Every cat has its own personality, but can we agree on one thing? They are sassy and eccentric and mischievous. Even the sweet ones have a bit of an attitude. So, whether your cat is like a fat mafioso, running your household with those chubby cheeks and tubby belly, or a G.I. Joe that ambushes you like it’s Ghost Recon in your living room, or a Countertop Diva who flaunts her bling (and her claws), well, you’re likely in need of a few hacks.

Hacks to keep your sanity, your kitty purrfectly happy and your household in-tact. We’ve scoured the globe for the top hacks that are sure to keep your cat entertained, without breaking the bank. Read on for our cat hack round up. 

Do-It-Yourself Play

In this genius video, see how you can put a bit of elbow grease to work for you and your cat. The video highlights five super simple ways to set up play areas for Kitty, including using wall shelves for a razzle-dazzle jumping experience, and taping their favorite little teaser toys to string and furniture so that they can swat and play all day long—even when you aren’t home. And for those cats that, um, just won’t take no for an answer, the video even covers a DIY self-petting device. 

Mini Tent

This do it yourself tent hack from Instructableswill make you nostalgic for the joy that came with building your own fort in your living room as a kid—the pillows! The sheets! The adventure! Why deny your cat a similar experience?  

This tent provides them with a place to rest (or plot out their next attack), and it gets points for being adorable, but most things “mini” are. Even better: you can probably put this one together today since there’s a good chance you have everything you need within reach, starting with a t-shirt you wish to donate to the cause.

Easy Way to De-Hair the House

This one’s for you, cat parents, especially if you lean to the Clean Freak side of the aisle. The fine folks at One Crazy House gathered up 11 hacks for cleaning up pet hair. Slap on some rubber cleaning gloves and bam—you’ve got a super power. Your hands are now neon de-hairing wands. All you have to do is wear those gloves and run your hands over any and every surface in your house to collect massive amounts of feline hair. It even works on carpet.

Bring the Grass Indoors

Who doesn’t love a soft bed of sweet-smelling grass? This is a great tip for those of you who live in cooler climates or have cats that must be supervised outside. Take the limitations away, by bringing the grass indoors! The creative souls at Health Starts in the Kitchen teach you how to grow kitty grass without dirt! 

You can create a “bed” of cat grass for Kitty to snuggle on or nuzzle at leisure, or create a small planter of dirt-free (yup, no dirt, people!) grass for them to chow on. It’s good for the cats and it cheers up a dull room.   

Buy Them a Scratching Post

We all know that kitties like to scratch and kneed and pull on the threads of your couch. Give them something else to scratch on so your couch arms stay in tact.  Get them their own cat scratching post. The trick is to entice them away from the forbidden items and towards the new post.  We recommend a wee bit of catniprubbed on their new post to spark their interest.    When they scratch the heck out of the post, get replacement twine from your local hardware store and just rewrap it. Game on, kitty!

A Puzzle Box They Can’t Resist

This one is fun for its versatility. Our friends at The Glam Cat have a super easy to make puzzle for your feisty feline friend.  Tongue-twister, we know. Take an old Tupperware container or food storage bin, and pack it full of odds and ends: cat nip, toys, balls, fuzzy or sparkly crafting supplies—anything you’d like that you think will capture your cat’s eye. Cut out holes in the top of the container, a few bigger holes, smaller ones, different shapes.

Burn the edges of the holes or shapes with a lighter, so your cat won’t get scratched and watch him or her go nuts. Nuts! It’s a total self-service entertainment center, and if you see them getting bored with it, no problem. Just pop the lid off and switch out the goodies to something new.

Want more hacks?  Of course you do.  So... here you go!

• The Active Times - 30 Life Hacks Every Cat Owner Should Know
• Expert Home Tips - 23 Clever Life Hacks Every Cat Owner Needs to Know
• Brightside - 14 Awesome Life Hacks That Can Make Cat Owners’ Lives Easier

 What are your favorite cat hacks? If you have one of your own to share, please do! We love hearing from our community.