DIY toy guide
DIY 'Sniffari' Herb Enrichment Box
A shallow box of cat-safe scents for a nose-led exploring session
Scent is a cat's richest sense, yet indoor cats rarely get new smells to investigate. This shallow box of cat-safe herbs and scented objects gives the nose a workout — a calm, sniff-driven kind of enrichment.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time
- 30 min
- Cost
- £0–£10
🧺 You will need
- A shallow cardboard box or tray
- A selection of cat-safe scents: dried catnip, silvervine, valerian root, dried chamomile, a little cat grass
- Small fabric pouches or muslin squares and string, or clean jam-jar lids
- A few interesting-but-safe objects: a clean cork, a pinecone, a crumpled paper ball
- Optional: a scattering of treats
🔧 How to make it
- Line the shallow box or tray so it is comfortable to nose around in.
- Fill several small fabric pouches with different cat-safe herbs — catnip, silvervine, valerian, chamomile — and knot them shut.
- Arrange the scented pouches around the box along with a few safe textured objects like a cork or a pinecone.
- Tuck a couple of treats among the items so investigating the smells is rewarded.
- Set the box down in a calm space and let your cat explore it at its own pace, without interference.
- Rotate the scents every few sessions to keep the experience novel, and store the pouches in a sealed tub between uses to preserve the aroma.
💡 Tips
Not every cat responds to catnip, so include silvervine and valerian too — many catnip-immune cats react strongly to those instead. Keep sessions short and let the cat lead; this is meant to be a relaxed 'sniffari', not a rowdy play session.
Safety: Use only cat-safe plants and herbs — many common houseplants and essential oils are toxic, so never add those. Keep herb pouches sewn or knotted shut so the loose contents cannot be eaten in quantity, remove any object small enough to swallow, and supervise. Introduce potent herbs like valerian sparingly.
📝 Notes
Scent enrichment is deeply calming and often overlooked in favour of chase toys. For anxious, elderly or less mobile cats especially, a quiet sniffari box offers stimulation without the physical demands of active play.