juco, Flickr
Create A Cardboard Tower
Your cat will climb, stalk, and explore in this entertainment tower. When kitty seems to get bored with it, simply rearrange the boxes for a new and stimulating experience.
1. Take three to five heavy cardboard boxes in various sizes and shapes.
2. Arrange the boxes to build a tower making sure to put the largest boxes at the bottom. The boxes should be heavy enough and arranged so they will be stable when the cat is playing.
3. Decide where you want to put openings. Be sure that they are large enough for the cat to enter and crawl through and situated so the cat can move through the boxes from bottom to top and back again.
4. Cut openings with a utility knife. .
5. Check that the openings line up as planned and secure boxes with sturdy tape.
Build a Bag Tunnel
Turn those shopping bags into a paper passageway that is sure to occupy and entertain your furry friend.
1. Take three to five paper shopping bags of various sizes and shapes.
2. Determine orientation of each bag to make the tunnel. Consider turning bags upright, sideways, or upside down.
3. Use scissors to cut an opening in the bottom or side of each bag.
4. Check that bag openings line up as desired and use sturdy tape to secure bags into a tunnel.
Fill a Bag With Fun
For even more easy entertainment using shopping bags, add an array of safe household items to a specially altered sack and then let your cat explore.
1. Take a large paper shopping bag.
2. Use a hole puncher to make holes at the top of the bag.
3. String twine through holes to "sew up" one side of the bag top (cutting excess twine off). Leave enough room in the opening for kitty to squeeze inside the bag.
4. Fill the bag with items such as: spent masking tape roll or spool of thread, wad of newspaper or tissue paper or anything else your cat can safely paw.
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Great ideas for entertaining your cat but please, PLEASE do not leave your cat alone with string, yarn or any other such object, or give them access to these things in a space in which you can't see them (I'm thinking inside the bag tunnel).
My cat recently swallowed about 8 inches of elastic string (the type commonly attached to badges or name tags from conference type events) because I left it out where he could access it and I wasn't watching him. I had NO idea the type of problems that this could cause. The string, which could easily be ANY string such as those found on the majority of cat toys and also yarn, becomes something called a linear foreign body and basically sits in their stomachs, preventing other food from getting through. When the stomach attempts to push the string into the colon, the string goes through in a bunched up wad. As the colon pulls it along the various twists and turns in the cat's intestine, the string is pulled taught, straightens out and basically cuts through everything in its way like razor wire.
Luckily I was pretty sure of what had happened right after it happened (I found my badge with significantly less elastic string that it had previously) and the vet was able to catch it before it straightened out in the colon, and surgically remove it. But it still cost my kitty a traumatic stomach and intestinal surgery and caught me $3,000. If I hadn't known what was going on or couldn't afford the surgery (or if I hadn't had a vet who would finance me to help me with it, thanks SPCA!) my guy would have died.
And don't forget to cut off the handles of the bags, especially the plastic ones so they don't get caught.
You and your guy are so lucky. My best friend wasn't so lucky. She was always so careful, but she had someone staying with her for a while who didn't know such things. They didn't find out Tiny had swallowed some thread until it was too late. Even kitties need loving supervision.
Thanks for sharing this with me. My cat constantly finds that elastic stuff and eats it. I will be sure to be careful for now on around the house. I guess I am lucky he has not had any problems.
I saw a genius idea for the empty litter containers - the plastic ones - cut out the bottoms, piece them together for however long you want them and then make a kitty dragon - put holes in the sides as well so that if you have to reach in and get a shy kitty, you can reach without having to take them all apart. You can use non-toxic paint to make designs on the sides - this can be hung on sturdy shelf racks if you choose to hang it, or, leave the 'dragon' on the floor. That way you recycle - these are the 40 lb. or so tubs - hope you can visualize it! make sure the edges are smooth where you cut them.
I never knew about how dangerous string/yarn was for cats either until my mom's best friends cat had to be put down because it ate so much string it was woven in it's intestines. So very sad. I always make sure the toys with string are put away before leaving them alone. And Pat Lukes, you are very correct about the bag handles. My little guy Buddi was snopping around a bday bag and got his head stuck in the handle, it freaked him out so he made it worst on himself. Thank goodness I was there!!
I have made play houses for my neighbor who had stray cats in a room to stimulate them and they just loved them....Just get sturdy boxes and arrange them so the cats can go in and jump up to another level,make another turn to come out I would throw new cat mice in it ,too.I cut doorways like a tunnel to each area....They think they're in a hiding place.....I just used packaging tape to keep it together or tuck tape.....I wouldn't use strings on anything...I have a cat addicted to ribbon and sting...I have to watch him....dental floss,pony tail bands,rubber bands....all bad for cats...........
You have to watch the 20 lb.litter containers that have the small neck opening. One of my kittens got his head hung in it. I accidently left the empty container next to the litter box and as kittens do he stuck his head in it and could not get it out. I cut open the container to let him get some air until I could get my neighbor to help cut the heavy molded neck to free his head.
Yes, please remover handles on bags. My cat was playing around a large plastic bag, that looked like the big grocery bags with handles, and got it around his neck. It was flapping on his back as he ran all through the house really early on morning. On his second trip through our bedroom as he ran under the bed, banging his head/body off the bed box spring, my husband turn on the lights as he ran under, then turned to me and said "Salem's in a bag". I leaned and looked under my bed and he was sitting their panting with his head and paws in sight. I said " He's not in a bag" and my husband assured me he thought he was. I waited until he came out from under the bed and I saw the bag hanging around his neck and flapping off his back. Luckily he wasn't hurt, but the sound of plastic walmart bags scare him to death. He wasn't physically hurt but he was mentally/emotionally traumatized.
I once wondered why my cats behind glittered as she walked. Turned out she
ate a piece of tinsel off the xmas tree. Luckily she poohed it out with out a
problem. Last time I used tinsel
A spool of thread or other stringy items are unsafe and should not be used. They can be ingested or your cat can get tangled in them. Do not use!
About eleven years ago, I got really ambitious and cut an old dresser in half and made a cat gym out of it. I put small carpet floor mats all over the outside for scratching and turned around a drawer with no front, removed a side, and fastened in in place for a little cave.I used an odd piece to make a step halfway up, and it became a playground. I used full size nails so they wouldn't come out. Just make sure no nails are poking through. I cut off the end piece of the unwanted portion and nailed it back onto the shortened unit to make it a narrower version of the original dresser. Leave the front drawer supports in for added interest and support. It took nearly ten years for one cat to claw through the front support LOL. I have to replace it with a dowel.
These ideas are dangerous, and I strongly suggest (more like demand!) that this site pull the story. I no longer leave paper, cardboard, or plastic within reach of my cats because they chew it and eat it. This sort of stuff results in stomach obstructions which can result in death if not diagnosed and caught early enough. I'm painfully aware of this because it is how I lost a cat. Twine? My sisters cat nearly died from chewing off a shoelace from her sneaker (yes, expensive surgery to remove the shoelace from his intestine was necessary).
No SPOOL of THREAD!!!!
Your cat could ingest it and shred their intestines! I had a cat get into my sewing basket and ate some thread. I got emergency surgery for her and she went into shock afterwards and died. I still feel awful about it, 15 years later.
Yes, rubber bands are also dangereous, I didn't know that until one day my cat was meowing a lot, and she is usually very quiet. I didn't know what was the matter with her, until I started petting her and realized that something was sticking out of her "end", turned out it was a rubber band. My cat was fine, I just started putting things like that away from her and being more cautious, sometimes our pets are like kids, just want to get into everything.
Good suggestions about the boxes, I'll have to do that, my cat absolutely loves boxes.
I have to watch my cat around plastic bags. She is constantly licking and trying to eat them. While I didn't know they could cause obstructions, I was thinking that plasctic can't be safe to eat because of all the chemicals in it.