A Box is a Wondrous Thing (DIY Cat Toys)

Member Name: Plumptious

Product:	DIY Cat Toys
Date:	10/05/01 (342 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap, Versatile, Fun

Disadvantages: Untidy, Not as polished as commercially produced versions

A Box is a Wondrous Thing.


The delivery man’s just been. A brand new parcel is deposited on the table.

First to come off are the plastic straps adhering tightly to it. When placed on the ground, they spring about a bit before settling down. They’re fun for chasing for about 10 minutes, but they’re rather unwieldy, and best left for to the dogs, who love chewing them.


Sometimes, the box disgorges an interesting and edible cargo. However, this isn’t a certainty. Anyhow, the best bit’s about to happen.

Slowly, the box is lowered onto the floor. Someone is then selected to be placed in it.
You are then left with the option of either joining the other cats simply watching politely, or clambering into the box yourself.


The inside of the box is nice and dark. Its highly defined space hugs you, keeping you safe. You may feel the urge to start purring at this point, if you haven’t already.

Should the box have other holes in it, you may stick your hand through the hole. This can be exciting. There’s simply no telling if there will be a mouse on the other side.


Boxes are also superbly useful if placed at the side of the bath.
Lots of exciting things happen in the bath. The tap may be dripping, or the whole thing may be completely full of water. The human attendant may be in there, and worth a sniff and a lick, as it smells different then.

They still talk about Sparky’s first visit to the bathtub. He’d always been so nervous of it, poor thing. Everyone else had been visiting it for months, chasing the drips scurrying out of the tap.

One day, he took the plunge. Literally. With one mighty leap, he bounded from the floor into the bath.
Unfortunately, it was one of the rare times when it was nearly full of water.
There was the most dreadful screech, and he bounded out again. No one knows quit
e how he did it without being totally soaked, and he refuses to discuss it.

Anyhow, that’s why a box is especially appreciated at the side of the bath. It makes for a very handy ladder.


On a serious note, care should be taken with cats and especially kittens with things such as running baths. Like all mammalian young, they possess a talent for being attracted to all things dangerous whilst lacking the ability to get themselves out of situations.

Boxes and box lids are nearly all very attractive to cats. When new ones appear in my house, an investigative team appears.
The older cats are not so overtly interested, but within 24 hours, everyone will probably have had a session in the new box. Some boxes are more popular than others.

Humans may instinctively opt for pristine boxes, but a tattered box is actually more interesting to a feline. If it has holes in it, then they are a very definite plus point. I am constantly entertained by my younger cats fighting through a tiny rip in a box, one cat on the inside, and one on the outside. This happens with paper bags too. IKEA paper bags are just the right size.


A cat sized box full of polystyrene chips or paper balls is great fun. But if you suspect that your cat is one with a tendency to ingest such things, then best avoided.
Large paper bins are fun too, but it’s a household rule that no one is allowed to sit in one.

Place cat toys and ping pong balls in an old tissue box. Old toys will suddenly prove irresistible then. It’s amazing, but they will get them out eventually.

Have you ever noticed the boxes of crisps in newsagents? The ones with a circular hole in front? They’re ideal as boxes which are too big simply don’t have that “hug” factor for a cat.
One thing you can do is to paint them in various colours, and then stack them like children’s building blocks. With an old ju
mper or towel in each, they should prove quite popular.
But before you do this, do a test run with unpainted boxes before spending all that time painting. Cat fashions, as you probably know, are notoriously difficult to keep up with.


I do like using old boxes as they do really seem to appreciate variety. A few favoured boxes are retained, but I am unable to always predict which ones will “take”

Some cat playstations consist of boxes stacked atop one another with scratchposts. They can be quite fun, and the scratchposts are a definite plus.
However, you may notice a slight drop in interest in these deluxe box towers after a while. Try moving it around, or rearranging it if possible. Add a soft rag in any of the nesting areas. It may rejuvenate interest in your £200 investment in your furry overlords.


Oh yes, a box is wondrous thing.



This opinion is a birthday present to a fellow DooYooer, to whom I promised an empty box as a present.

May I name you? Doo yoo like it?
I told Emma Onono that I'd send the scratch squad round if you didn't.

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