Pet parents can show their love, affection and deepen their bond by playing games with their cats. Be as it may, playing with simple household objects has an appeal that only cats can understand.
Why is it important to play with your cat?
Your loving kitty is still a wild cat at heart. Playtime can help your cat embrace its natural instincts like stalking, running & hunting. If there are multiple cats in the household they are always at each other, keeping themselves entertained. However, if you have a single cat, I can’t stress the importance of these play sessions enough to keep the cat from getting depressed. When you keep these short daily play sessions as challenging and engaging as possible, they lead a happy and healthy life. Cats keep themselves busy playing with their toys or unrolling toilet paper. For all the other times when you’re away, these DIY cat toys will surely keep them busy.
DIY cat toys that are easy to make
PAPER BALLS
The #1 Top-rated toy in our home. Cats love the crinkly and scrunchy sound of paper.
Take a piece of paper and crush it into a ball. Make sure it’s tightly crushed yet not too small(as it could be a choking hazard). Now throw these balls at a distance and watch your cat turn into a cheetah. Throw them to all corners from varying heights to increase the complexity of the game.
FEATHERS & STRINGS
I don’t what it is, but birds(and their feathers) get them going! By attaching a feather to a string, your cat can have fun for hours. Run around the house with the string and your enticed cat can’t stop herself from running after it. Tie the string at a height, letting it dangle just above your cat’s face. This is a fun way to make them jump and hunt.
CARDBOARD BOXES
Empty cardboard boxes can be used as a play house for cats. Boxes serve as a wonderful place to hide, climb, run into and even sleep when play time is over.
Cut a few tiny holes in the box and stack a few boxes on top of each other. Voila! Your cat just got their own cardboard box haven. To amp it up further, take a feather and move it across the holes made in the box. Mister Kat will go bonkers.
TOILET PAPER TUBES
Instead of tossing that toilet paper tube in the trash, use it as a rolling toy for your kitty. Pick it up and roll it on the floor. As easy as that. Roll it from one end of the room to the other and watch your fur ball run after it. This is the reason toilet paper rolls make for the perfect DIY cat toys.
SOCKS
You can do a lot of variations with socks, but this is my favourite.
Take one sock and put it into the other, giving it some weight. It should look like a small stuffed toy. Add some catnip in it and tie the sock. There you go, you now have your very own diy catnip toy.
WOOL & YARN
Similar to strings, cats love to chase and play with yarn. It is believed that yarn was the first ever cat toy. Playing with yarn without supervision is risky as cats have a tendency to swallow yarn or get entangled.
PAPER BAGS
Similar to paper balls, cats love the sound and feel of paper bags. Any grocery paper bags lying around the house will work for this.
Place a paper bag on the floor and throw a toy inside it. You could also throw a paper ball from a distance into the bag. This diy cat game will surely get them up and running.
PING PONG BALLS
Rolling or bouncing a ping pong ball on the floor is going to make your cat get off its tushy. Unlike other toys where the toy moves only a few inches after swatting it, a ping pong ball will make your cat jump and run. Your cat will surely go bonkers and love to chase and hunt the ball.
CAT PUZZLE FEEDER DIY
Grab a medium sized ball and make two holes in it. The holes should be big enough for the treats or dry cat food to fall through. Roll it on the floor and show your cat the treats falling off. Your cat will catch up and start rolling it themselves with excitement.
Paw Notes
These were a few games for indoor cats. All these games were tried and tested by my very own fur ball. She loves them, yours will too.
