DIY Cat Toys

Elf with his favorite toy.

You love your cat and you want to get the best toys available for your beautiful feline friend. So you spend oodles of money getting the cutest toys, they’re even color coordinated, and your home looks like a very tastefully appointed cat wonderland. And that kitty won’t have a thing to do with any of it!

Been there done that. The cat toy marketing team has done it’s job – they’ve appealed to what a human likes, not what cats need. Be aware that the more the toy appeals to you and makes you squeal at how cute it is, the less likely it will appeal to your cat.

I always recommend going homemade before spending money on your cat. That way you get a feel for what works and what doesn’t. Below are some inexpensive and DIY suggestions to try before you drain your bank account on toys.

The toys that a cat needs are designed to replicate a hunting experience or a survival experience. Cats ‘play’ by practicing ways to either hunt down prey, defend their territory or avoid becoming prey. Another aspect of play for a cat is the one-on-one time they have with you, their companion. It is important to have that play time with your cat to strengthen your relationship as well as help to avoid future behavioral problems.

If you buy one of those electronic goo-gaws that you turn on for your cat, then head back to whatever you were doing and leave the cat to be entertained by the electronic thing, the cat is going to ignore the thing and run in front of you, sit on your keyboard, or try to insert itself into whatever you are focusing on instead of playing with the toy. Why, you ask? It replicates prey, the cat should be thrilled!

A cat needs to have a clowder (see Note below). Being in a clowder for a cat means being surrounded by others that have pulled together as a group to succeed. They practice hunting techniques together, they try out fighting moves with each other, they clean each other in places, like ears, where the lone cat cannot. A clowder is a group of cats that help one another survive. It’s a community, a family.

You have brought that cat into your home, now you need to be the clowder for that cat. To accomplish this, you need to provide play time that replicates hunting and fighting. Once you have a regular playtime scheduled, just watch that little house panther of yours thrive and your relationship deepen!

A cat is not something to be petted once in a while, and of course fed, then ignored like a piece of beautiful art that is no longer seen … a cat treated in that way is not a happy cat. An unhappy cat is likely to have behavioral problems that impact the whole household. Not to mention, it’s just sad to ignore such a beautiful, loving friend.

Bottom line, get the proper toys and have regular playtime for your cat.

The most used cat toys in our home are:

This page is still under construction, pictures will be added to give you a better idea on how these toys are made.

Kick Pillows

Kick pillows are long tubular pillows that a cat will wrap itself around and ‘kick’ with it’s back feet. This is a fighting technique that cats use often – ever watched two feral tomcats go at it? You’ll see this fighting maneuver every time.

You can make your own quick and easy kick pillows out of clean old socks stuffed with clean old socks with the end tied in a knot. You can sprinkle catnip inside if you wish. This is a simple toy to make as well as easy to wash and keep clean.

If you want something prettier, take a 6 inch x 3 inch fabric remnant, fold in half and stitch up one side and one end, turn inside out and stuff with batting and nip, then stitch close the open end.

Balls

Balls replicate the agility and speed of prey. Balls are interactive toys, kick the ball to your cat and watch that amazing feline grace and skill move that ball across the room – Pele has nothing on cats! Then fish the ball out from under the couch and kick it to your cat again, and again, and again. There are knee pads available for humans who are constantly on their knees fishing out toys from under couches and appliances, just kidding (about the knee pads, not the fishing out of toys from under things).

You can buy half dozen packs of ping pong balls at the dollar store.

Wand

Wands are a plastic or wood stick with a long plush fabric tail attached to the end. The wand is an interactive toy that replicates prey. I advise against wands with feathers, metallic shiny things, beads or stuffed toys with glued on ears, tail or eyes – basically anything a cat can chew off and ingest, I avoid completely.

To make a wand, take a thin wooden dowel around 20 inches long. Get a 2 foot long remnant of plush fabric and cut it 2 inches wide, fold in half, plush side to the inside and sew up one side and one end. Use the dowel to help you push the ‘tail’ inside out so that the plush is on the outside. Dot one end of the dowel with glue along the side for about 2 inches, place the open end of the ‘tail’ over the end of the dowel with the glue and press the fabric against the dowel into the glue. Take a strong piece of twine and wrap it tightly around the glued tail from where the tail begins until the end of the dowel, then tie a tight knot (you can dot with glue as you wrap). Clip off the remaining twine.

Laser pointer

This toy is for when I am lazy. This toy replicates fast moving prey and cats go MAD for it! This ‘toy’ was created as a teaching or lecturing tool for humans, but the cats have taken it as their own.

You can pick up a Laser pointer in the pet section of your local dollar store.

WARNING: Do NOT EVER point the laser pointer at or near your cats eyes, it can cause damage to their vision.

Mice

These definitely imitate prey and can be interactive toys or just fun things for a cat to attack all by itself. Just throw the mouse into the air and watch the cat go wild for it!

Get a strong piece of felt and cut into a circle about 3 inches wide. Fold in half and stitch along the curved side but leave an opening for stuffing. Turn inside out and stuff with batting and nip. Cut a 1 inch piece of twine and tie a knot at one end. Place the un-knotted end of the twine inside the mouse at the ‘tail’ end, then stitch closed making sure to securely stitch that tail in.

Nip Mat

The website 15 and Meowing has instructions on making one of these – cats love them and it is not an interactive toy, just something fun for your cat to roll around on. Check it out, it’s easy to make: How to make a Nip Mat.

Regular play time with your cat is important. Cats are happiest with a routine, so try to set aside certain times of the day to devote to play. Do I do this every day at specific times, all the time? No. Life gets in the way and there are times when play time is missed or out of sync. Do your best, that’s all any of us can manage in this busy world!

Note – A clowder is a 18th century term for a group of cats. I prefer the word ‘clowder’ to the word ‘colony’ because it is a word specific to cats.

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