Homemade cat toys!

My crafty friend Andrea made her cat some of these toys, and ordered me to do the same. We got some fabric scraps at our local fabric store. Stores should have a discounted scrap section where the ends of bolts or misshapen pieces are sold at a deep discount. Andrea recommends using fleece(hers cost about $1.50); I chose a nylon sparkly fabric (about $3) because I'm easily distracted like that. To make this simple toy, you also need a needle, thread, scissors, and some catnip. I got organic catnip from Target for less than $3.

The easiest, least time consuming way to make the toy is to cut a 2" wide by 8-10" long piece of fabric.

Make a slipknot at the end, leaving a pouch about 1-2" in size.

Sew one side of the pouch, put catnip in the other side, and sew up the remaining side.

Cut the hanging fabric into strips (toy should look a little like an octopus)

Give to your favorite cat and watch the show.

I also tried a couple of different designs. You could cut a heart-shaped piece that's about 3" down the middle. Sew it up inside-out, leaving a hole at the top for the 'nip. Turn right-side-out, fill with 'nip, sew it closed. You could sew on eyes and a tail, and voila! A catnip-filled mouse!



You could also do a little pouch. I probably don't need to explain how to do that.



Ultimately, the octopus is the easiest. The cat likes anything that even remotely involves 'nip, so she's not picky.