How To Make Your Own Kitty Toys: Pawsitively Playful for You and Your Furbaby

Welcome to the second installment of our How To/DIY series. This month focuses on cat toys! Whether you like saving money or you love crafting, these toys will be right up your alley. (If treats are more your jam, check out our first How To/DIY article here). For safety’s sake, always supervise your cat while they play with their homemade toys. All string and wire toys, whether homemade or professionally made, should never be left with your cat without purr-ental supervision. Strings, wire, wands, yarn, etc can cause very serious damage to kitty’s internal organs if ingested. Now, let’s get crafting!

Toilet Paper Roll by yours truly

Let’s start with the most basic one first. You can give the toilet paper (or paper towel) roll to Fluffy and Peanut as is or you can cut fringe into the ends of the roll to make it fancy. I let Maxwell Wellington choose which he preferred.

Price: $

Items needed: Toilet paper (or paper towel roll) and scissors (optional)

Difficulty: Beginner

Time: Under 2 minutes

Sock Fish Cat Toy by KittyCLYSM

What better way to entertain your cat than by using a sock that has lost its mate from the laundry monster? Make it your own by adding catnip, a rattle, or both.

Price: $

Items needed: A sock missing its mate, stuffing of your liking, and a marker

Difficulty: Beginner

Time: Under 5 minutes

DIY T-Shirt Cat Toy by Muslin & Merlot

This is probably the easiest toy you’ll ever make. All you need is an old t-shirt and scissors. Litter-ally just cut strips of fabric from the t-shirt, layer a few of them on top of one another, and then tie them together with a knot. Now your cat has a fun fringed toy to bat around for hours. Boom; you’re welcome.

Price: $

Items needed: Old t-shirt(s) and scissors

Difficulty: Beginner

Time: 5+ minutes

DIY Soda Box Toy by Cuteness

Use that old soda box to make your curious kitten a toy/enrichment feeder. Two gifts in one? Yes, please. Cuteness.com breaks it down in a quick video tutorial. They give you instructions on how to make toys to put into the box, however feel free to use your cat’s favorite toys in lieu of DIY toys.

Price: $-$$

Items needed: 12 pack soda box, cutting tool, glue, scissors plus pipe cleaners, paper towel rolls, bamboo skewers, and duct tape if you’re making your own toys.

Difficulty: Intermediate

Time: 20+ minutes

DIY Catnip Yarn Ball by Salty Canary

There are a few DIYs out there for yarn balls that utilize styrofoam balls. Since styrofoam is bad for the environment, I kept searching until I came across this one. Fluffy can still get her fix with a yarn ball filled with catnip without the icky styrofoam.

Price: $$

Items needed: Small wiffle balls, yarn, catnip, funnel, scissors, and hot glue gun (optional)

Difficulty: Intermediate

Time: 15+ minutes

Ping Pong Ball Toy by Cat Toy Lady

Ping Pong Ball + Rice + Yarn = Hours of Kitty Entertainment. Watch this 5 minute video by Cat Toy Lady to learn how to make a kitty maraca.

Price: $$

Items needed: Yarn, ping pong ball, uncooked rice, scissors, puncturing tool, and a hot glue gun.

Difficulty: Intermediate

Time: 15+ minutes

Catnip Socks by Marlene Sauer/Curbly

If your cat loves those big, catnip filled fish, but you’re tired of spending $10+ for each one, grab those knee high socks that have holes in the feet, and create your own.

Price: $-$$

Items needed: Knee high socks, fiber fill, catnip, scissors, cord, and strong glue

Difficulty: Intermediate

Time: 10+ minutes

Junk Food Cat Toy by A Beautiful Mess

Burgers and hot dogs?! Yes, please! If you’re someone who prefers to have aesthetically pleasing toys for Fluffy and Peanut, these are for you. The items needed are relatively minimal, but to make them pretty, a time commitment is needed.

Price: $$-$$$

Items needed: Various colors of felt, colored embroidery string, fabric scissors, yarn needle, and catnip

Difficulty: Expert

Time: 25+ minutes

Meowtel is nothing short of cat-centric and loves finding fun DIY projects for you and your furamily. If you have a favorite DIY toy that you’ve made, let us know! Send us an email at [email protected] or tag us in your DIY photos @meowtel on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.

Meowdel: Maxwell Wellington