How to Make a Play Cocoon for Your Cat

How much cardboard does a household see in a year’s time? Well, that’s hard to say, but for the average house, it’s quite a lot. There’s lots of things you can do with cardboard, rather than throw it out, including making a play cocoon for your kitten or cat. Your pet will love the little playhouse which costs next to nothing to build.

Using spray adhesive will make it easy to build the cocoon and will ensure that the cardboard stays together. The spray-on glue can be found at any hardware store. Thick, corrugated cardboard will work best and will hold up for a long period of time. You can do the project all in one sitting – if you have enough cardboard – or you can make the cocoon over a period of time, adding more cardboard pieces when you can.

The shape of an armadillo is the design to keep in mind. The cardboard pieces will be aligned to form that particular shape. You’ll do this by cutting cardboard pieces into a shape which is rounded at the top, straight across at the bottom. In the center of each cardboard piece you’ll cut out a circle which will allow the cat to climb all the way through the cocoon. The cardboard pieces will vary in size but the hole will remain the same size on each piece of cardboard.

Start by spraying the adhesive on one side of a shaped piece of cardboard. Attach the second piece to it, aligning the holes. Make a pattern to use on each piece of cardboard so that the holes align even if one piece of cardboard is larger than the other. It’s very important that the straight bottom pieces all align with each other, and that the holes align with each other as well.

Start with a fairly small piece of cardboard then have each piece get slightly taller and taller until you’ve reached the center of the cocoon, then the cardboard pieces should diminish in size until they are small again, just like on the opposite end. Make the cocoon as large or small, as long or short, as you want.

When the cocoon is completely assembled you can add cut-outs so that you can dangle yarn and other temptations through the hole, into the cocoon. Use a sharp knife to cut holes in the top or sides of the cardboard. You can paint the cardboard if you’d like or further decorate it by gluing yarn with bells or other things to the outside – or the inside.

Your cat will have hours – years – of fun in his little cocoon playhouse. Save cardboard from packages and purchases and the cost of the glue will be your only expense for this project. You’ll have lots of fun making the cocoon and your cat will love you even more – if that’s possible – than he or she did before.