If you’ve been looking for something easy and educational for your kids to do on a rainy Saturday afternoon, here are two creative cat toys that any kid can make. Your kids will be kept busy and your cat will appreciate her new playthings — made with lots of love!
If you have kids, no doubt you go through lots of rolls of toilet paper. But don’t throw the empty roller tube away; they make great cat toys. Even by themselves, cats can swat them around and pounce on them and, when one begins to fall apart, just throw it away and get out another one.
Your kids, however, can make the empty cardboard roll much more interesting for kitty (besides being fun for them) by adding a little something extra. First of all, you’ll need two small pieces of paper — each about the size of a Post-it note — to cover each end of the tube and masking tape to secure the paper and seal the ends.
Before covering the open end throw a few pennies inside. If you want to get fancy, you can carefully color or draw on the tube (being careful not to crush it) to make it prettier. This toy will roll and make an interesting sound that your cat will not be able to resist.
Children also go through socks like there’s no tomorrow. Again, you don’t have to throw them away when they get tattered because they, too, make for some fun feline entertainment. Your kids can stuff an old sock with wadded up paper (or shredded paper for more noise effect), pour in a little bit of catnip if you have some, and tie a tight knot (maybe have an adult tie the knot) in the open end of the sock. You could draw a little face with eyes, nose, and ears to make the sock appear to be a small rodent which, of course, kitties love to stalk and pounce on!
Finally, please remember that safety should always be the top priority for your kids and pets. Both depend on your judgment in finding toys that are suitable for them and will not put them in any danger. If a toy poses even the slightest threat for your human or furry babies, put the toy away until you’ll be home to supervise.
Let the fun begin!
