You don’t have to know how to sew or knit or even glue to make your own cat toys. But you do need the ability to tie knots, use a pair scissors and, of course, use your imagination.
My favorite cat toy is a long piece of white, unscented toilet paper. You can pull it across the floor or make it fly through the air by tying a long shoelace to the end so you have a “handle.” If your cat chews the toilet paper up, no problem — you’ll just see it in the litter box the next day!
An orphan sock or socks with holes make great cat toys, too. Stuff a little catnip and a crumpled bit of paper in the toe, cut it off, and tie a knot to keep it closed. Cut the rest of the sock into loops and cut the loops open into strips. Tie a knot in each strip (or two knots if it’s a very thin sock) and you have soft little cat toys to toss around.
For something a bit more elaborate, take an old wooden spoon with a long handle, tie a shoelace to one end and a sock strip to the other. Now you have a fishing pole-type toy — the kind that sells for $8 to $10 in the store!
Catnip balls are also easy to make: Take one of those small, round plastic containers that knee-high hosiery come in; poke a few small holes in it, add catnip, and voila!
Finally, cut several larger holes in an empty plastic water bottle. Fill it about halfway with dry cat food and encourage kitty to roll it around in order to get her food to fall out.
See? You have no excuse not to offer your cat new toys every week when they’re this easy!