12 DIY Cardboard Cat Toys Your Feline Will Love (With Pictures)

Our cats love to play, but they can be somewhat picky about what they’ll play with. Instead of buying toys that your favorite feline may or may not like, why not create your own instead? This way, you save money, and your pet will have several new toys to try!

Making cat toys may sound challenging and overwhelming, but you’ll find that many are incredibly easy to make, whether you’re using a toilet paper roll or incorporating cardboard boxes into something cool and creative for your kitty. The plans here have different skill requirements, from beginner to advanced, so there’s sure to be something that you can make (even if you lack craftiness).

Keep reading to find a cardboard toy that your feline will have a blast with!

The 13 DIY Cardboard Cat Toys

1. Cardboard Mouse Cat toy by Instructables

This cardboard mouse is an excellent toy for your miniature predator. It’s simple to put together since it’s essentially a matter of “insert slot A into slot B.” You’ll begin by downloading the template on the site and taping it to your piece of cardboard. Then, it’s time to break out the X-acto blade to cut out your mouse shapes. After that, you’ll glue the cardboard pieces to hold them together when you finally insert slot A into slot B.

That’s all there is to this mouse! It should only take minutes to put together but will hopefully create hours of fun for your kitty.

2. Soda Box Whack-a-Mole Cat Toy by Cuteness

Although this cardboard cat toy will take longer to make than the last, it’s still relatively easy to assemble. Once you’ve gathered your supplies, you’ll cut holes into the soda box, stick in a support beam with the paper towel tube, and create a fun feathery stick to maneuver around the box to entice your kitty to play.

This may not be a toy your cat can play with alone, but playing together with your pet will strengthen your bond!

3. DIY Cat Food Puzzle by Food Puzzles for Cats

Felines are food-motivated, and your kitty will love this food puzzle, which takes minutes to make! You’ll take a toilet paper roll and cut a shape into one side (a hole, a diamond, a triangle, etc.). Then, toss in pieces of food or a few treats and fold them in the ends (put a piece of tape on them to help keep them closed if needed). That’s it!

Now, you can toss the food puzzle to your favorite cat and watch them engage in endless fun as they try to get the food or treats out!

4. DIY Catnip Toy by Darcy and Brian

This catnip toy is simple to make and will only take a few minutes. You only need to put glue on the outside of the cardboard, then roll it around in catnip. Once the catnip has dried on the tube, wrap it in yarn until the catnip has been covered entirely (you’ll likely need to employ a bit of glue here).

After that, you can throw it to your cat and watch them go wild over it!

5. Mouse Cat Toys by PetDIYs

Yep, it’s another cardboard mouse! This one is a bit more involved than the previous one, but it’s simple to put together. You need to cut out several small circles of varying sizes from the cardboard, then cut out the tiny mouse ears. When you’ve finished that, you’ll poke a hole in the center of the circles and thread the rope through to connect them. Tie the ends of the rope with a knot, and you’ll have a mouse!

6. Cardboard Cat Play Box by Charleston Crafted

Felines love batting at things, so this play box should be a hit! If you have children, this is a cat toy you can invite them to help make. First, you’ll tape up the box and cut out the sides. Next, you’ll add holes at the top of the box to hang things. Finally, let those creative juices flow and create all sorts of fun, dangly items for your kitty to play with! String up some feathers or make fun shapes out of pipe cleaner, whatever strikes your fancy.

This play box should provide hours of fun for your favorite feline!

7. 2-Minute DIY Toy by Thrifty Jinxy

As the name indicates, this cardboard cat toy takes only minutes to make! If you have several empty toilet paper rolls, you can make a few at a time in less than 10 minutes. All you need to do is cut your tube into a few rings and then shape them into a sphere. You can add glue to hold the rings together if you’d like, but your cats might have more fun figuring out how to take the rings apart. Experiment to see which they enjoy more!

8. Whack-a-Mole Cat Toy Game by Joeyful Dog and Cat

This whack-a-mole game is a bit more challenging than the previous one on this list, but with a lot of measuring and patience, you should have a toy your cat adores. This cardboard cat toy will entertain your kitty, and you’ll have loads of fun watching your pet. Just ensure that the cardboard you use is sturdy because your feline will jump on top of it at some point.

Even though it’s a bit harder than the last project, you’ll be able to follow along step-by-step with the video tutorial.

9. Interactive Kitten Box by Jonasek the Cat

This interactive kitten box looks like it would be moderately challenging to accomplish, but it’s not. Following the video tutorial, you’ll find you only need to put tape around your box, then cut out some fun shapes, including one large enough for your ball to fit through. Place the ball inside, and you’re done!

This toy is so simple, yet it will keep your kitten entertained for hours.

10. DIY Cardboard Ball Toy by Instructables

All you have to do to create this ball is cut out a bunch of same-size circles and glue them together. It really couldn’t be easier. Once the glue is dry, you’ll probably need to shape the toy into more of a ball, but then it’s ready to hand over to your favorite feline. They’ll love rolling this around, playing fetch, and even sharpening their nails on it!

11. Box Fort for Cats by Kitty Cat Chronicles

You’d think a fort would be more challenging to make, but with this plan, it’s a breeze! You’ll need to develop a design for your fort and cut out door holes that match each other. Once that’s finished, you can tape your boxes together into a nifty area where your cat can wander around and play.

This project will likely end up being large, so ensure that you have the space for it before you begin.

12. DIY Mega Puzzle Toy by Cat Lessons

You’ll need to save up a lot of toilet paper rolls for this one, but once you’ve managed that, you’ll quickly assemble a fun and engaging puzzle toy! It’s time-consuming since you will be gluing several cardboard tubes together, but your pet will love it. Once you have everything glued together, add a few treats to the insides of some of the tubes. Then, sit back and watch your cat figure out where all the treats are!

Conclusion

Cat toys can get expensive, especially if your cat is picky about what they play with or uses them briefly before ditching them altogether. So, why not make a few quick, easy cardboard cat toys for your furry friend? With these plans, you can create a good variety of cat toys, no matter your skill level, and pretty soon, your kitty will have more toys than they know what to do with!

Read Next:

• Awesome DIY Cardboard Box Cat Beds
• DIY Projects to Make for Your Cat

Featured Image Credit: ginkoveyka, Freepik