Keep your cat busy at home with one simple everyday item

This is an easy and quick hack to keep your cat busy at home (stock photo) (Image: Getty)

A cat owner has shared a simple  hack to keep your pet feline busy with an item you’re sure to have lying around in your home.

Sara Kobuaritsch has two Russian Blue cats, Nala and Diva. She has social media pages dedicated to them on TikTok and Instagram where she posts funny videos that other cat owners can relate to, cat facts and tips.

On Thursday, January 30 she posted a video on TikTok demonstrating how you can keep your cat busy with a toilet tissue roll. Users who watched the video had mixed opinions about how effective this hack would be for their cat.

In the video, Sara used a scissor to snip the top and bottom of the toilet tissue roll and make holes in it at the sides. You can then put treats inside the roll and give your cat the challenge of getting them out.

Her pet feline can be seen trying to open the roll with its mouth and then its paw. This keeps the cat busy as she continuously tries to get hold of the roll to get it open.

Sara’s TikTok video has garnered 2.1 million views, 53,900 likes and more than 200 comments. One user said: “I got a toy similar to this idea and my cats are really active now. They should roll it so they get a treat. No more free treats lol.”

Another added: “Great idea! I have one similar that I bought from Homesense.” Further cat owners commented: “Thank you made one cat loved it”, “Hahahaha yes I do this all the time for my kitty she loves it.” and “Yes. My cat needs to get active! Will try. Thanks.

However, multiple users said their cat would eat the toilet roll, as well as any treats inside it.” A cat owner said: “My cat would eat the paper too.”

A second shared: “My cat would just eat that roll regardless if snacks are there or not.” Another user humorously added: “Great idea but a feral that is food aggressive, poor toilet roll.”

Other users revealed how well this toilet roll hack worked for their pet cats. One said: “Mine gave up after 3 seconds and just flopped on his side.”

Meanwhile another added: “Did this once. The result: both my cats tried to eat the roll.” Animal Humane Society, a not-for-profit organisation focused on promoting animal welfare, has given some suggestions of how to keep your indoor cat entertained.

The first idea is to use puzzle feeders and interactive toys, like the toilet tissue roll hack in Sara’s TikTok video. The organisation says: “Just like dogs, cats can benefit from turning their typical mealtime routine into an enrichment activity.

“Puzzle feeders and interactive toys encourage mental stimulation by making your cat work for their food. Puzzle feeders dispense small amounts of kibble when your cat interacts with them, stimulating their hunting instincts and providing a rewarding challenge.”

Other suggestions it gives is to “take advantage of vertical spaces” as cats “love to climb and explore their surroundings from different perspectives” and to give your cat the “best window views” to create a “front-row seat to the outside world.” It’s important to keep in mind that a hack that works for one cat might not work for another.