How to Make Your Own Cat Toys? 6 Creative Ideas to Recreate

Have you ever bought an expensive toy for your cat, only for them to ignore it and play with the box instead? Get inspired by these DIY ideas and learn how you can make a new and creative cat toy to pamper your favorite pet.

Cats play with everything they find in the house. Empty boxes, bags, or a simple ball of yarn. The curious animals are always looking for interesting objects that keep them busy and happy. A homemade cat toy is a perfect way to spark your creativity and enrich your cat’s day.

How to Make Your Own Cat Toys? Simple & Inexpensive DIY Ideas

Every little thing lying around the apartment becomes a potential cat toy. So why buy expensive trinkets when you can make them yourself? Creating a homemade cat toy can be very easy. Just use your imagination and make sure it doesn’t have any sharp ends. Gift your cat one of these homemade cat toys that will keep them entertained for hours!

Homemade Feather Cat Toy

Cats love feathers because they stimulate their hunting instincts. And the best thing about this toy is that you don’t need real bird feathers.

What do you need:

• String
• Multicolored felt sheets
• Tracing paper
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Silver bells
• Glue/glue gun
• Wooden sticks
• Iron

Step-by-step instructions:

1. Draw the shape of a feather in different sizes on the tracing paper and cut it out.
2. Glue the shapes to the felt and cut them out in different colors.
3. Fold the feathers in half and lightly iron them with the iron.
4. Thread three bells onto a long piece of string and tie the string tightly around the quills.
5. Cut the short end of the string near the knot, or if it is long enough, you can attach an additional bell to the end.
6. Leave the string about 40 cm/15.74 in long to hang the feathers.
7. Apply enough glue to the wooden stick and wrap the string around it.
8. Tie it off at the end and cut it near the knot.

DIY Activity Board for Cats

Activity boards for cats are usually expensive. If you want to grant your cat some fun, you can easily make one yourself. And if you have two or more cats, just double the size and materials, so they can all use the same board.

What do you need:

• Cardboard
• 2 small, empty fruit yogurt cups (large enough for your cat’s paw)
• Scissors/carpet knife
• Sandpaper
• 4-5 toilet paper rolls
• Ice cream sticks
• Non-toxic paint
• Glue

Step-by-step instructions:

1. Cut a square out of old cardboard and paint it the color you want.
2. Sand the edges of the yogurt cups with the sandpaper until they are no longer sharp.
3. Also paint the toilet paper rolls, yogurt cups and ice cream sticks.
4. Cut two of the toilet paper rolls in half and attach all parts to the square with the glue as shown in the photo.
5. Hide a small ball and some cat treats in the containers and let your cat try to get them out.

Make Your Own Cat Toys from Wine Corks

Don’t throw away the old wine corks, just turn them into a cute cat toy! How?

What do you need:

• Glue
• Craft feathers
• String
• Raffia
• Pipe cleaners
• Scissors
• Grill skewer or toothpick

Step-by-step instructions:

1. First, bring a pot of water to a boil to prepare the wine corks.
2. Steam the corks over the water for about 3–5 minutes.
3. Drill deep holes in the softened corks using scissors or a screwdriver.
4. Apply some glue to the bottom part of a feather and insert it into one of the corks. Gently push it in to allow it to secure itself. Repeat the process with the other feathers.
5. To make another cat toy, cut four 6-inch-long pieces of raffia.
6. Gather the pieces together, twist them around the center of the bundle, and then bend it in half.
7. Apply some glue to the bottom part of the bundle and insert it into the cork. Use a toothpick to push it in.
8. Apply glue around the hole to fill any gaps and secure the raffia.
9. Then take the pipe cleaners and bend them into a “V.”
10. Wrap the two ends around your finger, apply some glue to the curved end, and insert the pipe cleaner into the cork.

Cats Like to Play with Toilet Paper Rolls

Old toilet paper rolls can be found in every household, and they are perfect for making fun cat toys. This can keep your cat busy for quite a while, especially when you don’t have time to play with them.

Fill a shoebox with several cardboard rolls by simply placing them upright next to each other. Make sure that the box is completely filled so that the toilet paper rolls do not fall over. Hide cat snacks or dry food in some of the rolls and let your cat have fun.

Toys from Cardboard Rolls & Table Tennis Balls

This simple cat toy is very easy to make and guarantees hours of play.

What do you need:

• Cardboard roll made from kitchen paper or aluminum foil
• Glue
• Paint brush
• Colored string
• Pencil
• Table tennis ball (you can also use several)

Step-by-step instructions:

1. Use the pencil to make a mark on the cardboard roll where the hole for the ping pong ball will be.
2. Then cut it out with a sharp knife.
3. Apply glue to the entire cardboard roll and begin wrapping the roll with the colored string. You can also use multiple colors as you like.
4. Then trim the fringe that is over the opening and apply some glue to secure the ends.
5. Put the ping pong balls inside and cut two circles out of cardboard to close the tube. Glue them on both sides.

Make Your Own Cat Toys: Fabric Knots

You can create these simple fabric knots from any type of fabric scraps. If you want to make them irresistible to your cat, spray them with some catnip spray.

Take some old clothes and cut out large rectangles (7 x 25 cm). Prepare 6 strips for each toy. Stretch each strip slightly so that it curls up. Then tie them in a knot and pull the ends taut.

Also read: How to Install DIY Cat Shelves? Easy 3-Step Tutorial Plus Ideas on Creative Designs!