Design*Sponge » Blog Archive » diy project: recycled cardboard kitty pad

in honor of a brand new year, the common ‘material’ for this month’s projects will be a theme: new year’s resolutions! we all make them, we all break them, but you have to try right? this week’s resolution is “waste not, want not”. every few months i purchase my cat a scratch pad from trader joe’s and he loves it…but if you look closely, it’s just a box full of corrugated cardboard! why spend the money when i can use all my old shipping boxes (from december’s online gifting spree) to make him a stylish scratch pad for free? it’s still completely recyclable, but a bit more personalized and made with love. happy crafting! -kate

p.s. i apologize to any non-cat owner’s for the cat-centric nature of this post!

click here for the full project or just click “read more” below.

Recycled Cardboard Kitty Pad

What You’ll Need:

1. cardboard boxes (all sizes, all kinds, at least 5 medium size boxes)
2. masking tape
3. exacto blade and ruler
4. scrap paper, felt, or fabric
5. decorative paper or fabric

Instructions:

1. Choose a height for the pad (mine is 4″)
2. Measure and cut your cardboard in identical width strips. Cut so that the ridges in the cardboard are going horizontally across the strips.
3. Start rolling the cardboard in your hands and bending at each corrugation, the cardboard will start to curl naturally.
4. Tightly wind one strip into a circle and tape closed. This will be the core of your round.
5. Add a new piece and secure with two pieces of masking tape. Choose which side will be the top and make sure that side is always even. It is less important if the other side is slightly uneven, it will still sit properly and the top will look perfect.
6. Keep adding! Tape each piece right next to the end of the last piece and keep the coiling tight.

7. Cut your pretty paper and wrap it around the outside. Tape to close.
8. Trace onto the scrap fabric or paper and cut out the circle. Tape or glue to the bottom so that if you choose to put catnip in it it won’t spill through.
9. Put on the ground, sprinkle on catnip, and watch as hilarious cat antics ensue.
VOILA!

OMG. My cats love tearing up cardboard and I always buy those pricey refills for the round scratchy toys. BUT! not anymore, I sell Avon too so I always have a supply of boxes this will be a great reuse before recycling project. Thanks so much!!

i love this! keep the cat posts and diy projects coming! some cat toys and furniture are SOO expensive so this is a great alternative. I notice that cool, design-oriented hip people often have cats- it’s because they’re the coolest.

Yay! This is great. I’m tired of the cat discrimination that goes on in most pet places–why are dog collars, toys, etc. almost always WAY cuter (and more to choose from) than the cat choices!?! Thanks for this great post!

the form between these two projects is pretty different.

if you’re going to draw comparisons between any modern cat scratcher made with corrugated cardboard you may want want to start getting upset about the similarities between these pieces as well.

-http://kittypod.com/

-http://www.designpublic.com/shop/marmalade-pet-care/10083

modern cat scratchers made from corrugated cardboard have been popular for a while. corrugated cardboard is an easy, cheap and effective material to work with.

grace

I, too, have always thought I should be making my own, and thank you for the easy instructions. I think I won’t put a bottom on mine, though, so I can turn it over when it’s torn through and get a second life out of the thing! (That or make an easily removable bottom circle.)

What a fabulous idea! I like that I can paint the side and make it pretty enough to work in my house. The cats are taking over around here, 4 cats and a puppy, way too many! But I love ‘em all.
~Misti

You rock. Thanks for posting instructions on how to do this, because I too purchase the TJ’s one and often had the same thoughts, but never really carried them through to a proper conclusion. Now I feel prepared to tackle this DIY dilemma!

My cat was adopted and declawed by his previous owner. He doesn’t need to scratch, but he LOVES sitting on things (pedestals). I think he is going to fall in love with me all over again when I make this for him!

As a girl on a never-ending quest for practical (and affordable!) DIY projects, I SO appreciate this contribution. My cat needs as many play spaces as possible, or the excess energy gets taken out directly on the furniture. This is attractive, super-easy, and virtually free. Many thanks!

Dangit! I just recycled a bunch of boxes a few days ago, and I have 3 cats who LOVE cardboard scratchers. And I love putting catnip on the scratchers and watching them go wild. Good times. I will definitely hang onto some boxes to make this.

Love it!!!

You posted this the same day I brought home my first cat. I was at the store looking at scratching blocks thinking “Um? Isn’t this cardboard? Why must I pay for cardboard when I go out of my way to recycle the stuff?” So I’m glad you showed me how to do it on my own! Thank you!

my cat used to get so excited when I received a package…he would cry and paw at the contents until I removed it so he could get in! He was like”oh boy, somebody sent us a box”… wish I had had this idea too…

Made one today. took awhile and I would suggest using a rolling pin or a bat or something to help crease/roll the cardboard. pix on flickr! mine was only about 2-3″ high and I used abou 3 boxes to make it 10″ diameter

This is great. I always thought I should just figure out how to make one of these rather than spend the money on them. And since I’m moving in two weeks, I’ll have plenty of extra cardboard on hand.

You know, I did this a few years ago for my cat with a slightly different design, but I could never get the cardboard pieces to stay in – my cat would always pull them out and make a huge mess. Maybe I’ll try this design and see if it works better. If your cats are really determined to pull out the cardboard the commercially made ones are at least really well stuck!

Thanks for the great craft idea. My wife and I spent a couple of hours today putting this together, as per your instructions. Made for a great project, since we’re snowed in today. Came out great – and our cat Bella loves it! Go to our Flickr feed to see pics – http://www.flickr.com/photos/brandongerena/

My sister-in-law sent me your blog and I was poking around when I should be working and came across this… we just got two kittens not too long ago and I hate how ugly a lot of the scratching pads are… I LOVE THIS!! And, we buy everything from Amazon so we have SOOO many boxes! This is awesome. Thanks!

i do these an easier way. i just cut strips the same rectangular shape, and stack them with a bit of glue between. then i wrap/glue a pretty piece of paper around the outside. it’s not round, but it’s just as effective, and it takes WAY less time than making round ones. (which i USED to do, before my friend Jen bought a rectangular scratch-boardthing at petco.)

easy peasy! and no rolling required.

~melly

omg! duh! Why on earth didn’t i think of that? We have scratching posts like this one except shorter and they fit into a plastic mold that has a ball they can bat around in a “canal” that goes around it. They can destroy the cardboard in them within a matter of weeks (or just a few days if we add fresh catnip). Oftentimes they go without for long periods of time because they quickly destroy them, literally yanking out the center and tearing the rest apart.. then we don’t have the time/money to go by replacements.

I’m staring at your picture slapping my forehead.. “Duh! Duh!! How did I not see this??” :)

Thank you!

What I am going to do is make a rectangular one and place in front the litterbox. My cat has a tiny litter alcove, but manages to get the stuff everywhere. Hopefully this will force him to wipe his feet after use.

My cats go nuts for the cheapo cardboard scratchers, so I had to try this project out. We have two Maine Coon cats, and one of them is pretty sizable. So I ended up going big and making one big enough for them both to fit on. As soon as I set it down they went right to it and now it’s their favorite place to hang.

Here’s the pics:
http://blikum.com/photo/gallery/Recycled-Cat-Scratcher

Thanks for the great idea!!!

This is great. So simple.
I have a question about putting it together. Is it made with concentric rings (like the trunk of a tree) or do you just keep adding strips with tape and wind it like a spiral?

I have 3 boxes left over from moving house. They were kindly given to me by my friends at http://www.onlinepackagingshop.co.uk so i am going to make my Kitty.

Why is it when ever my kids open their Christmas presents they end up playing with the boxes more?

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