Simple Cat Toys: Cardboard and Paper

You can make simple cat toys from a sheet of plain paper, a suitable paper bag, or one cardboard box. The useful part is what the finished object lets your cat do: bat something across the floor, investigate a rustling space, or watch and pounce from beside a low edge.

Start with one project and see how your cat uses it. Keep every session supervised, remove the toy when you finish, and discard it when chewing, moisture, or damage changes its condition. Paper and cardboard are play materials for some cats; they are not safe chew toys or suitable choices for every cat.

The three projects below need no string, added glue, tape, staples, decorations, or food. Their simplicity makes them easier to inspect and replace, without turning a small craft project into a complicated structure.

Choose the Project Before Gathering Materials

Begin with a play behavior your cat already enjoys. A cat who bats objects may be interested in a paper ball. A cat who explores open spaces may investigate a prepared paper bag. A cat who likes watching movement from cover may use a low cardboard play box.

Cornell’s guidance on toys includes paper bags and cardboard boxes among inexpensive options, while emphasizing the hazards of detachable parts and the surrounding play area. A familiar household material still needs checking before it becomes a toy.

If your cat habitually eats paper, tears off cardboard and swallows it, or dismantles objects too quickly for you to interrupt safely, choose a different kind of toy. Making the same material thicker or watching more closely does not necessarily solve that problem. The broader guide to choosing safe toys for your cat can help you assess alternatives.

You do not need to make all three projects. One suitable object used comfortably is more useful than a collection your cat ignores or chews apart.

Screen the Paper and Cardboard First

Choose clean, dry, plain material whose previous use you know. Uncoated packing paper and a plain, intact cardboard box are easier to assess than decorative gift packaging with several hidden layers.

Avoid material with food grease, chemical residue, dampness, mold, strong odors, or an uncertain history. Do not try to wash questionable packaging into suitability. Select a different piece instead.

Keep the Materials Plain

For these projects, leave out glossy or laminated sheets, metallic wrapping, glitter, foil, plastic windows or linings, adhesive labels, and heavily decorated paper. This is a practical screening rule for simple construction, not a claim that every ink or coating has the same toxicity.

Remove packaging inserts, receipts, desiccant packets, plastic film, and other contents before you begin. Check the bottom and seams as well as the visible interior. A box that looks empty from above may still have a staple, loose label, or packing strip underneath.

Do not use shredded paper, thin paper strips, confetti, or a mixture of small scraps as filling. They make loose pieces harder to track and are unnecessary for these games. A paper ball should start as one substantial sheet, not as a collection of bits hidden inside another layer.

Reject Fasteners and Uncertain Seams

Check for staples, clips, string handles, elastic, packing straps, loose tape, and exposed adhesive. If removing a fastener leaves a ragged surface or weakens the object, use another piece of material.

These projects do not need new glue or tape. A product described as “non-toxic” does not establish that a glued joint, hardened bead, or loose patch is suitable for a cat to bite. Avoid adding a repair problem to something intended to be simple and replaceable.

For a bag or box with factory seams, check that they are intact and inaccessible to casual picking. Reject loose layers, lifting seams, exposed adhesive, or any construction you cannot assess. Your cat’s first attempt to pull at a seam is a reason to end that trial, not to reinforce it with more adhesive.

Set Up a Separate Making Area

Keep your cat away while you cut, trim, or remove packaging. A moving scissor blade, dangling offcut, or pile of discarded tape can attract attention before the toy is ready.

Work on a stable surface with appropriate scissors or a suitable cutting tool. Adults should handle cutting and check the finished edges. If children help, give them tasks such as choosing a plain sheet or crumpling the ball, then have an adult inspect the result.

Collect every offcut and removed fastener immediately. Put tools and waste away before bringing the finished toy to the cat. Do not leave a partly completed box on the floor where it may be explored without your knowledge.

Choose a play area at floor level with room to stop and turn. Keep rolling objects away from stairs, hot appliances, cords, unstable furniture, and gaps behind heavy equipment. Think about where a toy could travel after a hard swat, not just where you first place it.

Project 1: A Single-Sheet Paper Ball

A paper ball offers a lightweight object to watch, bat, and chase. Ohio State’s Indoor Pet Initiative includes crumpled paper balls among simple play options. The version here uses one plain sheet and no hidden filling or attached parts.

Make the Ball

Choose a sheet large enough to form a substantial ball without compressing it into a tiny, hard pellet. Lightly gather the paper inward, tuck the corners into the shape, and press just enough for it to hold together.

Aim for a rounded, slightly irregular object that rolls or skitters when nudged. It does not need to be perfectly spherical. Avoid sharp folded points and loose tails of paper sticking out.

Assess the finished size against your individual cat. It should be too large to swallow whole, while remaining light enough to move with a paw. There is no single safe diameter for every cat, and a large starting shape can become smaller through chewing or compression.

Test it on the floor before offering it. If it immediately opens into strips, sheds pieces, or collapses into a much smaller lump, remake it with a more suitable sheet or choose another project. Do not add tape, a rubber band, or an inner object to hold it together.

Introduce It With a Gentle Roll

Place the ball a comfortable distance away and let your cat notice it. If they show interest, roll it a short distance across their field of view rather than throwing it at their face or paws.

Pause after the movement. Watching before a pounce is part of play; you do not need to keep the ball moving constantly. Allow your cat to reach and bat it instead of snatching it away whenever they approach.

Keep your hands out of the chase. Wait until your cat has disengaged before retrieving the ball. If it rolls somewhere inaccessible, end the game and retrieve it safely yourself rather than encouraging your cat to squeeze after it.

Know When This Ball Is Finished

Retire the ball if it becomes wet, heavily compressed, torn, or small enough to raise a swallowing concern. End the session if your cat starts biting off pieces or settling down to chew it.

Do not hide worn paper inside a fresh outer layer. Make a new ball from one suitable sheet so its construction and condition remain easy to see.

Project 2: A Plain Paper Exploration Bag

A suitable paper bag can provide a rustling space to investigate. This project is for a cat who explores without eating the material and who can move in and out comfortably. Skip it if the sound or movement frightens your cat.

Prepare the Bag

Start with a plain, sturdy paper bag large enough for your cat to enter, turn, and leave without squeezing. Use one with no plastic lining or window. A bag made without handles is the simplest choice.

If the bag has handles, remove them completely, including loose attachment pieces. Do not merely cut each loop once and leave dangling lengths. If removal damages the mouth, exposes adhesive, or leaves uncertain seams, reject that bag.

Open the bag fully and inspect the interior and base. Lay it on its side with the mouth wide open. Check that it holds an accessible opening without clips, sticks, weights, or your hand propping it up.

Do not add small viewing holes or paw holes. An opening that a cat can push a head or limb into may not let them withdraw comfortably. If the bag cannot provide an uncomplicated entrance in its existing form, choose the open box instead.

Let Exploration Be the Game

Place the bag where you can see the opening and the cat’s movement. Leave clear space in front and around it. Let your cat approach and investigate voluntarily; do not put them inside, push from behind, or close the mouth around them.

The bag itself can be enough. You do not need to add food, small toys, paper scraps, or a surprise moving hand inside it. Never lift or carry the bag with the cat in it.

If your cat chooses to sit nearby instead of entering, let that be the extent of the trial. A cat does not need to crawl inside for you to learn that they prefer watching a new object from outside.

Stop if the Bag Changes Shape

Remove the bag if it folds around the cat, repeatedly collapses, catches a paw, or develops torn openings. Stay close enough to respond, without crowding the entrance or blocking retreat.

Do not crinkle, shake, or tap the bag while your cat is inside to provoke a reaction. If the cat bolts or becomes tense, give them space and end the session. A dramatic reaction is not evidence of enjoyable play.

Project 3: An Open Cardboard Play Box

This is one low box for looking around, stepping into, or batting a paper ball beside. It has an open top and a broad entry cut from the top edge, so there is no roof or enclosed window for a head to become wedged through.

It is not a climbing platform, tunnel network, or food puzzle. Keep the construction at floor level and use a box that remains stable without extra fasteners.

Choose and Prepare the Box

Select a plain box with enough floor space for your cat to stand and turn comfortably. A shallow box or tray with low sides is often easier to work with than a tall shipping carton.

Remove any separate lid. If there are top flaps, cut them off cleanly while the cat is elsewhere; do not fold them inward where they can spring back or catch a paw. Check the base and corners for loose layers or fasteners.

Choose one side for entry. Mark a broad opening that begins at the top edge and extends downward to a low threshold your cat can step over easily. Cut away that section completely, leaving no hinged flap. The remaining sides should still stand securely.

Round off projecting corners and trim rough edges. Run a hand carefully over the finished edges to find snags, but remember that this is only an initial check; claws and teeth can damage cardboard differently.

If the cut causes a side to buckle, layers to peel, or the base to separate, reject the box. Do not patch it with tape or add weights to keep it upright.

Try the Empty Box First

Set the box on a level, nonslip floor and let your cat investigate. Keep the entry and open top unobstructed. Do not position it beneath something that prevents the cat from leaving freely.

Watch the first entry and exit. Can your cat step through without catching a leg, dragging the box, or making an awkward jump? If access is difficult, take the box away before altering it. Make changes only with the cat elsewhere, then repeat the inspection.

A cat may sit inside, walk around it, or ignore it. Do not reach through the entrance to tickle paws or make your hand into hidden prey.

Add a Small Play Opportunity

If your cat is comfortable, roll the previously checked paper ball past the outside edge. The low side can briefly interrupt the view, creating an opportunity to watch and approach. Keep the ball reachable and pause so the cat can catch it.

You can also place the ball on the empty box floor for a cat who prefers stationary batting. Use one object so you can follow its condition and location. Do not fill the box with shredded packing material or cover the top to make the activity harder.

Stop if the box shifts, tips, tears, or becomes an object to gnaw. The project succeeds by supporting comfortable play, not by surviving increasingly forceful use.

Supervise the First Session—and Every Later One

Supervision means watching the interaction closely enough to notice a change and end it. Being elsewhere in the house, checking a camera occasionally, or leaving the toy beside your desk while concentrating on work does not provide the same observation.

Cats Protection’s play guidance advises against unattended access to toys that can be shredded and eaten or cause entanglement. Treat these homemade paper and cardboard projects as supervised activities and put them away afterward.

During a session, watch both the cat and the object. Voluntary approach, comfortable movement, brief batting, and the choice to walk away are useful information. Repeated retreat, frantic escape attempts, a caught claw, or chewing off pieces means the activity should stop.

Let the cat finish without a struggle over the toy. When they step away, remove it and check the floor. Do not tug an object from a biting cat or reach between an excited cat’s paws to rescue a disposable piece of paper.

Short play is enough. End while the interaction remains manageable rather than waiting for exhaustion or destruction. You can offer another suitable opportunity later.

Adapt Access Without Adding Complexity

For a cat with limited mobility, keep the ball’s movement short and slow and make the box threshold easy to cross. A stationary ball within comfortable reach may be more useful than a long chase. Avoid assuming that a cat who does not jump is uninterested.

For a cautious cat, introduce the object quietly and allow observation from a distance. The paper ball may be a gentler first trial than a noisy bag. Do not combine a new object with sudden movement, loud crinkling, and repeated invitations all at once.

Kittens require particular attention because their size and exploratory behavior differ from those of adult cats. Check access and swallowable pieces for the kitten you have now, then reassess as they grow. Smaller is not automatically better for a kitten’s toy.

In a multi-cat home, offer individual trials if one cat takes over, watches the entrance, or prevents another from approaching. A bag or small box should not become a contested space. You can make separate simple objects; there is no reason to force sharing.

If Your Cat Ignores or Chews the Project

If a toy is ignored, change one practical detail before abandoning it: offer it at a usual playtime, move to a quieter spot, or roll the ball more slowly. Then watch what happens. Do not decorate it with string or add scent, food, or small attachments to make it more exciting.

A cat may prefer a different play function. The paper-ball chaser may never enjoy entering a bag, while a box enthusiast may mostly use the box to watch the room. Accepting that preference keeps the project useful.

Chewing needs a different response from disinterest. Remove paper or cardboard when your cat begins tearing off or eating pieces. If that behavior is persistent or new, discuss it with your veterinarian instead of cycling through more disposable materials.

A broader, unexpected reduction in play, especially with altered movement, appetite, or behavior, also deserves veterinary attention. A craft project cannot establish why a cat has stopped doing something they normally enjoy.

Inspect, Store, or Discard After Play

Check the whole object after each session: the ball’s size and outer folds, the bag’s mouth and seams, or the box’s entry, corners, and base. Look for dampness, loose pieces, punctures that are becoming tears, peeled layers, and signs of chewing.

Discard anything that is soiled, wet, damaged, or uncertain. These simple absorbent projects are intended to be easy to replace. Do not soak them, spray them with cleaner, bake them dry, or cover a weakened area with a patch.

For other reusable toys that have suitable care instructions, How to Clean Cat Toys Safely covers material-specific cleaning and drying. Do not transfer a washable toy’s method to an improvised paper object.

Store an intact, dry project somewhere your cat cannot access it, without crushing it beneath other items. Check it again before reuse. Keeping a few suitable options is enough; toy rotation can provide variety without requiring constant new construction.

If Swallowing May Have Happened

If part of the toy is missing and your cat may have swallowed it, remove access and contact your veterinarian promptly. Keep the remaining material or a photograph so you can explain what is missing and when it happened.

Do not assume that paper will harmlessly dissolve or that the absence of immediate symptoms proves everything is fine. VCA’s guidance on swallowed objects explains that some ingested items can cause obstruction or injury and recommends contacting a veterinarian when ingestion is suspected. Follow professional advice rather than giving a home remedy or trying to make the cat vomit.

The goal is a simple, enjoyable opportunity to play: a suitable material, a clear space, an attentive person, and an object you are willing to retire. Your cat’s response determines whether that particular project belongs in the next session.

How to Make Simple Cat Toys From Cardboard and Paper