DIY Cat Enrichment Cardboard Cat House With Crochet Kitty Catnip Toys
Depending on how you found this post, you may already know that enrichment is one of my all-time favorite things to talk about! I started with my dog enrichment ideas section and then realized, you know what, I really need to add a cat enrichment section on my blog because cats are SO underserved in today’s day and age!
A few months back, I discovered a really cool cat toy brand that has become one of our newest favorites, Crochet Kitty. I even got to meet the founder, Abbie and she was so cool! Crochet Kitty has some of the coolest and funniest cat toy designs I’ve ever seen and they really inspired me to make a super cool DIY cat enrichment idea using their catnip toys.
In this post, I’ll be sharing all about Crochet Kitty and a really cool DIY cat enrichment idea (all my crafters are going to LOVE it!) for anyone wondering how to keep their indoor cats entertained.
P.S. There may be a BONUS cat enrichment idea included so definitely stick around til’ the end!
About Crochet Kitty Cat Toys
I discovered Crochet Kitty toys at the Global Pet Expo in 2024 and had the best time with the owner, Abbie. Not only did I learn about the story of Crochet Kitty and why she founded her company, but I also learned about her fashion background, which really shows in all of her creative and fun catnip toy designs!
Abbie created her company after a super scary cat toy incident with her cat Chandler. She had gotten him a new mouse cat toy since he always loved toys and came home one day to a horrible find. He had destroyed the toy, but all over the floor were rocks. Can you imagine if he had eaten any of them? Being a cat and dog owner, I’m always trying to prevent my pets from inhaling anything dangerous, and after coming home to my fair share of unwanted surprises, I would’ve been as horrified as Abbie to have found a ton of rocks inside of a cat toy.
Since that day, Abbie has made it her mission to create rock-free, safe cat toys that cats all around the world have enjoyed! Crochet Kitty has catnip toys, cat toys without catnip, and helps many rescue groups and shelters through donations all over the US.
We have a ton of Crochet Kitty toys (we’re kind of obsessed, ha!):
- Crinkle and Catnip Record Cat Mat
- Baguette Cat Toy
- Catnip Kickin’ Sticks Twin Pack
- Guitar Cat Toy
- Meowsical Catnip Cassette Tape Catnip Toy
- Meowsical Catnip and Silvervine CD Cat Toy
- Sushi Cat Toy
- Tuna Fish Sandwich Catnip Toy
- Purr Bears Twin Pack Catnip Toy
If I had to pick Colonel Mustard’s favorite it would definitely be the Crinkle catnip record cat mat or the Sushi cat toy. I have some videos of him going HARD with the record cat mat, ha! For Butler, it would probably be the Catnip Kickin Sticks because he loves to carry them around during fetch time.
DIY Cat Enrichment Idea: DIY Cardboard Cat House
Something I never knew growing up was that cats can get bored too and that you need to provide mental stimulation for cats, just like you do for dogs. Indoor cats that aren’t able to constantly hunt and use all of their natural instincts need to be entertained to keep them happy and healthy. Just like with dogs, you don’t have to spend a ton of money to create fun things to do with cats!
This DIY cat enrichment idea was inspired by the musical themed Crochet Kitty cat toys that I shared above and the many cardboard cat houses I kept finding on Chewy and other pet retailers. We’re going to make our very own DIY Cardboard Cat House with a fun twist…ours is going to look like a music studio!
For this DIY cardboard cat house you’ll need only a few things:
- At least 2 cardboard boxes
- Box cutter
- Ribbon
- Hot glue gun
- Packing tape (I got clear)
- Crochet Kitty cat toys (we have all the musical ones: Guitar Cat Toy, Crinkle and Catnip Record Cat Mat, Meowsical Catnip Cassette Tape Catnip Toy, Meowsical Catnip and Silvervine CD Cat Toy)
- Crinkle ball cat toy (one of my cats’ favorite toys and I usually get a 12 pack on Amazon for $7)
- Black & silver acrylic paint (small containers is all you need. I got each for like $1 at Joann’s!)
- Music themed wrapping paper (I got a fun four pack on Amazon!)
Everything in this DIY cardboard cat house is fully customizable and you can do more or less than what I’ve created. Check out my helpful YouTube video below to get a step-by-step tutorial of how to make this fun music themed cat house!
Remember how I said there might be a bonus cat enrichment idea? Surprise, there is! I had so much fun creating my music studio DIY cardboard cat house, that I decided to do another one that was inspired by the food-themed Crochet Kitty catnip toys.
We always joke in our house that Colonel Mustard’s dream jobs are a chef, food blogger, taste tester or food critic since he’s the biggest foodie in the house, ha! Since he loves food so much, and I got such a variety of fun food-themed catnip toys from Crochet Kitty, I made him his very own buffet restaurant DIY cardboard cat house, inspired by one of the most famous buffet chains in the US, Golden Corral. Only I named mine, Golden Colonel, ha!
Check out the photos below from this super easy DIY cardboard cat house and get the full step-by-step tutorial in my YouTube video below the photos.
Weren’t these cat enrichment ideas fun? I know we all get so busy at times with everything life throws at us, but being able to take some time and just do fun things with your cat like this are so worth it and so much fun. Plus, they provide a ton of mental stimulation for your cat which is such a win win!
If you loved learning more about Crochet Kitty, definitely check out all of their purrfect catnip toys. I still want so many more like their Otter catnip toy (I LOVE otters!) and Purrtato Chips crinkle catnip toys (she seriously has the best puns and I am here for it, ha!).
Definitely check out more posts below from my cat owner tips section to discover the coolest cat product reviews, cat enrichment ideas, and so much more:
- Portable Cat Enclosure Tent Review
- The Navigator Cat Backpack Carrier Review
- Simply Paws Design Cat Litter Box Ramp Review
- Leo’s Loo Too Review: Electric Smart Cat Litter Box
Plus, join my pawesome community below by signing up for my newsletter to see the coolest cat products and cat enrichment ideas before anyone else!
Photography: Kate Kelley Collection