Best of 2020 – Camille Labchuk, Animal Justice
December 8, 2020
Best of 2020 – Julie Posluns, Cat School
December 15, 2020
The holidays are coming up and your cat is no doubt wondering what you’ll be getting her. Whether your cat has been naughty or nice, we know you’ll want to spoil her anyway. And we have good news for you: There are plenty of easy, low-commitment, DIY cat toys that are sure to satisfy your cat this holiday season.
Super easy (Commitment level 0-3)
Trash toys
Honestly, a good portion of our cats’ and foster kittens’ favorite toys are trash: wine corks, those plastic rings that come off milk jugs and plastic water bottles (I recommend the milk rings because they’re larger than the rings from water bottles, which I worry the cats will try to eat), empty toilet paper rolls, and empty kleenex boxes (just rip out the plastic edging around the hole). So if you’re super busy or on a tight budget this year, turn your trash into treasures for your cats.
Recycled toys
Every cat loves a good box, and with the pandemic, it’s probably safe to say you’re having most of your gifts shipped this year—so grab an empty cardboard shipping box and create an easy fort. Just cut out a few holes large enough for your cat to go through on the sides and top of your box and then tape it back together. This box-fort is always a hit with our foster kittens.
One of the easiest toys we make for our foster kittens is also one of the most popular. We like to line the kennel, Kuranda bed, and some of their other perches with fleece. We don’t bother to sew or tie off the edges of our fleece, but we do cut off the rough edges. This leaves us with long strips of discarded fleece which we tie up in a long fleece braid. And voila! Kitten’s favorite toy!
Festive (Commitment level 2–5)
At the most recent Cat Camp @ Home, Paige Wilson demonstrated several festive cat craft ideas. We love the holiday cat castle, which takes the box-fort from above up a level (commitment level 5); and the super easy sock and toilet paper roll crafts (commitment level 2-3). You can watch Paige’s tutorial here (Holiday Cat Castle 2:33:50; Holiday Sock Cat Toy 2:38:01; Toilet Paper Roll Crafts 2:38:57).
Somewhat more involved (Commitment level 5–7)
Another favorite—and a must for foster kittens learning not to attack feet and hands—is a kicker toy. If you’re already a sewer, you’ll probably have lots of leftover fabric scraps, and this toy is the perfect way to use some of them up. If sewing seems daunting, this is a great way to practice sewing a straight line. You’ll need fabric at least 40cm x 15cm, scissors, a tape measure, some stuffing, a little catnip, and a sewing machine. The full directions can be found here.
During the first Cat Camp @ Home, Kate Benjamin from Hauspanther showed us how to make a DIY cat scratcher using cardboard, sisal rope, cardboard mailing tubes, and glue. You can watch Kate’s tutorial here (1:03:43).
Whatever your skill level, your cats are sure to appreciate the results of your efforts, so have fun with it!
Originally from Colorado, Krista Beucler received a Bachelor of Arts in creative writing at the University of Mary Washington (UMW) in Virginia. She was the editor-in-chief for Issue 7.2 of the Rappahannock Review, the literary journal published by UMW. Krista’s creative work has been published in From Whispers to Roars literary magazine. She is spending COVID-19 at home with her cats.
