At times I feel sorry for my cat. It almost seems as if she is loved too much. There are five people in our family and one cat. You do the math. That is a lot of hands petting, scratching and picking her up. My kids are certainly the biggest cat lovers of the bunch. They frequently shower our cat, Charlotte, with kisses and cuddles, mostly when she is attempting to nap. They also love to play with Charlotte and take any opportunity to do so. We have a collection of store bought toys, but recently we decided to try some DIY Cat Toys. My kids got to engage their creative sides and our cat got some new toys. Unfortunately, there are many shelter cats that don't have a loving home or a family to play with them. That is why I am proud to share this sponsored post written by me on behalf of Fresh Step® Litter. Read on to find out how they plan to help shelter cats find forever homes and get some ideas for cute DIY cat toys you can make for your cat.
June is Adopt a Shelter Cat Month. Did you know that millions of cats are in shelters across the country waiting for someone to give them a home? To help every shelter cat find a forever home, Fresh Step® has created the Million Meow Mission. If you are considering adopting a cat or kitten, June is a great month to do it!
Adopt a Shelter Cat Month is important to my family because we have always adopted cats into our family. There are so many wonderful kittens and adult cats waiting for forever homes at shelters. If you are looking for a particular breed of cat, you might be surprised to find it at your local shelter. Shelters house pure bred and mixed breed cats that owners had to give up for one reason or another. There are many reasons why people might give a cat to a shelter. I was surprised to learn that litter box rejection is one of the top reasons cats are returned to shelters. Getting cats to regularly use their litter box can keep them out of shelters and in a home.
New Fresh Step® with the power of Febreze™ can help to make a cat’s transition to its new home more successful by combating litter box rejection. Fresh Step® Litter makes cats and their owners happy by eliminating odors while leaving behind a fresh, clean scent
Shelter cats typically don't receive a lot of playtime. After you get a shelter cat settled at home, it is time to have some fun with them. There are some great cat toys out there, but did you know that you can make some simple cat toys at home that will provide plenty of fun for your cat. If you have kids, you can even have them help to make these. Most of these cat toys can be made using items you already have at home. So let’s get started! Please remember to supervise your cat while playing with these toys.
To make a sparkly wand you will need:
- 12-inch dowel
- duct tape or masking tape
- clean, empty juice pouch
- scissors
Next time your kids have a juice pouch, don't throw it out. Save the empty pouch and cut off the top and then cut it open. Cut so you have two pieces from the front and back of the juice pouch. Then, cut fringes on each piece of the juice pouch, careful not to cut all the way to the top.
Tape the juice pouch fringe to the end of the dowel. I did this in layers. First I wrapped one piece around the dowel and taped it and then I wrapped the second piece on top of that and secured it with more tape.
To make a feather toy you will need:
- 12 inch dowel
- duct tape or masking tape
- yarn
- feathers
- scissors
Cut a 12 inch length of yarn and tape one end to the dowel. Wrap the other end around a few feathers and tape at the end.
To make a paper roll toy you will need:
- toilet paper roll with paper removed
- scissors
This is a super simple toy to make. Just start from the top of the tube and cut out a spiral. I was able to cut out a few from one roll. Then just roll them towards your cat who will bat at them and grab them.
Charlotte really loved the sparkly wand. It crinkled and made noise as my kids waved it and as the cat batted it around.
Of course all that playing really wore Charlotte out. After this, she went to take a nap. One that was promptly interrupted by three girls trying to cuddle her.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Fresh Step® Litter.
karen
I LOVE this post, as my ragdoll kitty is my heart and I want to just spoil her all the time! She is a funny one about toys. Sometimes I will spend all kinds of moola on her, and she isnt interested. But then when I pull of a plastic tab from the milk carton is spends hours with it. Who knew?
Karen | GlamKaren.com
Rebecca Bryant
How cute. I think my son would love to make one of these for his fu baby, thanks for the idea.
Toughcookiemommy
I have always loved cats but, unfortunately, I am allergic to them. If I had a cat, I would definitely make some of these cute toys for them. They are very creative.
jill conyers
The simplicity of this DIY is awesome. I'm not sure who is having more fun with it. The kids or the cat.
Ana
Your kitty is beautiful and its lovely that you always adopt shelter cats. I love the DIY toy and its nice that they give you 50 paw points through the app.
Kami @ FaithfullyMeBlog
This is so cool, what a neat idea. Thanks for sharing. These are so creative.
Tabitha
What an awesome way to create a more "hands off" approach to letting your kids play with the cat! I'm sure the cat appreciates it and the toy is fabulous and so easy!
Wendy
I don't have a cat but these look really fun if I did! Your cat is so beautiful and fluffy.
Rosalina Sahetapy
Love your creativity on making this DIY cat toy, and your cat Charlotte is adorable. No wonder your kids adore Charlotte. It's great to know that some of the unfortunate cats have animal shelter as their place before they got adopted.
Heather
What a cute idea! My cousin's cats love toys like this, and such a perfect way to welcome a shelter cat into your home.
Amber Nelson
What a great idea. Cat toys are so expensive in the stores. I am going to try some of these.
CourtneyLynne
Awwwwww love this!!!! I have two furbabies!!! I need to have my daughter make them a few toys. They would love it 🙂
Reesa Lewandowski
How creative and fun! My daughter would love to make these for my brother's cats.
Rachel. s
I have never owned a cat before. My little one is always asking that she wants one. This June adoption sounds like a great thing. I will check with our local shelter.
Erin
First of all, your cat. Oh my gosh. I'm in love. So so gorgeous! I'm definitely going to have to make these for my babies. My cats aren't super playful {they're big fat lazy cats} but they'll still play a bit 😉
Ashleigh Walls
My 3 cats would really appreciate these! What a great simple idea to give back to them.
Kim
My kid wold love making this for my Mom's cat. She's so playful and they love playing together. Great idea!
Robin Rue
That cat toy is so much fun and so easy to make too. I know that cats will go crazy over it.
Krystle Cook
As a cat person, this toy would keep a cat occupied for a while. I love how simple it is!
Denea
SO cute and creative. Cat toys are literally so expensive and are ugly. This is cute and affordable,
Toni
Those toys are easy to make and I'm glad that your cat likes them! It seems like a great summer craft project!
Sandy Mangis
Your cat probably loves all the attention. They are very picky sometimes, but all animals are fun to play with.
Leslie Hernandez
I don't have cats but I love the creativity behind this, it looks like so much fun!!!
Angela Bethea
This is absolutely adorable and crafty! Perfect for all ages and creates a beautiful bond with their fur-baby. Love the creations by the way. I don't have a cat but I will share this to my friends who does. xx
Elise
Wow - way easier than I would've expected to make. I don't know why I thought these were a little more complicated.
Thanks for the tutorial!