5 DIY cat toy ideas

My kitties told me that it would be a great idea to share with you some of the DIY (do it yourself) cat toys that they love. They're very easy to make, and some of them might be already laying around your house doing absolutely nothing, so we're about to change that! I'm going to be sharing with you five DIY cat toy ideas that are super fun and of course, eco-friendly, so let's begin!

If you prefer listening vs reading, check out my YouTube video on this topic.

#1: Kraft paper 

I think kraft paper is the easiest way to give something super fun to do to your kitty. Usually when I say kraft paper, I mean that brown paper that you get when you receive packages.

First of all, you can just get a flat paper and make a ball out of it. Cut a piece and just crinkle it in your hands. You can make it smaller or bigger, whatever your kitty prefers! Kitties really love it, it's super fun and it's crinkly!

The other way you can use kraft paper is just by laying it flat on the floor. You can try to make a little fort or a sculpture out of it, if you’d like. You will see what your kitty likes based on their interactions with the kraft paper.

You can use any paper that comes in your packaging: kraft or wrapping paper, as long as it's clean, color-free, and as long as it doesn't have any glitter or anything potentually harmful.

It’s super fun, super easy, cheap and literally free, so I highly recommend trying something like that!

#2: Paper bag

Paper bag is very similar to kraft paper, because essentially it is paper. What's different and cool about it is that kitties like to hide inside the bag. Paper bags are free, you can get it whenever you're buying something. Just make sure that it's clean and has no food leftovers or anything gross like that. It’s very important to cut the handles, because cats can put their head in it and get stuck or harm themselves, and we don't want that. So just make sure that you cut the handles and toss them in a garbage right away to make sure that cats won’t find and swallow it. And your paper bag fort is ready!

Don't forget to add catnip, silvervine or valerian root for more fun! You can also put toys or treats in the paper bag and let the kitties forage.

#3: Cork

Number three would also be something super easy, free, fun, biodegradable and eco-friendly: it's cork from wine! If you don't drink wine, you can ask your wine-drinking friends if they can give you some cork pieces for your cats to play. Cats like to roll the cork on the floor, it's really really fun!

Another idea I have is not as eco-friendly as other options, but it's something fun that you can do with your kitty. You can take the plastic caps from milk, juice or even yogurt, and use them to play hockey with your cat! Just make sure you don't leave it on the floor after playtime, because you don't want cats to chew on it since it’s plastic.

#4: Wooden clothespin

Another super easy idea for a cat toy is just a simple wooden clothespin that you might have laying around your house. Just make sure that the surface and the edges of the pin are smooth, and make sure that the metal part is not not rusty, because if you're actually using it for hanging your wet clothes and the water gets on the metal, it's possible it might be rusty, and of course we don't want that. So make sure it's clean, the edges are smooth and won't chip off easily.

#5: Crinkle ball

This one requires a little bit of work to make it and I highly recommend watching a tutorial on my YouTube channel (starts at 9:48).

How did I come up with this crinkle ball toy?

Puddles really likes those crinkly balls that you can buy from Petco or Chewy, which are likely not safe to chew on, and he really likes to put his teeth in that ball. So I did a research for non-toxic and eco-friendly crinkle paper, and I did find an Etsy shop that sells crinkle paper that is BPA-free, non-toxic, baby safe, CPSIA and EN71 compliant, free of lead and phtalates. You just buy a flat piece of crinkle paper there, and then you can do essentially whatever you want with it. You can watch my crinkle ball tutorial or come up with your own ideas!

This is all for today! Thank you so much for reading, as always. Please share this article with your friends and other cat parents 🐱

~ Vani 🐚