It all started when Holly Tse adopted Furball, a tiny little bundle of energy who never slept but only wanted to play. To keep her sanity, Holly searched through pet stores for cat toys to entertain the crazy little guy. Finally she began to craft her own cat toys from recycled and discarded items. Holly points out that there over 60 million cats in US households and that reducing the resources and waste used to make toys for these cats would certainly have a positive impact on the environment. So she decided to compile her years of experience in making greener cat toys and share them in Make Your Own Cat Toys: Saving the Planet One Cat Toy at a Time.
All of the toy ideas in the book are classified into one or more of five different play categories:
- Catch – Toys that encourage kitty to leap straight into the air and pretend like she’s snaring a bird.
- Chase – These toys are meant to be thrown across the floor, like a mouse scurrying away.
- Stalk – Interactive toys designed for you to move, like a mouse rustling in the grass, so kitty can practice sneaking up on her prey.
- Wrestle – These allow kitty to test her strength as she grasps the toy in her paws and jaws and bunny kicks the stuffing out of it.
- Lazy Cat - After kitty has played good and hard, she may still want to take a lazy whack at these toys.
Each idea is marked with the difficulty level and estimated time to make the toy. You’ll find ideas for toys made out of everything including packaging, household objects, craft materials, office and school items, and even old clothing. With toys like the Candy Rocket, Tubular Tubes, the Whipper Snapper, and the Kitty Broomstick, you’ll have just as much fun making the toys as kitty will have playing with them. You’ll also enjoy Holly’s tips for greening your kitty’s lifestyle.
Make Your Own Cat Toys is available at Amazon
BONUS GIVEAWAY!
One lucky winner is going to receive a copy of Make Your Own Cat Toys! To enter, please leave a comment on this post with your tips for making greener choices for your cat. The winner will be chosen in a random drawing on Sunday, March 15.
We’ll also be giving away 20 rats from Cat Livin’ in the same drawing, so don’t miss out!
April 1st, 2011 at 9:45 am
This sounds wonderful…my kitty kids love toys…not the store bought kind…but the somethings made from whatever is lying around and even come up with some of their own…They carry the rings off of milk jugs around and call the others to see what they have discovered..too cute!
November 1st, 2011 at 4:31 pm
It is always difficult to get knowledgeable people with this issue, nevertheless, you be understood as you understand exactly what you are posting about! Appreciate it.
December 18th, 2011 at 12:38 pm
does one need thumbs to perform these tasks?
March 7th, 2012 at 6:14 pm
I personally make homemade cat toys from things around the house that no longer have a good use. Like an old sock for example! Take a sock, put a plastic bag in it so its crinkley then sow it shut. Bam! New kitty toy that with some catnip, cats will love.