DO-IT-YOURSELF CAT TOYS
Get crafty to bring out the playful side of your cat. It only requires a few inexpensive items and a little patience to create toys that provide hours of feline fun.
Cats can be a lot like little kids: You give them an expensive toy, but they end up playing with the box it came in. So forgo the store-bought toys and assemble a couple of affordable ones on your own.
Cat Fish. If you can sew, you can easily make a fish-shaped toy for your cat stuffed with catnip that will deliver endless hours of entertainment.
What you'll need:
- 2 sheets of colorful felt in complementary colors
- 2 buttons (for eyes)
- Needle
- Thread in third color
- Catnip
- Polyester stuffing
Steps:
- On tracing paper, draw the outline of a 5” fish to make a pattern (for inspiration, search “fish outline”) under Google Images
- Cut out your pattern and overlay it on the felt
- Pin sides together 1/2 inch from the edge of the outline
- Cut felt in identical fish shapes
- Generously sprinkle catnip on one side
- Sew pieces together, allowing for enough room to add stuffing
- Insert stuffing, remove pins, and sew all around
- Add a button on each side for an eye
- Cut fringe from remaining felt for gills and add to opposite-color sides
- Voilà!
Feathered Friend. Feathers fascinate cats, and you can create a plumed companion for yours that stimulates her instinct to stalk.
What you'll need:
- Package of marabou feathers (available at craft stores)
- Package of small jingle bells
- Length of ribbon 1/2” wide
- Small rubber band
- Glue
Steps:
- Gather feathers in rubber band
- Glue the feather bundle to a length of ribbon
- Tie ribbon in knot after glue dries
- Thread one side of ribbon through a jingle bell; knot, repeat at 2” intervals
- Knot again
- Repeat on other side of ribbon, leaving at least 1” border
- Trim ends of ribbon
- Toss!
On a Roll. The simplest cat toy of all can be made in under five minutes, yet may entertain your cat for hours.
What you'll need:
- Empty toilet paper roll
- Scissors
Steps:
- Cut a 1.5”-long slit on one end of the roll
- Cut another slit 1/4” away from it
- Repeat all around the roll
- Do the same on the other end
- Bend strips up a 90-degree angle so they look like spokes on a wheel
- Roll!
Upholstered Cat Bed. With so many cool new toys to play with, your cat may need a nap. Make a cozy spot that’s hers alone.
What you'll need:
- Shallow, corrugated cardboard box big enough to fit a cat
- 1"-thick foam to use as base cut to dimensions of the bottom of the box (when measuring foam, subtract 1/2” from length and width)
- Plush material to cover foam (add 3” to length and width measurements)
- Staple gun
Steps:
- Lay material upside down on flat surface
- Place foam atop material
- Fold material over edge of foam
- Staple all around
- Flip over
- Remove flaps from the cardboard box
- Insert upholstered cushion
- Locate box away from foot traffic
- Sprinkle a little catnip on the bed
- Drop in one of your cat’s new toys
- Wish kitty happy holidays in her new home.