Ideas for Homemade cat toys...?

Question

I have a 6 week old kitten who has a lot of energy, and I didn't have the time to go and buy a toy yet. any1 has any ideas of toys I can come up with what I have around the house? Oh, and I am also interested in what gifts could I give him on Christmas and his birthday:P (I love him very much)

Answer 1

Take the roll left over from the toilet paper, put a couple of beads ( or bells if you have them) inside and tape both ends. As it rolls across the floor it will make a noise that no cat can resist.

Answer 2

If someone drinks coffee, the clean, paper coffee filters you would have around the house wadded into a ball make excellent toys. A shoelace will get your kitties attention. But you may also have to make sure you tuck in any laces for your shoes or those too will become objects to attack. Do not use those wire bag closures, as they could injure themselves. Those flat plastic closures would be all right though.

Those small toy furry mice that are very inexpensive are almost always an instant hit. Feathers on a stick are also good, but you also must do only supervised play with those.

A bit furthur down the pike, getting a nail clipper and snipping the very tip of the claws off to dull them will pay dividends. Kitten claws are like needles. Cardboard scratchers are often very effective, and a bit cheaper than those sisal scratching posts.

Having a place to let your kitty look out a window is also a very nice thing to do.

(I do have to wonder about the six weeks that you stated. That is very young to be separated from its mother, but I know those things happen.)

Kitten food for the first year of life is the best way to start your kitty on a lifetime of good health.

Answer 3

First I have something to tell Smartygirl, be careful with those bows and stuff, My older cat was playing with that thin ribbon you can curl on scissors and he swallowed about 2 feet of it.

Cat Toys, I buy the squares of fleece and cut each piece in half ad a little stuffing and some Cat nip, and my cats go crazy for them, Well that is after I sew up the rest of the toy and it ends up looking like a hot dog. Pet smart sells these things only they have faces on and they are tiny for at least $2.00 or more. If you don't like that idea, go to the dollar Stores they have plenty of stuff for out kitty's even the aluminum bowls for there water and food.
Another thing I did was, if you have seen those collapsible hampers? Well they had them at the Dollar Store by my house I bought 3 and tied them together and sewed clothe around them for privacy, for my guys and they would chase each other through this for a long time until one of them kept jumping on the top of it and it collapsed so I need to buy some new ones $3.00 is all it cost and oh what fun they had.

Answer 4

(1) Fill a Ziploc bag with catnip, poke a bunch of small holes in the bag, and then stick the bag inside an old sock. Tie a knot in the sock so they can't access the catnip. Not only do they react to the catnip, but a lot of cats go nutty for the sound of crinkly plastic. My oldest cat goes crazy for the sock, he bites it, kicks it, licks it, rubs on it, throws it in the air, chases it when I throw it, and so on! The oils in catnip do go old and lose potency, so you have to make a new catnip sock once every few weeks. And note that I said to use an OLD sock, because your cats will destroy it. Pretty much every cardboard scratcher, large toy, or piece of kitty furniture you get in the store comes with a free bag of catnip. I save up the bags to make catnip socks, but you can buy a bin of catnip too. (2) Take a paper towel, bunch it together in the middle & tie a string around it (it should sorta look like a big butterfly). Use a long piece of string - at least two or three feet. It will move in a way that can really excite some cats, though it can also end up making a mess when they shred it! (3) I modify boxes and paper bags using store-bought toys. The most popular one I made was a tall upside-down box that I cut slats in the front of, then attached a cat toy inside... the toy was a ball of fluff on the end of an elastic string, just dangling freely from the center so it can sway and catch their interest. So basically, the cats could see the toy inside the box, and could fit their paws inside to bat at it and all, but the slats were small enough that they couldn't get inside and 'catch' it. My cats took interest as soon as I set it up, and like stalking it from afar.

Answer 5

That's great that you love your kitten very much--welcome to the club. Regardless of what some dog owners think, they love you back at least as much as dogs love their "people."

I would also recommend that if you get a box, just leave it out in a room that your cat normally plays in. As the cat grows, just replace it with a box the cat could fit inside of. Things like this cats tend to spend more time with and hiding in then store bought gifts anyhow.

I've never had a problem with my cat eating them, but they also like the part off the plastic milk cap lid to just play with. The simpler things the better. One year I ended up not putting ornaments in my Christmas tree because the cat loved to "live in it." Even a small branch brought indoors will bring a cat some pleasure.

Answer 6

Congratulations!!!
I just got a new kitten too. She is an absolute terror!
We took a shoestring out of an old shoe and tied it on a doorhandle and she just played with it for hours. Also, cats like cardboard boxes for some reason. Throw an old shoebox on the floor and it will jump in and out and in and out... its funny.
Take an old towel and make it the kitten's own.. Put it in its sleeping area at night... My kitten drags it out everyday and plays with it right in front of us.
Also, a good idea is if you have a stray sock, just tie it in a knot in the middle and it will like that too.
One other little tip- i suggest getting a little spray bottle with clean water and keep it handy; your kitten is the perfect age to start teaching it what's right and wrong when playing... Like if you dont want it scratchingthe couch, climbing up the drapes, walking on the tv, ect; give it a little spray. Its not mean, its conditioning. Its working well with my 9-week old. Shes such a terror!

Answer 7

I have raised kittens for years, and always found that their favorite things to play with were.......empty toilet paper roll (to bat around the floor), a large athletic sock (tied up in a knot), a plastic bag, rolled and tied. They can carry these things around and then bat them around and chase them. Also, if you have an old collar w/bell.....fasten it and throw it on the floor....they love to pick it up and make the bell rattle. Also, if you want to "interact" with the kitten, take a fly swatter and move it back and forth FLAT ON THE FLOOR, and the kitten will chase it. After it gets a little older, you can get it to do "backflips" by making a circle back over their head with the fly swatter. That's really fun to watch. Have fun............homemade toys are much more enjoyable, not to mention cheaper! By no means let your kitten play with rubber bands, twist ties, string, yarn, or anything else that can be swallowed. Even little bells have to be attached firmly to something. Did you see that Oprah lost one of her Golden Retrievers, who she ADORED, because she let her play with a ball that was too small, and it got stuck in her throat....she smothered before anyone could help her. Much better to be safe than sorry.............

Answer 8

Empty thread spools. Put an empty large paper bag on the floor. For Christmas make a small catnip pillow he can bat around. Cats do some really funny things with catnip. Catnip matures in the late summer. Cut some and dry it or you can get some at the pet store.

Answer 9

an easy toy that i have for my cat is a cardboard box i call it the "cat castle" because it had a draw bridge i used it when my cat was that old and he loved it another choice is if you have skewers cut the sharp side off and tape feathers on the end or use string and tape the feathers to that on the skewer oh when you make the box cut holes it so that the kitten can jump through them and have a blast oh ya my cat is a pain but things that i keep away from him are laser pens they can blind your baby hair tie twist ties on bread and goods string yarn milk seals yarn shoe laces rubber bands ear plugs pencils and pens cat can poke eye or eat the ink candle wax my friends cat thought it was water and kitty got sick and having surgery on your cat is very very expensive or can be oh and plastic bags preasant ones are OK paper bags no kitty can suffocate paper or candy wrappers can be unravel ed and swallowed things that are OK are cat nip toilet paper rolls feathers and store bot toys but you don't want to buy anything so take my advice i have been studying for three years

Answer 10

One thing my cats like is so easy to do! Those small plastic mesh produce bags. Just tie one in a knot. It's just the right size for a (full-size) cat to carry around.

A six-week-old kitten should be left to his own devices while he's still nursing and getting to know his litter-mates.

Our cats really looove those plush mice with the rawhide tails. One will carry around the plastic pouch (containing three) and will hide it, before I can even take the new mice out.

Another thing they really like is the thing that looks like a tick and you fill it with catnip.

Be very careful with laser pens. Whatever you do, don't let it shine in the cat's eyes.