A Homemade Cat Toy!

[kslib]

This was a hit for my very lazy kitty!

I saw this on a toy website:



So, I made my own out of a cardboard box (from a humidifier filter, it was about the same size as this toy), and put half of the daily kibble ration in it so she had to "work" to eat part of her food. It totally worked! She is much more active, and I think it helps with her daytime boredom since she has something to do besides sleep and play with a fake mouse! She's also lost a little of her "excess baggage" (and is still getting the same amount of food)

My next project? Holes in a tennis ball to "roll out" treats!

Any other ideas for homemade pet toys? I'm addicted now!

[Lorien]

1. Lol! I have one of those

I hide kitty treats in it, though I need to put it away from time to time to keep their interest in it high.

Little balls of thin tin foil are an amazingly simple and popular kitty toy. Or tie some small toys or objects to a towel bar in the bathroom, and leave them slightly exposed under the towels; drives my cats wild!

Another idea; go to the thrift store and purchase a handful of baby socks. Fill the socks with catnip and a jingle bell. Go to the craft store (not Michael's; they're red) and buy a big bag of cheap mixed feathers (you can use these in many toys). Hot glue gun a few feathers together at the base, wrap a little duct tape around them, and sew them into the top of your baby socks. Now you have the perfect sized catnip toy!

You can also make feather teasers (a "fishing pole" type toy") using the cheap feathers, a dowel rod or other stick, and some slender nylon string. My cat Oberon does through the feather attachments so fast on his "Da bird" toy that I just keep the feathers and glue gun handy for weekly replacements.

Crumpled up tissue paper in a laundry basket is fun for some younger cats. Also, leave small trails of crunchy treats hidden around the house before you leave in the morning feeds the kitty's "hunting' instinct. Instead of buying expensive treats, I recommend Artemis Fresh Mix Feline dry food as a crunchy treat for cat owners without a lot of extra $$$ (My cats love it more than the commercially available treats). To find a retailer near you, go to www.artemiscompany.com (they have two brands of dry cat food, but the "Fresh Mix" brand is the only one that gets treat status with most cats).

[kslib]

9. good ideas!

My cats are not "cat-nippers", but they like treats, I'll try those! One of my cats likes to bat a milk jug ring around the bathtub, kind of like the hamper!

[Lorien]

2. BTW

you might also consider posting this in the "Economic activism and Progressive living group" forum; it's just the sort of thing we look for over ther. :hi:

[kslib]

8. Will do!

[Rhiannon12866]

3. This is so neat! How clever of you and good for the cat!

I am familiar with those hard rubber toys for dogs that you fill with treats or food that they have to play with to get them out, but I didn't know about this. Great idea!:D

[NJCher]

4. great ideas!!

Keep 'em coming! I especially like the ones with pics!!

Here's mine.

Hide Jolly Ranchers in oddball places. My kitty Greenlee loves to hunt for them and then when she gets them out, she bats them all over the place. She can do this for hours!!


Cher

[kslib]

7. Mine do the same with milk jug rings!

[elehhhhna]

5. puff is indifferent to catballs, but red wooden beads are her fave...

she bats one around them carries it in her mouth & blabbers until it falls out.

[kslib]

6. Fabulous toy ideas everyone!!

I recently rolled up a small piece of paper into a very tight "cigarette" roll, taped it, tied it to a piece of string. Wow, success!!!! If your kitty is a "bug" hunter, it's worth trying. Also, fan a piece of paper, tie to string, and, voila-instant butterfly.