Pool noodles are fun for kids enjoying a summer swim, but they’re also incredibly useful for DIY projects and creative solutions to problems around the home. They can even be used to make fun or helpful items for our cats.
If you have some pool noodles lying around, give some of these projects a try. They may make life easier or more fun for you and your kitty.
Here are seven life hacks for cats using pool noodles.
1. Cat Bed
This easy pet bed requires an old long-sleeved shirt, a pillow, one or two pool noodles, and some duct tape.
Place the pillow inside the body of the shirt and stick a pool noodle — or two noodles taped together if you’re making a larger bed — through the sleeves. Loop the noodle around and connect one end to the other.
Follow along with the video if it seems unclear. This bed can be used by cats or dogs.
2. Toy Stopper
We’ve all lost at least one cat toy underneath some furniture when our kitties started having a little too much fun. That’s an easy problem to solve with a pool noodle.
You can cut pool noodles to fit small gaps or tape a couple together for larger gaps. Block off any places that toys might slip into.
The great thing about them is that they’re easy to remove when your cat is done playing or if you don’t want to have pool noodles lying around when you have guests over.
3. Door Blocker
If you have a door in your house that tends to swing closed, your cat may end up locking themselves inside often. That might mean you have to get up and let them out or make sure those doors stay closed at all times, which can be inconvenient.
Instead, take a small section of a pool noodle, cut halfway through it lengthwise, and slide it over the edge of the door. This will prevent the door from closing all the way, and your kitty won’t get stuck inside.
The guy in the video above made a door blocker for his dog, but you can do the same for your cat, too.
4. Puzzle Feeder
If you’d like to give your cat a little mental stimulation, try using a small section of pool noodle and put some treats in the middle. Let your cat bat it around and spill the treats out.
This will slow them down when eating and be a little more fun for them. Providing a little challenge can reduce boredom and anxious behavior in cats.
Just make sure you take the noodle away when your cat’s not using it. If your cat likes to chew on the noodle, this might not be the right toy for them. The foam can cause problems if swallowed, so make sure it is only used for play time and throw it away if it starts to fall apart.
Use caution and good judgment.
5. Scratching Post
Cats need to scratch, and pool noodles can easily be converted into convenient scratching posts for your cat. The cat parent in the video above uses a metal pole, but you can also cut the noodle lengthwise and fit it around table legs, chairs, or other pieces of furniture.
Wrap sisal rope tightly around the noodle. You can glue it to make sure it stays in place, and your kitty will have a cool new scratching post.
Don’t worry if the noodle doesn’t wrap all the way around the furniture. It’s meant to be a soft buffer, and the rope should cover any gaps.
Follow along with the video for instructions.
6. Wall Protector
Sometimes kitty crates or litter boxes can have edges that stick out and rub against the wall. This can become a problem when cats get in and out of them or play in them, which might shake the crates and cause them to hit the walls and damage the paint.
Try cutting halfway through some pieces of a pool noodle lengthwise and slide them over the sides or protrusions of the crate or litter box.
Now when it rubs against the wall, the soft noodle will keep it from causing damage.
7. Cat Palace
If your cat wants more of a bird’s eye view of their domain, you can build a fun cat tower out of pool noodles and cardboard.
Cut up the pool noodle to use as supports and glue the pieces to a cardboard base. Use other sections of cardboard to make individual platforms for your kitty to climb to. You can make this as simple or elaborate as you want.
Check out what the guy in the video above did for some inspiration.
You can also combine this with the scratching post idea and line all the noodles with sisal rope. That way, kitty has something to scratch and climb.
Do you have any other clever uses of pool noodles for your cat? Do you ever save pool noodles to use for DIY projects? Let us know in the comments below!
