There’s a running joke in the cat community that if you spend hundreds on state-of-the-art cat toys, the cat will ignore the toys and have the time of their life sitting on the empty cardboard box the stuff came in. Can you relate?!?
It’s true. Cats often love fancy toys from your local pet retailer, including feather wands, crinkly balls, and small plushies, but they’re usually just as enthralled with common household items, including paper, cardboard, and other seemingly useless trash you have lying around between collection days.
Fortunately, you can use this to your advantage and save money by creating homemade cat toys that get the same level of interest and engagement from your feline friend as anything you would find at the store.
Our staff here at Delightful Pet Sitting is providing five simple homemade cat toys that will keep your cats entertained for hours at a fraction of the cost of a store-bought one! Read on!
1. The Paper Ball
Your cat will have a ball with this paper ball. It’s quick and easy to make and provides your cat with a crinkly object to chase, pounce on, carry around in their mouth, and more. Here’s how to make a paper ball for your kitty:
- Grab a piece of paper. We find thicker paper, like construction paper, is more durable and will last longer than loose-leaf or printer paper.
- Crumple into a ball shape. It does not have to be perfectly round.
- Toss it down the hall and watch your feline fly!
Chasing balls and other objects fires up your cat’s animal instincts. They treat the toy as prey and are stoked to show you how great a hunter they are, even though you totally watch them lounging in that patch of sun for seven hours at a time each day.
2. The Toilet Paper Roll
We all have to go, and when we’re done with the toilet paper, we’re left with a cardboard roll that we generally toss in the trash or recycling bin.
We see nothing but trash. Your cat sees one of the fanciest toys they’ve ever laid eyes on, and they’re often even more enticed by the fact that we don’t want them to bat it out of the bin and knock it around the house.
Capitalize on their curiosity. Give them your discarded rolls, and tape them together to make a massive roll wand— just make sure to pick them up before you have guests or they may get the wrong impression!
You can also turn it into something more unique by cutting it into strips and tying them together. Try it out and see how your crazy kitty enjoys it!
3. The Yarn Ball
Anyone who’s watched a cartoon can attest that cats love balls of yarn. If you’re into knitting, then chances are you have some spools sitting around that your cat would love to sink their claws into.
Try tying one end of the yarn to a doorknob or high shelf and let them go to town on it. At the end, you can easily recoil or rewind the ball or spool and unleash it yet again for hours of fun with your feline.
Just make sure you stick around for this one, as some curious cats will try to swallow the yarn, and, well, you know how that saying goes.
4. The Bottle Toy
Your cat would love to give a new meaning to “hitting the bottle,” as they literally want to hit empty bottles around if given the chance.
Most kitties will be enticed by crinkly water bottles and big 2-liters, but tossing a little catnip under the cap can’t hurt their interest level. With a little bit of that alluring catnip aroma in the air, they’ll work endlessly to get the bottle open and get to its contents.
5. The Cardboard Box
In the “Age of Amazon,” it’s all too common for cat owners to order stuff, open and unpack the box, check out the stuff, and turn around to find someone taking a catnap in the empty box.
No one knows why cats love cardboard boxes so much, but we can use this to our advantage by keeping a select few or even building an impressive Catopia of cardboard buildings in our living rooms.
They’ll use it as entertainment, a hiding place, a scratching post, and even a bed! And, other than the cost of the stuff you bought online, it’s free!
Final Thoughts on Simple Homemade Cat Toys
With a little creativity, you can find plenty of things to turn into toys for your cat. Find a little time between now and the upcoming holidays to work on some new homemade cat toys!
Contact us here at Delightful Pet Sitting for more ideas, or ask us to bring over something cool to keep your kitty entertained while we provide the best pet sitting services for your cat and give you a little freedom to get in some playtime out on the town!
Happy crafting!
