Boxs to Bedlinen - Easy toys to your cat (DIY Cat Toys)

Member Name: divasupreme

Product:	DIY Cat Toys
Date:	16/11/01 (1033 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap, Fun to Make, Customise it!

Disadvantages: You must make sure they are safe, Can clutter the house

When you have a cat, especially an indoor cat it can be a job to provide enough stimuli. Well, not quite true, it can be a job to provide enough safe stimuli for your cat. Having two wonderful indoor cats, I have worked hard to create an environment that if both safe and stimulating for them.

There are 3 main games my cats like to play
Hide Attack – Involves Springing of a concealed area out at the nearest pray – normally human toes
Bat Attack – Less Subtle, walk calmly to object, bat object as hard as possible try to use rear and front paws, repeat action as unnecessary.
Flid out/Wall of Death – Requires no real accessories, just run around a lot, very amusing to perpetrator if aimed slightly to the side of another cat to force others to participate. Often deployed in conjunction with Hide Attack – caution Not to be attempted when humans are awake.

So, What is needed for these play types? Well Hide Attacks require a nice vantage point that feels safe, but allows for full view of runway. Don’t be tricked by your local pet shop into thinking this need to be a cat tower costing £60-£100, Cardboard boxes are just as good, in fact better as they can easily be removed if soiled. For your and the cats safety avoid locations on the stairs, by fragile objects, or between the kitchen and food areas (a nasty coffee scold on my leg taught me that).

Line the box with some paper, if you use newspaper (which I personally avoid) wipe over it with kitchen towel first to remove ink, or your cat may ingest residues. Then add a nice warm towel or jumper, for a good cheap option your local RSPCA shop may sell ‘dog blankets’ for about a pound which are basically old bed covers that are to tatty to resell as human blankets, cut these up so when you wash your cats blanket you have a spare (odds and ends can be reserved to make toys with later)

I always find it’s a good idea to have sever
al boxes in the house, in a small house this can be a problem, but it is possible to stack in a tower arrangement them so as to allow entrance from several directions.

If you so desire you can cover the boxes with non-toxic paint or left over wallpaper. A good one is carpet tiles, as these make good supplement scratching posts. You can add a scratching area to one side with clean tree bark. Alternatively, wrap sisal rope round a stable object, the sort of tubes you get wrapping paper on or posters in are ideal, make sure it’s secure though.

A simple version, especially good for the summer would use sheets draped over a gap between to objects, my cats love this as it allows a fair chance to the attacker to become the attackee, and is cooler and smaller.

Use you imagination on this one, but always think ‘Can I get my cat out from there if necessary?’ before allowing a cat to adopt a new hiding place. If you have a wardrobe or other bit of furniture that your cat can hide under, get an old sheet and line the gap loosely with it using cereal boxes to prop the sheet up against the back. This means if absolutely necessary you can gently ease the cat out of the space. Never allow a cat to climb behind the TV or anywhere else with electric cables. Try to keep all cables concealed and rub soap on those that are exposed to prevent you cat nibbling.

A few points to remember

The hole must be the right size to maximum pouncing fun. Start off small then work up
Never use a box that has held something toxic, eg soapflakes.
Never use a stapled box
You will still need a scratching post
Your cat will attack your legs
Make sure the box is large enough
Never put it outside as is would create a possible site for flea/worm eggs to be transmitted on to your cat, if you have to, treat the box regularly with bedding flea spray and wash the blankets
Never make your cat into a new box as it will never
go back, a cat is curious by nature and will look after a bit
If you can’t find a good location, lie on the floor with face at cat height, where can you see the most from?
Use small thin boxes like building blocks, Cereal boxes are great, just don’t expect them to last long!
Put your cats plastic travel basket out for the cat to sleep in, is your cat sleeps in the basket, it’ll be less scared in the event of a trip to the vets.

Now on to Bat Attack. Bat Attack if great fun for your cat, and trains your cats reflexes and body. Make sure you have an open area for bat attack or kitty may injure someone or something. Bat Attack objects found in the house include

Balls of paper
The Lady of the House’s Legs
Rolled up tights/stockings (see above)
Plastic Objects
Empty trail size bottles/boxes
Fabric Hairbands that have perished elastic
Empty Paper cups (hide objects under)
Anything on a string – Attach to a wand or static object
Anything with catnip in it.

To make a sure a toy is safe, first bat it about hard to make sure it doesn’t break. Hold it in your hand, if you can close your hand round it enough to touch your fingers to the base of your thumb, it is defiantly too small. Then rub the toy against some soft skin in yourself, inner arm or thighs are good. If it hurts you, think twice about letting your cat have it.

My cats favourite toy is affectionately called ‘the ball of love’ it is an old stocking which I put some catnip in the toe, and rolled up putting more catnip as it got larger. They carry this around and bat it a lot. This can be made with any material but lightweight tights, 15 den, or so is best. Also, small, well-cleaned trial pots of things with holes knocked in the top make excellent catnip shakers for the cat to play with.

Balls of paper are best used once and the thrown away (recycled) again I can’t say enough
catnip is good here.
Avoid leaving plastic bags out in kitty’s reach as they are often selected for bat attack and worse still, bite attack. Which can lead to damaged claws ands digestive disorders

Any toys that are new should be watched in play at first to check they are safe. Remember cats have 9 lives for a reason, they have an inherent ability to find trouble.

Enjoy making your cat toys, and don’t be bitter when in completely ignores them in favour of an accidentally dropped object like a tissue :-) Making toys can be as fun as playing, keep a circulation going and your cat need never be short of activity.

And the final word must be on flid out/wall of death. You know how you are sat on the computer trying to concentrate, look at you cat, does it appear calm? If so then flid out in imminent. Don’t be to concerned though, as I’m sure kitty has another planner for 4am, that time he will be duty bound to end up on top of the Wardrobe.

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