Go Green: Make Your Own Pet Toys

You’ve seen them in the pet stores – very cute little toys that look like they cost pennies to make but cost dollars to buy. Instead of buying pet toys why not make them?

Crinkle Toys – Some cats love these things. They make a noise when you squeeze them and are big enough for your dog to carry around and hold. Use a clean and empty soda bottle instead that is wrapped up in a t-shirt that you no longer wear. Tie off the ends so the bottles doesn’t fall out of the shirt and let your dog have fun with this cheap recycled toy.

Snack ropes – Buy some sweet potatoes and make potato rings using a cookie cutter. Bake them at 250 degrees for about 2 hours on each side. The treat should be hard and dried out. Once the rings are cooled off, string them through a rope and tie off the ends. Your puppy with have a chew toy that will last a while that you can replenish every couple of weeks.

Feather Fishing Rod – This is super simple to make. Go to a craft store and get a few feathers, a satin cord, and a dowel. Cut the cord to make a fishing line, attach the feathers to one end and the other end attach the dowel. Tie the ends and you can reinforce with tape if you want on the dowel side. In about 2 minutes you have a feather fishing rod!

Cat Condo – Ok. This won’t look as good as the ones you could buy but your cats don’t care and you can always hide it when company comes over. If you have boxes that you’re not using, make a cat condo. Glue or duct tape the boxes together and cut circles between the boxes to make tunnels and doorways. Make sure the boxes are well taped together and stack them high. This works best if you have boxes of different sizes and make sure to stack them from largest to smallest.

Cat Scratcher – Many cats like to scratch and to save your furniture and your wallet, make your own cat scratcher. Get some strips of cardboard that will fit in a shallow box or a lid and glue them together so the edges are facing up, like the ones you’ve seen in the pet store. Secure the strips in the box or lid, toss some catnip on it, and you’re good to go!

What DIY pet toys have you made? Let us know.

^{Image from CatsParadise}