One of the most entertaining scenes to watch is a kitten or cat at play. If you are not a captive audience, however, those little toys seem to vanish into the vortex under the sofa, under the refrigerator and into other dark recesses unknown. Instead of buying replacements every time you venture out to the store, consider making some cute cat toys diy for your kitty.
Knitted Toys
If you enjoy knitting, search online for patterns to make an octopus, a mouse, a fish and other critters to fill with catnip. Use felted wool instead of acrylic yarns to produce a tighter knit and decrease your cat’s chances of ingesting long fibers. If knitting is not on your list of talents, consider purchasing a child’s knitting machine at a discount store. These machines are inexpensive, simple to operate by turning a crank, and they allow you to produce balls, mice, bees and caterpillars very quickly. Whether you use such a machine or opt for a pair of knitting needles, fill empty tea bags with catnip to insert inside the toy before you sew it closed. Stitch on the eyes, noses, mouths and whiskers, and use a basic crochet chain stitch or braid strands of yarn to produce tails or antennas to minimize choking hazards.
Sock Toys
It is time to make use of those unmatched socks that have accumulated in the basket next to the clothes dryer. If your cat engages in bunny kicking toys or human hands, use a tube sock to create a kicker toy. Place one sock inside the other to double the thickness of the toy, and fill three-quarters of the inner sock with catnip and crinkling wads of paper. In the same manner that you would tie off an inflated balloon, securely knot the remaining one-quarter length of the socks to close the opening.
Baby socks make ideal lures for your cat to grab when attached to a pole. Simply fill the baby sock with catnip and stitch the opening closed. Thread the end of a three-foot length of twine through the sewn end of the sock and tie it securely in place. Drill a small hole through a dowel rod, approximately one inch from the end of the rod. Thread the other end of the twine through the hole and securely tie in in place. This interactive diy cat toy will enable you to keep your cat fishing happily for hours.
Sew and Recycle
If you have the most basic sewing skills, recycle old jeans, tees, flannel shirts, sheets, curtains and tablecloths to create cat toys diy for your kitty to bat around. Place two layers of the fabric on top of one another and cut out the outline of a fish. Sew the edges of the fabric cutout together, stuffing the toy with catnip before you make the final closing stitches. Consider other shapes to accommodate the seasons, such as Valentine hearts, pumpkins, daisies, snowmen and holiday stockings. You can also use colorful squares of felt, which are available in craft stores.
Treat Dispensers
Round up last Easter’s brightly hued plastic eggs from your seasonal storage closet and transform them into treat dispenser toys for your feline friend. Use a Dremel took to cut a hole out of the egg, making sure that the hole is only slightly larger than kitty’s favorite treats. If the egg is designed to open into two halves, glue the halves together with nontoxic glue. Allow the glue to dry completely before you insert a few of your cat’s treats inside the egg through the opening that you made. Place the filled egg on the floor and watch your cat try to figure out how to make the treats tumble out for her snacking pleasure.
When Time Is Limited
Life can become hectic for everyone from time to time. During those periods when time constraints curtail your crafty diy cat toy endeavors, you can find items around the house that require no alterations and that your cat will play with happily. Some such items include:
- Empty wooden spools from sewing thread
- Champagne bottle corks
- Whole walnut shells
- Small plastic water bottles with the lid discarded and treats tossed inside
- Empty tubes from toilet paper rolls
- Ping pong balls
Making toys for your cat saves money in the long run, it keeps you home in your cat’s company and the craft enables you to be creative and personalize the toys to suit your cat’s preferences and personality. Playtime is an important part of a kitten’s development, and it is equally valuable in keeping adult cats mentally stimulated and physically exercised. Find here the best cat toys.
Don’t forget about Lucy! Playtime is going to the dogs, check out our DIY Dog Toys.
