Homemade Cat Toys: How to Make Cat Toys DIY
Homemade cat toys are affordable, diy, homemade and will keep your feline friends entertained. Cats are wonderful little companions. They are so much easier than dogs, they don’t need quite as much attention, they sleep a lot, they are tidy and wash themselves, you don’t have to take them for a walk, and there is nothing quite like the purr of a contented cat.
But, having cats in the house is a little like having toddlers. They need toys to play with in between the naps and the eating and the diaper/litter box changes, and they seem to need a lot of toys because they get easily bored with homemade cat toys that they already have. So, what’s a budget minded don’t have wads of cash to be constantly buying new cat toys sort of person to do?
How to Make Cat Toys
First off, don’t buy every sparkly shiny cat toy that you see. Most of these toys are just not that interesting to cats, no matter what the package says. I’ve found that the only commercial cat toy that my cats stay interested in are the little fuzzy mice that come in a multi-pack of five or more. These are made out of some kind of hard material under the fuzz that my cats love to knock against the walls because of the satisfying noise they make. Klunk, klunk, klunk. The best time to play klunk with these mice is of course in the middle of the night. It’s even more fun to knock them under the stove and watch your human have to retrieve them for you. Over and over again. Similar to the toddler that repeatedly knocks the spoon off of the high chair tray to watch you pick it up. Over and over again.
Cheap Homemade Cat Toys
Here are some cheap homemade cat toys that satisfy my cats just as much as the fancy $4.00 cat toys, and they don’t require a trip to the pet store.
Paper Bags and Cardboard Boxes
This is something that every cat owner figures out pretty quickly. Bring home a paper bag of groceries and next thing you know the cat’s in there amongst the bread and lettuce. Get a shipment from UPS and there’s kitty investigating the empty box. Cut a few holes in the side of the box and it’s even more fun!
Just Plain Old Paper
Wad up a piece of junk mail into a loose ball and watch the cats chase and bat it around.
The Plastic Sealer Ring from Around the Top of a Butter Tub or Ice Cream Carton
I discovered this one a long time ago when Felix heard the crinkling sound of the cellophane type plastic as I was opening a carton of ice cream and came jumping onto the counter to see what was making that fascinating noise. She played with that plastic for hours. Yes, I supervised to make sure it was safe, and so far none of my cats have eaten any of the plastic.
A Fly Swatter
Make sure it’s clean first, of course, no bug juice needed. Our cats like to try and catch the swatter end as we wave it around, and they also like to be scratched with the handle end.
A Leather Belt
My friend takes off his belt and immediately has a few cats wanting to play. Just drag it along the floor and watch them follow. I think they like the smell of the leather, too.
Coated Rubber Hair Bands
I use these for putting my hair into a ponytail or bun and found, after leaving one laying on the bathroom counter, that these are lots of fun for my cats to carry around and play with. Again, I’ve watched the cats play with these to make sure they wouldn’t eat them, and so far, no problems. My littlest cat, spends hours playing with these, hiding them behind cushions or a blanket, and then hunting them down. One of the best homemade cat toys hands down.
A Retractable Tape Measure
This sounds very odd, but our cats just love it when my friend is trying to measure something, they like to chase the end of the tape measure as it gets retracted back up. Do be careful if it is a metal tape measure, don’t let them chew on the ends of it, the metal is a little too rough for their gums.
Window Seat
Give them a way to sit in a window so that they can watch the world go by. I don’t recommend those commercial cat shelf seat things that supposedly will hook to your windowsill and just kind of stay up there by themselves. They don’t work unless you attach them to the windowsill with screws, we found this out after our cat Felix jumped off of the seat and the whole thing came crashing down. If you have a low bookshelf, bench, or dresser, just put that under the windowsill. They love to stretch out and view the world, and there’s nothing like a cat nap in a sunny window.
Actually, just about anything your cats find around the house will entertain and amuse them. So, again, just like having toddlers around, you do need to be careful about what you leave laying around, as cats will find it. Just use a little common sense in what you give your cats to play with and you’ll have lots of happy cat purring with the best homemade cat toys available.
Take a look at the best cat toys for your cat.
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