Box and paper-bag hideout
A cardboard box and a paper bag on the floor: somewhere to hide, ambush from and explore, for free.
What you need
- Cardboard box
- Paper bag (handles removed)
- Your pet's favorite toy — optional
- Plain packing paper or newspaper — optional
How to do it
- Put an open cardboard box on its side and a paper bag (handles cut off) on its side next to it.
- Drop a ping-pong ball or a favorite toy near the opening, or crumple a sheet of plain paper inside.
- Let your cat explore at their own pace. Many cats will hide, peek out and pounce.
- Swap the box or bag every few days, or move them to a new spot, so it feels new again.
⚠️ Safety
Supervision: Watch the first few times.
Use paper bags only, never plastic, and cut off the handles so your cat can't get a leg or head caught. Remove tape and staples from boxes. Cornell lists paper bags and cardboard boxes as cheap, entertaining toys.
👀 What to watch for
A cat who stays hidden in the box and won't come out for food may be stressed by something else in the home. That is a reason to give more hiding places, not fewer.
Try next
Cardboard reach feeder
A shoebox lid with toilet-roll tubes standing in it, kibble dropped into the tubes. Your cat fishes the food out with a paw.
Cat target training
Teach your cat to touch a chopstick with their nose. It is fun mental exercise and later helps with the carrier or the scale.
Kibble treasure hunt
Small portions of your cat's dry food hidden around the home, so a meal becomes a hunt.
Starting a cat on a puzzle feeder
Move part of your cat's dry food into a food puzzle, so they work for it as they would when hunting.
Toilet-roll slow feeder
A toilet-roll tube with holes cut along its side and kibble inside. Your cat bats it around and food drops out.
Toy rotation box
Keep most toys in a box and put out only a few at a time. Swapping them every few days makes old toys feel new.