T-shirt box tent for cats: how to play

A cardboard box lined with an old jumper is already a safe, private place for your cat to rest, hide behind and sit in. This game adds a daily play session with toys that let your cat stalk, chase, pounce and kick around the box.

Time: 10 min
Energy: Medium
Space: Small room

You'll need

sturdy cardboard box
old jumper
old cotton t-shirt
assorted cat toys

Set up

Pick a sturdy cardboard box and put it in a quiet corner, away from noisy people and other pets. Have a few different cat toys to hand.

How to play

Set the box in a quiet corner where your cat can rest away from the busyness of the house.
Stretch an old cotton t-shirt over the open box and turn the neck hole to the front as a small entryway.
Line the inside with an old jumper to make it extra comfy.
Leave the tent out and let your cat find it. They can sit in it, climb on it, chew it or hide behind it, as the mood takes them.
Play with your cat using toys that let them stalk, chase, pounce and kick. The box gives them somewhere to hide and watch from.
Switch the toys from time to time so they seem new and more interesting to your cat.
If you turn the box on its side, it also works as an elevated place for your cat to sit and watch the room.

House rules

Leave the box out rather than tidying it away, and let your cat use it in their own time.
Switch the toys from time to time so they seem new and more interesting.
When you have tired your cat out, store toys that could harm them out of reach.

Make it easier: Leave the box out and let your cat decide when to use it. Not every cat goes in straight away.
Make it harder: Add a second box turned on its side nearby, so your cat has an elevated place to sit and watch the room as well as a den to hide in.

Signs it's having fun

Sitting in the box, climbing on it, chewing it, or hiding behind it, as the mood takes them.

Stop if you see

Your cat ignores the tent. Leave it out and let them come back to it when they choose.

Safety

When you cannot be there to supervise, leave out "toys" such as paper bags (with the handles removed) or cardboard boxes.
When you have tired your cat out, store toys that could harm them (such as toys with strings attached) out of reach.
Never put your cat in the tent or hold the entryway shut. They choose when to go in.

Sources

Written from these sources and checked against vet and trainer guidance. General guidance, not veterinary advice.

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