- Line the end box with a soft blanket to make it the cosy 'sleeper carriage' and sprinkle a little catnip to draw your cat in.
💡 Tips
Set the train along a wall or under a table for extra security, and dangle a wand toy at one end to send your cat racing through. Rearranging the boxes into an L-shape or a loop every so often keeps it feeling brand new.
Safety: Remove any staples, tape gun spikes or plastic handles from the boxes, and round off every cut edge so there is nothing to catch an eye or paw. Skip boxes that held cleaning products or strong-smelling chemicals, and never fully seal your cat inside — every carriage must stay open enough to leave freely.
📝 Notes
Boxes cost nothing and tap straight into a cat's love of enclosed, defensible spaces. A connected run of them gives an indoor cat a whole little territory to patrol, hide in and pounce from, turning recycling into genuine enrichment.