Keep your cat happy with toys you
can easily make at home. There is no need to spend a lot of money trying to
amuse your kitty. Homemade cat toys can provide hours of fun for your pet and
can be quite cheap (or free) to make.
Making your own toys also means that your cat will have new things to
play with often. Cats get bored easily and you may need to try lots of
different toys until you find what your cat likes best.
Many cats enjoy following a laser
light or flashlight around the floor or wall.
My current cat doesn’t care for this game, but he goes crazy if a watch
crystal or ring flashes high on the wall or ceiling.
Another favorite toy of his is a
crumpled piece of paper or tissue paper.
He will run all over the house with it playing “cat hockey”. One advantage of this toy is I try to always
make my paper balls large enough that they can’t get lost under the sofa or
armchairs.
Another toy you can make for your
cat to bat around is the toe of an old sock stuffed with catnip and tied tightly. Not all cats are crazy for catnip so if you
find your cat doesn’t care much for this toy just tie on a long string and pull
or dangle it for him. Most cats love to
jump and chase!
Try to imitate the start and stop movement of real prey and be sure to let your
kitty catch his prey sometimes.
Another
sock toy is a crinkly sounding sock. Cut
off the foot end of a long sock. Stuff
the middle part of the leg of the sock with bunched up pieces of newspaper or
plastic bags. Tie each end of the sock leg tightly. Your cat will love the crinkly sound this toy
makes as he bats, bounces and swats it around.
If you
have an old glove lying around the house try attaching string to the
fingers. Put the glove on and dangle and
move the strings around in front of kitty.
An empty plastic water or pill bottle makes a really durable
cat toy. If you put a few beads in it
the beads will roll around noisily to attract kitty’s attention. Just be sure that the cover is on securely and
put it away at night if you don’t want to be awakened by the sound. You can
also give your cat a treat and exercise at the same time by putting a few
treats in a small mouthed bottle and leaving the cap off. A hollow ball with a
small hole cut out will also work. The treats will fall out as kitty plays with
it.
Cats can’t resist exploring boxes. Whenever
I have a package delivered I always leave the empty box out for my cat for a
few days. He loves just lying in any new
box (no matter if he actually fits in it or not) but if the flaps of the box
are left partially open he enjoys hiding and jumping out to surprise the dog.
If your kitty tires of the box just turn it over and cut a few holes in the
sides. Make one big enough for him to
enter and leave and one or two just big enough for him to put his paws out.
An empty paper grocery bag serves
almost as well as a box. I usually get
my groceries in plastic bags or use my recyclable bags but I’ll occasionally ask
for something in a paper bag and let my cat play with it for a while. If you put something just outside the bag or
box for him to attack this game works even better. Or if you run a wooden spoon
handle over the top of the bag while kitty is inside he will try to attack the
shadow or sound.
While not actually a toy, a window
perch is something your cat will really enjoy.
Anything moving outside will keep him entertained. You can set up a table or something sturdy near
a window or you can do what my husband did for our cat. He had a spare piece of wood about 17” X
24”. He covered this with an old rag rug
and attached two sturdy hooks at one end.
Then we hung a curtain rod securely across the picture window at a
height that matched the back of our sofa.
One end of the board hooks onto the curtain rod and the other end rests
on the back of the sofa. Part of our
cat’s daily exercise involves him running around the house and jumping onto his
perch. If you can, mount bird or squirrel
feeders outside the window so your kitty can enjoy the wildlife outside.
Cats like to play and they need
to run and jump and chase every day to maintain muscle tone and relieve stress
and boredom. You don’t need to spend a fortune to keep your cat happy. Unexciting
items to us can be very interesting to cats. Cat toys made at home can provide hours
of cheap entertainment for you and your furry friend. Make lots of toys, rotate them often
and keep your cat entertained and happy.
1 comment:
There are some great ideas here! Thanks!
Post a Comment