Saving Money on Cat Toys

Homemade Yarn Pom Pom Cat Toy

If you are looking for a quick and easy cat toy to make, give these a try:

Making a Pom Pom With a Fork

Be sure to take the pom pom away if yarn strands start to come loose. Then just make them another one. :)

By lalala...

Homemade Cat Toys

I make lots of cat toys to hang on walls where I can see them play. I won't let them have string toys by themselves, as they can eat the string.

These are the pictures of the latest ones I have made.

The laser lights may be fun for you, but they frustrate your cat's need to catch something. These toys make it feel as if they can chase something that is moving and grab at it and bite at it.

Cats need to have toys to chase and play with. One of my favorites is a rolled up ball of paper.

The one with yarn is a six pack plastic circle cut out and I take the yarn and tie it onto the circle. I then take the yarn, and make a loop around one finger, bring the yarn under the circle and through the circle and then the other end goes through the loop I made. it is hard to describe but easy to do.

The other is lids from milk containers, and a little plastic tub lid. I put the little milk lids in a scoop that comes out of a Slimfast like tub, and put the lid of the milk into it. Then I take scissors and poke two holes into the milk lid. I then put double yarn through the plastic lid and tie a knot with the yarn. There are two holes in the plastic lid. Then I put the yarn through the two holes in the milk lids and tie a knot there and then on and on.

I like the way these look, and I am going to make a big huge mobile of lids before long, just to hang up.

The third is toilet paper rolls cut into strips and then tied together to make a rattly thing. You have to interact with the cat to get her to play since they are hung on the wall.

My cats seem to love this and come to my "wall" at least once a day to play.

By Robyn

Frugal Kitten Toys

Here are some ideas for quick and easy cat toys that I've discovered over the years. Cat toys don't need to be expensive.

• a big ball of wadded up aluminum foil
  If you want the ball of aluminum foil to have more weight and go farther across the floor then put a small pebble in the middle of it.
• a plastic ring from a milk jug

• craft felt or other material sewn into a small rectangle and stuffed with catnip
  My cats pounce on them, fall over and claw at them with their hind feet like they are big juicy mice!
• craft pompoms
• the thin strip of plastic you tear off the top of some bags of food to open them
  These tend to carried around in kitty's mouth like a trophy.

• the thin strip of serrated cardboard you tear off of boxes
  They make a good toy to bat around the floor.
• a twist tie from the bread bag
• a ping pong ball
• a tennis ball
• A good toy for kittens is to take your empty trash bag or Kleenex box (the kind with a narrow slit in the top) and make a rather large ball of aluminum foil and force it into the box. Then show kitty that something is in there. My kitten spent weeks trying to get that ball out of the Kleenex box and had tons of fun doing it.

Enjoy!

By Anne from Marengo, OH

Editor's Note: Do you have any frugal kitten toy ideas? Post them here!

Make Catnip Toys From Socks

Our cats shred the store bought toys we have given them. So we decided to try out making a thriftier version. I use the old mismatched socks we end up with on the folding table. I put approximately 1/4 cup of dried catnip into an old sock and then knot the top (nylon socks work best). This provides hours of fun out of something that would have ended up being a dust cloth. And when they shred it? Oh well! It was practically free.

By Angi from Spokane, WA

Recycled Kitten Playhouse

I made this playhouse for my new kitten from our leftover cardboard dinner carrier from Bojangles dinner meal box. I simply cut out a few holes for her to poke her legs through to play, and cut out an entrance. It has a nice carry handle, and could also be used to transport a small animal to the vet, etc., just make sure you cut out a few air holes. My new kitty Bindi loves playing in it, batting her legs through to grab at whatever wiggles by!

By Cheryl from Trinity, NC

Safe Homemade Toys for Pets

Many people like to make homemade toys for their children and pets. There are some very serious pros and cons to this idea.

For the pros, yes, they are much less expensive than buying toys. Especially if you are sure to buy only toys that are safe for the child or pet. Plus, there's nothing like our imagination for coming up with some fantastic new ideas! And how many of us have spent our hard earned money on a toy only to have the child or the pet toss the toy aside to play with the packaging?

As for the cons though, you have to use a lot of common sense when making these toys. Here are some examples:

• DON'T give your pet the rings from milk jugs, soda six-packs, or twist ties from anything. They are too small and the pet, like your child, could choke on it.

• NEVER, EVER, EVER give your child or your pet plastic bags or even plastic wrappings to play with. They can get wrapped up in it and can easily suffocate before you know what happened.

• Pompoms made from pieces of yarn are great toys but you must be careful how you make them. You must make sure each and every strand is tied together with the rest of the strands. Otherwise the strands will come apart and can choke the cat. As long as they are tied together properly these pompoms can make great toys.

One toy I made for my cat was a plastic cup with a screw on lid (I used a sippy cup I got from the dollar store, but a hollow ball would work just as well, maybe even better). I cut out some small holes around the sides, then put a few pieces of cat treats inside. He has a ball chasing the cup around the house. Once in a while a treat will escape from a hole and he'll get to munch on it before tackling it again!

One rule of thumb that is best to follow when making toys for pets is that if you would not give it to your infant baby, don't give it to the pets. This goes also for plastic eyes or other pieces that can be chewed off and choked on or pieces inside the toy that can be ripped or chewed out. So please use some common sense when making homemade toys, for not just your babies but also for your pets. Remember that they, like babies, put everything in their mouths and chew on everything.

By cricketnc from Parkton, NC

Inexpensive "Da Bird" Cat Toy

Both my cats love to play with a fishing pole toy for cats called Da Bird. It costs around $7, and consists if two feathers that twirl when you pull it. They can destroy Da Bird in about a minute. Refill feathers are available to clip onto the fishing pole for around $5. I purchased a few "refills" before I decided we really couldn't afford Da Bird.

So I picked up a packet of similar feathers at Walmart for $1 and glued them together like Da Bird using Elmer's glue. When they were dry I tucked them into the little red plastic tip in the toy with a dab of glue, after I pulled the mangled feathers out.

The next day we were back in business. Be careful what glue you use. Some glues don't allow you to pull the mangled feathers out (ie. Gorilla glue) for replacement. Six months of fun for $1 is my idea of a good cat toy.

By lizzyanny from Seattle, WA

Makeup Brushes Are A Good Cat Toy

I have found that cats love to play with make-up brushes. From big to small brushes, cats can bat them, carry them in their mouth, hide them, and even play fetch. Most women have more than one of these lying around and usually throw them away when they done using them. I suggest rinsing them off and giving them to your cat. I have never seen a cat not adore them, and when my beloved cat Puffer Stuff died, I found her stash of over half a dozen brushes in our basement.

By Nina from Salt Lake City, UT

Cat Toy from Ponytail Holders

Here's a way to make a free toy for your cats. When you or your kids or family's kids have ponytail holders that have stretched out, loop several together to make a toy for your cats, the longer the better. You can drag it across the floor for them to chase or hang it somewhere where it can swing. It's a good variation of string and ribbon type toys.

By CS7 from Salem, OR

Toy Octopus for a Kitten

This is a craft to make for a kitten or a playful older cat. I took the plastic strips off of frozen juice cans, put them together so that all the round loops faced the same way and wrapped an elastic band around the base of the loops. (it kind of looks like an octopus). I used 10 strips, then I hung it from the door knob with a string. The kitten thinks it is the best thing to chew on, bat at, and just generally play with, can't beat this for being frugal!

By Cinnamon from Williams Lake

Easy Yarn Cat Toy

I have "Forced Air Heat" with registers on the floor. These registers only get a bit warm, not hot. So I tied a 8 - 10 inch piece of "Eyelash Yarn" (like Lion Brand "Fun Fur") onto a register in my kitchen that sits totally horizontal on the floor and my cat is having the time of his life!

The piece of eyelash yarn goes back and forth, to and fro when the heat is turned on. He can't get enough of it! It has to be eyelash yarn or something equally "airy light", so it will be light enough to blow around when the heat is on. Make sure the yarn is no longer than 13 inches or it will be too heavy to blow around.

By Cyinda from near Seattle

Inexpensive Cat Toys

Don't buy expensive cat toys! Put a marble, a couple paper clips or some dried beans in an empty prescription bottle, put the lid back on, and roll it across the floor. My cat plays with these for hours!

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Recycle a Water Bottle Into a Cat Toy

My cats are always batting something off the counters and playing with it. So, I remembered something I did as a kid. I put little bright things in a plastic drink jug. You can put beads, paper clips, buttons, and anything that will catch your cats eyes. Seal the lid on with with E6000 glue or any crazy glue. I don't recommend these for dogs, as they can easily chew through the plastic. My cats love it!

By Sandra from Salem, OR

Save on Cat Toys

Don't spend a lot of money on cat toys. They seem to love the cheap ones better. Aluminum foil in a ball works as a cat toy.

By Chrystal from Phoenix, AZ

Super Easy Cat Toy

Here's the BEST cat toy in the world and you'll only need 3 simple things to make it. A dowel, stick or a long knitting needle, a piece of fish line and some yarn. Take the dowel or stick and to the end, tie on a piece of fishing line about 4 feet long (since fishline is transparent, the cat won't see it). Then to the end of the fishline, tie a short piece of eyelash yarn (or several strands of any yarn) these should be small, only about about 3 or 4 inches long. This toy will resemble a fishing pole with a "worm" on the end of it.

Now when you play with your cat, "drag" it across the floor. My cat thinks he's chasing a bug running across the floor. And him being the great hunter he is, he just loves this "bug on a line" toy and refuses to play with any other toys. It's so cute, he gets down in his stalking position and just waits until the bug (the piece of eyelash yarn) goes around the corner where he can't see it, and he can wait no longer, (he actually shakes with anticipation!) Then "pounce" he's got it! (his bug on a line). He could play this game forever. And, since the weather has been nice recently, we've been playing "Catch the bug" outside in the grass instead of inside and he even likes this even better!

By Cyinda from near Seattle