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10 Best Cardboard Cat Furniture Products in 2024 – Reviews & Top Picks

Written by: Christian Adams

Last Updated on January 31, 2024 by Catster Editorial Team

cat in a cardboard box

10 Best Cardboard Cat Furniture Products in 2024 – Reviews & Top Picks

cat in a cardboard box

When it comes to the furniture you buy for your cats, you want to be sure you’re getting the best. That’s why we love cat furniture made of cardboard. Cardboard is fabulous because it’s versatile and lends itself to a range of beloved cat activities, such as scratching, climbing, and chilling in hidey holes. Another plus? Cardboard is recyclable, making it eco-friendly.

However, there are so many types of cardboard furniture out there that it can be hard to comb through all the information and decide what’s worth your hard-earned dollars. We’ve got you covered with reviews of the 10 best cat furniture products available so that you can pick the best item for your cat and they can live their best kitty life!

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A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites in 2024

Image Product Details
Best Overall
Winner
Hepper Hi-Lo Cat Scracther Hepper Hi-Lo Cat Scracther
  • Beautifully designed
  • Choice of three different angles
  • Sturdy plywood frame
  • Best Value
    Second place
    ASPCA Cat House & Scratcher ASPCA Cat House & Scratcher
  • Super cute
  • Easily stored
  • Different sized homes for all sizes of kitties
  • Third place
    Furhaven Cat Scratchers Medieval Castle Playground Furhaven Cat Scratchers Medieval Castle Playground
  • Multi-level
  • Double-walled for durability
  • Comes with detachable toys
  • Furhaven Cat Scratchers Townhouse Playground Furhaven Cat Scratchers Townhouse Playground
  • Comes with toys
  • Made more durable
  • Plenty of places to scratch
  • ScratchMe Cat Condo ScratchMe Cat Condo
  • Easy assemble
  • Reasonably priced
  • Great reviews
  • The 10 Best Cardboard Cat Furniture Products

    1. Hepper Hi-Lo Cat Scratcher – Best Overall

    grey-cat-using-hepper-hi-lo-cat-scratcher-from-side

    Scratchability High
    Comes With Catnip No
    Reversible Yes
    Assembly Required Yes

    The best cardboard cat furniture doesn’t just blend into your decor; it adds something instead. That’s why we picked Hepper’s Hi-Lo Scratcher as our best overall pick. The beautiful and practical design will look great in your home while providing your cat with plenty of exercise and fun.

    This durable scratcher features a glossy plywood frame and tough laminated cardboard that can handle your cat’s most intense scratching sessions. It can also be used in three different positions to allow your cat to stretch out. Best of all, Hepper offers replacement cardboard so you can keep the fun rolling!

    This scratcher isn’t the most budget-friendly option on our list, but it does offer excellent value. This combination of design, durability, and fun for your cat is hard to beat.

    At Catster.com, we’ve admired Hepper for many years and decided to take a controlling ownership interest so that we could benefit from the outstanding designs of this cool cat company!

    Pros
    • Beautifully designed
    • Choice of three different angles
    • Sturdy plywood frame
    • Laminated cardboard with available replacements
    • Great value
    Cons
    • Only comes in one color

    2. ASPCA Cat House & Scratcher – Best Value

    ASPCA Cat House & Scratcher

    Scratchability Medium
    Comes With Catnip Yes
    Reversible No
    Assembly Required Yes

    This product is the best cardboard cat furniture product for the money. It offers an adorable house for your kitty to hide away in for long naps, along with a replaceable scratch pad they can use to keep their nails nice and neat. While some assembly is required, according to users, it’s a breeze.

    This house has plenty of rave reviews and comes in lots of designs, including circus tent and Halloween spooky cabin, making them super cute. Best of all, if it’s going to be in the way when people are over, you can just collapse it and store it away.

    Pros
    • Super cute design
    • Easily stored
    • Different-sized homes for all sizes of kitties
    Cons
    • Reports of cardboard having a strong odor
    • Reports of collapsed houses after being chewed on

    3. Furhaven Cat Scratchers Medieval Castle Playground – Premium Choice

    Furhaven Cat Scratchers with Catnip

    Scratchability High
    Comes With Catnip Yes
    Reversible No
    Assembly Required Yes

    If fancy-schmancy is your thing, this medieval castle playground is perfect. It includes four levels with plenty of windows to peek (or jump) out of, has tons of space to scratch, includes plenty of lounging room, and comes with detachable toys for extra fun. The outside of the castle is blank, so you and your family can decorate it however you’d like. The cardboard is double-walled to make it more durable, and the playground is made of non-toxic glue and 90% recycled materials. Despite all the levels and extras, it’s fairly easy to assemble.

    This one is the most expensive on the list with all it offers, but if you have several cats (or just one who loves to climb), this would be a great fit.

    Pros
    • Multi-level
    • Double-walled for durability
    • Comes with detachable toys
    Cons
    • More expensive than others
    • Reports of assembly instructions being incorrect

    4. Furhaven Cat Scratchers Townhouse Playground

    Furhaven Cat Scratchers

    Scratchability High
    Comes With Catnip Yes
    Reversible No
    Assembly Required Yes

    Made by the same company as the medieval playground, this is similar but smaller and less expensive. This piece of furniture has two levels with scratching pads on the outside and inside — vertical and horizontal. Double-walled for added durability and made from recycled paper products and virgin wood pulp, this townhouse is excellent for kitties who love to hide away for naps. It comes with a hanging fish and a mouse on a spring for extra entertainment.

    This product comes with a 90-day warranty and may be eligible for the company’s 60-day Worry Free program.

    Pros
    • On the smaller side
    • Comes with toys
    • Made more durable with double walling
    • Plenty of places to scratch
    Cons
    • Reports of incorrect assembly instructions
    • Didn’t interest some cats

    5. ScratchMe Cat Condo

    ScratchMe Cat Condo Scratcher Post Cardboard

    Scratchability Medium
    Comes With Catnip No
    Reversible No
    Assembly Required Yes

    If you’re in the market for a piece of cat furniture that’s relatively simple, this cat condo is just the thing! Adorably shaped like a milk carton, this condo enables your cat to hide away and scratch to their heart’s content. Built with corrugated cardboard made of five layers, this condo has great reviews from cat parents. Assembly is super easy (just put in the scratchpad and close the top of the box up!), and the condo is small enough to fit nicely into a corner of your home.

    This furniture item is one of the least expensive on the list and is great for kitties of all sizes!

    Pros
    • Easy assembly
    • Reasonably priced
    • Great reviews
    Cons
    • On the smaller side
    • Some cats just weren’t interested in it

    6. Way Basics Premium Cat Scratcher Lounge Cube

    ScratchMe Cat Condo Scratcher Post Cardboard

    Scratchability Medium-High
    Comes With Catnip No
    Reversible Yes
    Assembly Required Yes

    Short on space in your home? Then this cube-shaped lounge is precisely what you’re looking for! Claiming to last five times longer than other cat scratchers, this cube offers scratching surfaces inside and out for your cat’s needs. Small enough to fit in a tiny spot, you can also get more than one and stack them to make a kitty tower. Putting it together is a breeze with just a few adhesive strips and easy-align pins.

    This product is eco-friendly and free of formaldehyde and VOC. They also guarantee they won’t be polluting the air in your living space with any chemicals.

    Pros
    • Safe for kitty and the environment
    • Stackability
    • Takes up little space
    Cons
    • Some people reported the size as too small for their cats
    • A few complaints of holes for the pins not lining up

    7. ScratchMe Round Cat Scratching Lounge Bed

    ScratchMe Cat Scratcher Post & Board

    Scratchability High
    Comes With Catnip Yes
    Reversible No
    Assembly Required No

    This lounge bed cat scratcher is another option for those who don’t have room for large cat furniture. Its unique triangle shape is small enough to slide easily into some out of the way spot. The shape also allows your pet to scratch both horizontally and vertically, making it easier for them to stretch out their muscles, plus they’ll love crawling inside to sleep. Made with non-toxic cornstarch glue and 100% recycled cardboard, this fun lounge is safe for your cat to bite or chew on. Also, it’s easy to set up since no assembly is required!

    Pros
    • Unique shape
    • Plenty of scratching surface
    • Ability to scratch horizontally and vertically
    Cons
    • Some cats wouldn’t go near it
    • A couple of reports of product arriving damaged

    8. ScratchMe Boat Shape Cat Bed

    ScratchMe Boat Shape Cat Scratcher Cardboard

    Scratchability Medium
    Comes With Catnip Yes
    Reversible No
    Assembly Required No

    Cats love to be lazy, so why not get your favorite feline a bed that doubles as a scratcher? This boat-shaped bed is fabulous for both play and sleep. It offers plenty of horizontal scratching area and is comfy for your cat’s lounging time.

    Made with 100% recycled materials, this product has five layers of corrugated paper, making it more difficult for your cat to tear it up. All materials are also tested to international safety standards. This bed is super cute and able to blend in well with your home’s decor.

    Pros
    • Both a scratching place and bed
    • Cute design
    • Won’t take up a lot of space
    Cons
    • Reports of cardboard dust falling through the bottom when cats use scratcher
    • Reports of product being unstable
    • Smaller than it appears online

    9. TOUCH-LOVFIN Cat Scratcher Bed

    TOUCH-LOVFIN Cat Scratcher Cardboard

    Scratchability High
    Comes With Catnip Yes
    Reversible No
    Assembly Required No

    This cat bed is a bit more sophisticated than the last with its sleek design. With armrests and a backrest, it’s made to fit your kitty’s body and their napping needs. Plus, the scratchboard comes with organic catnip just in case your cat needs extra enticement.

    This product is made of 100% recycled materials, along with cornstarch glue, so it’s safe for your pet to bite and chew on as well if that’s their thing. It also comes with a 3-month warranty, just in case your pet doesn’t love it.

    Pros
    • Great design
    • 3-month warranty
    • Cats seem to love it
    Cons
    • Some people complained about the smell of the product

    10. Suck UK DJ Deck

    Suck UK Interactive Cat Toys

    Scratchability Low
    Comes With Catnip No
    Reversible No
    Assembly Required Yes

    This product is admittedly more cute than functional, but if you’re looking for a unique cardboard cat furniture product to entertain your cat, this is perfect! With a “record” that spins as your cat scratches at it and a posable arm for them to bat about, this novel product should provide plenty of fun for both them and you.

    Made of durable cardboard, this DJ deck comes with easy illustrated instructions that make putting it together and setting it up a breeze. Just fold together the pieces and let your cat have at it!

    Pros
    • Unique product
    • Fun for kitty and you
    Cons
    • Price high for what it is
    • Complaints of cardboard tearing easily

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    Buyer’s Guide: Choosing the Best Cardboard Cat Furniture

    What Are the Benefits of Cat Furniture?

    Providing cat furniture for your felines offers benefits not just to them but to you as well. The most beneficial part for you, the pet owner, is saving your own furniture from kitty claws that want to scratch incessantly. For your cat, having their own furniture allows them to do what their instincts are telling them to without getting yelled at. Cat furniture also allows your kitty to relieve stress and enables them to give their muscles a good stretch, as well as have their own territory they can explore and claim.

    Other benefits include giving cats the ability to sneak away into small spaces to nap and hide and to have the ability to be up high where they can get a good look at their surroundings — things our feline friends love to do.

    ScratchMe Cat Scratcher Post & Board

    Why Use Cardboard Cat Furniture Products?

    Cardboard materials are incredibly versatile. Your cat can scratch or bite, stretch or climb, play or lounge — with cardboard they can do it all! Cardboard is also eco-friendly for those concerned about the environment. Often companies use recycled materials to make products, plus you can recycle your cat furniture when all is said and done. Cardboard cat furniture products also tend to be cheaper than ones made of other materials since cardboard is less expensive to use.

    As we’re sure you’ve noticed, cats love cardboard boxes. There are assorted reasons for that, but one of the biggest is that cardboard makes for good insulation, which means it lends itself to warmth and coziness for your kitty. To cats, spaces made from cardboard are dark, comfy little beds perfect for catching up on a few zzz’s.

    Cardboard also provides your kitty with the perfect texture for scratching due to its rough and bark-like texture.

    PetFusion Ultimate Cat Scratcher Lounge_Amazon

    What to Look for in Cardboard Cat Furniture

    There are a few features to consider when it comes to deciding which cardboard cat furniture product is right for your pet.

    • What materials are used — As a good pet parent, you want to be sure that you’re providing your cat with a product made of safe, non-toxic materials. You also want to make sure that the materials used are durable and sturdy enough to keep your feline safe from potential accidents. Cardboard products, ideally, should involve corrugated cardboard with several layers to provide a strong base for whatever furniture item it is.
    • The design — You may want to find a product that matches your home decor (or at least doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb). This one is up to the individual owner, but if you want something that fits in your home, consider the design.
    • Scratching surfaceCats need to scratch, and cat furniture is a fabulous way to guarantee they’re able to. As such, you want to make sure whatever cat furniture product you’re purchasing offers plenty of space to do this. If you get a product that offers only one kind of scratching (horizontal or vertical) or only has one specific area to scratch at, chances are your kitty won’t be too fond.
    • Extra features — Getting the most versatile piece of cat furniture will help keep your feline friend entertained and happy. Some types of cat furniture come with detachable toys for extra fun, while others come with catnip to help spur your cat to use the furniture. Some types offer multiple levels designed to encourage a cat’s love of climbing, while others provide lots of spots to lay and watch what’s going on around them. You know your cat’s likes and needs better than anyone else, so always be sure to check what extra features a product offers your pet.

     

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    Final Thoughts

    When it comes to cardboard cat furniture, the sky really is the limit! That’s why it’s helpful to check out reviews and see what other cat parents liked or disliked. For us, the Hepper Hi-Lo Cat Scratcher is the best overall due to the large scratching surface and durability. The ASPCA Cat House & Scratcher is the best value, offering cute designs and good reviews. If your kitties need lots of space to play and lounge, then the Furhaven Cat Scratchers Medieval Castle Playground is our favorite choice with its multiple levels and extra toys.


    Featured Image Credit: Cat Box, Shutterstock

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