DIY toy guide
Paper Bag Hideout & Ambush Den
The cheapest enrichment in the house, done properly
A paper grocery bag with the handles cut off makes a crinkly, private den for hiding, ambushing and sleeping — and costs nothing at all.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time
- 2 minutes
- Cost
- Free
🧺 You will need
- 1 paper grocery bag (no plastic coating or foil lining)
- Scissors
- Optional: a sprinkle of dried catnip or silvervine, or a small toy
🔧 How to make it
- Cut the handles off the bag completely. This is the single most important step — a cat that puts its head through a handle can panic and injure itself.
- Check the bag for staples, metal fasteners or plastic film and remove them.
- Open the bag out and stand it on its base, or lay it on its side and roll the opening down a little so it stays propped open.
- Optionally sprinkle a pinch of catnip or silvervine inside, or drop in a favourite small toy.
- Place the bag somewhere your cat already likes to rest — beside a sofa or in a quiet corner rather than in the middle of a busy room.
- Leave your cat to discover it. Resist the urge to push the cat inside; the appeal is that entering was its own idea.
💡 Tips
Two bags placed a few metres apart turn a hideout into a game, as cats move between them and ambush each other in passing. Dragging a wand toy past the opening reliably triggers a pounce from inside. Replace the bag as soon as it is flattened or torn — the crinkle is a large part of the attraction.
Safety: Handles must always be cut off. Never use plastic bags, which pose a suffocation risk and which some cats will chew and swallow, and avoid bags that have held raw meat, cleaning products or anything scented.
📝 Notes
Recycle and replace freely. This is a good first enrichment project for a newly adopted or nervous cat, since a private, enclosed space is exactly what a cat settling into a new home wants most.