Has your cat or dog seemed bored around the house recently? You don't need to break the bank buying state-of-the-art pet toys. If you have a few cardboard boxes, you can easily make your pet a play tunnel.
Step 1
You don’t need to impress your cat with a fancy or elaborate tunnel. You can do something as simple as cut two cat-sized holes in either side of a cardboard box to give them something to crawl through. To give your cat more space to explore, connect several “tunnel” boxes end to end, making sure that the holes on each line up and connect. Tape the boxes together to make sure they stay in place when your cat is playing inside.
Step 2
Your dog play tunnel really doesn’t need to be much different from the one for a cat, but if you have a larger dog, you can remove the tops and bottoms of cardboard boxes and lay them on their sides instead of cutting small holes. Connect multiple boxes so that dogs have a longer tunnel to run through, but don’t add any unexpected twists and turns that your dog might run into. You should put something heavy in the center of the tunnel so that a rambunctious dog doesn’t tip it over.
Step 3
If you have the space, you can elevate your play tunnel on a sturdy base. Test the base by pushing down to make sure it will hold, and don’t just stack cardboard boxes as these can collapse. An elevated base will allow your pets the fun of jumping into the tunnel, and it’s great practice if you’re interested in training your dog to complete an agility course.
Step 4
For cats, consider adding a large hole in the “roof” of the tunnel so that they cannot only run through the space, they can leap out of it. Use your scissors to cut a large rectangular opening in the side of the cardboard box facing up, and make sure that the space is large enough so your cat can get out easily.
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Writer Bio
Juliana Weiss-Roessler has been writing since 2000. She worked as the head of the Web content department for the star of an Emmy-nominated reality series. Her ghostwriting has appeared in "PARADE" and "People." Weiss-Roessler is a blogger for Resumark and an editor for Pink Raygun. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Florida.