DIY toy guide
Cardboard Box Maze
An entire adventure playground from your recycling bin
Connect multiple cardboard boxes into an interconnected maze with hideouts, tunnels, and treat stations. Endlessly reconfigurable.
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Time
- 20–30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
🧺 You will need
- 3–6 cardboard boxes of varying sizes
- Box cutter or strong scissors
- Packing tape
- Crinkle paper or tissue paper (optional filling)
- Small treats to hide inside
- Catnip (optional)
🔧 How to make it
- Select a range of box sizes. Larger boxes become "rooms"; smaller ones become tunnels connecting them.
- Cut circular or rectangular holes in the sides of each box — approximately 15–20 cm diameter, large enough for your cat to pass through comfortably.
- Align the holes between adjacent boxes and tape them together firmly at the connection point.
- Fill some compartments with crinkle paper, a worn item of your clothing (for scent comfort), or a small cat bed.
- Hide treats inside various chambers to encourage exploration.
- Sprinkle a small amount of catnip in one or two sections for extra appeal.
- Leave the top flaps open or taped shut depending on whether you want your cat to be able to look down into the maze.
💡 Tips
Cut some holes at elevated positions too — cats love entering at floor level and emerging from above. Add a feather wand through a hole to create ambush opportunities. Rebuild the maze in a new configuration every week to reset novelty.
Safety: Avoid boxes that previously held chemicals or food with strong residue. Ensure holes are smooth-edged — fold the cardboard back and tape the edges to prevent cuts.
📝 Notes
Replace the maze every 2–3 weeks or when the cardboard gets soft. Cats enjoy shredding cardboard, so degradation is normal and expected.