DIY toy guide

Cardboard Box Lookout Tower

Stack a few boxes into a peek-hole tower a cat can climb and spy from

A handful of cardboard boxes taped into a short, sturdy tower — with windows cut in the sides — gives an indoor cat height, hiding spots and a lookout post, all from packaging you were about to recycle.

Difficulty
Easy
Time
20 minutes
Cost
Free

🧺 You will need

  • Three or four sturdy cardboard boxes of similar size
  • Packing tape
  • A box cutter or scissors (for the adult, not the cat)
  • Optional: an old towel or fleece to line the top box

🔧 How to make it

  1. Flatten and re-tape the base of each box so it holds its shape and takes a cat’s weight.
  2. Cut a large round or arched "window" in one or two sides of each box so a cat can see out and climb through.
  3. Stack the boxes and tape them firmly together, staggering the windows so they line up into a climbable route.
  4. Cut a doorway low down so your cat can get inside the base, and line the top box with a soft towel for a lookout bed.
  5. Set the tower against a wall or in a corner for stability and let your cat explore it in their own time.

💡 Tips

Cats love height and enclosed vantage points, and a tower like this delivers both — a place to hide, climb and survey the room from above. Placing it by a window turns the top box into a front-row seat for bird-watching. Rub a little catnip inside or pop a treat in the top to encourage the first climb.

Safety: Keep the tower low and wide enough that it cannot topple onto your cat, and tape all the flaps down so there are no gaps a leg could slip through. Use plain tape rather than staples, remove any plastic packaging, and replace the whole thing once it gets chewed, crushed or soggy.

📝 Notes

This is the ultimate use-what-you-have enrichment project: it costs nothing, takes minutes, and can be rebuilt bigger or differently whenever you get a new delivery. When it wears out, simply flatten it for recycling and build a fresh one.

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