DIY Easy (and Safe) Cat Toys to Make at Home

5 min read

Admin Smalls

PHOTO

MAY 22

Have you ever bought a toy for your cat that they didn’t look twice at? It’s not your cat just being stubborn - unfortunately, a lot of commercial cat toys just don’t spark that feline fire, often because they aren’t made with your cat’s predatory interests in mind. If you’re looking for some easy ways to make some toys for your cat out of things you might already have at home, look no further!

The main thing when making toys is to bring out your cat’s natural play behavior. Cats tend to prefer items that resemble prey - things that are small, lightweight, fuzzy, or shreddable! At the same time, safety is paramount. Any toys should be large enough so that they are not a choking hazard. And some household objects aren’t safe as toys: string/yarn/ribbon, plastic bags, hair ties/rubber bands, ear plugs, and objects with wire inside them are NOT safe DIY toys.

Any time that you try out a new cat toy with your kitty, be sure to supervise to see how your cat interacts with it. Some cats are more adventurous and mouthy, and you want to make sure that they won’t injure themselves by ingesting something that isn’t food! In addition, inspect cat toys routinely for damage.

Here are some quick and easy ideas for DIY toys.

Many cats cannot resist tissue paper - it makes enticing crinkling sounds, it can be shredded, and you can hide treats and toys underneath it to get your cat digging for fun. Many paper items can be safe toys - a paper bag (with the handles removed for safety) is a great place to hide and stalk. A piece of paper can be crumpled into a ball, which many cats will bat and chase around.

Many household items from your recycling bin can be turned into a food puzzle - a toy that your cat can interact with to get food or treats from. You can take a clean small yogurt container with a lid, punch or cut a few holes in it, and place some dry food or treats inside. Your cat can roll the container around to get food out.

Plastic water bottles, egg cartons, and toilet paper cores can also be used as food puzzles. You can glue several toilet paper cores together into a pyramid that your cat can fish treats out of. Place a few treats in each cup of an egg carton or muffin tin and place a yogurt lid or small piece of cardboard over some of the cups. Your cat can bat the lids aside to access the food in the cups!

Milk or juice carton rings, ping pong balls, and wine corks are small, lightweight objects that are great for batting around!

Cardboard boxes can be fun for exploration. You can cut holes in a shoe box and hide treats or small toys inside for your cat to fish out.

A stick and string with a small object tied at the end may be used as an interactive toy, but ONLY with your involvement and close supervision. You should be guiding the movement of these toys (we call them “interactive” for a reason!). Never leave anything with strings or ribbons alone with your cat because string can be both a strangulation hazard and deadly if swallowed.

An old sock can be rolled up with some catnip inside to make a quick kick-bag for your cat.

Hopefully these tips will help you get started at trying some new ways to enrich your cat’s environment!

[#BeginTLDR#] Cats love toys that trigger their hunting instincts [#SplitTLDR#] You should always supervise (and interact with) your cat while they're playing [#SplitTLDR#] Household items can make fun and easy feeder puzzles [#EndTLDR#]

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