Activity is a very important part of a cat's day, although some might think otherwise. It's actually not normal or healthy for a cat to nap all day and night, contrary to widely-held popular opinion. Cats have an instinctive drive to hunt; even if they have never set a toe outdoors, you may catch your cat 'hunting' stray socks, light reflections, dust bunnies, or even his own tail. It's important for your cat's hunting drive to be satisfied, or he may start acting out in inappropriate ways, such as attacking YOU or guests to your home. A bored cat is an unhappy cat. But you don't need to spend a small fortune on the latest and greatest cat toys to keep your cat happy. In fact, you probably don't need to spend anything at all. Here I have compiled a list of cats toys that are certain to keep your cat busy, and, best of all, are FREE.
1. An old shoelace. Dangle it, drag it - eventually a wiggly string will catch even the laziest cat's eye. The string in the photo was once the drawstring of one of my hoodies. It came out in the wash, and you
know how impossible it is to get those things back in. Now it is now one of my cats' most favorite toys. *Note: It is not recommended to allow cats to play with strings unsupervised.
2. Wire bread ties. I call them 'twisty ties'. Call them what you will, there's just something very attrative about the way it looks coupled with the way it flies across the floor with a flick of a paw... My cat Spike in particular goes nuts for these things. He steals them when I'm making lunch. There are probably 40 under our fridge right now. For similar reasons, both of my cats also adore chenille craft sticks (pipe cleaners). *Note: It is recommended that you supervise playtime with these toys as they can pose a choking hazard.
3. A ball made from an empty toilet paper tube. Talk about up-cycling! How many of these do you throw away in a week? This doodad is so easy to make: just cut the tube into chunks and stuff them together into a ball. My cats like these so much I was hardly able to snap these photos before they swiped it.
4. An empty paper towel tube. You could go out and spend $15 on a Kong Kickeroo...OR you could just rescue one of these from the trash instead. Spike really likes sinking his claws and teeth into one of these, and I much prefer he do that than sink his claws and teeth into my arm. He also likes to lie in his side and kick it with his strong back feet. This 'thumping' (as I call it) is a hunting device used by cats in the real world, and really burns up some energy. You can variate the old paper towel tube in many ways: cut some fringe into one end, seal the ends and fill with dry rice or beans or even catnip, or even snip a few small holes throughout and fill with yummy treats. The possibilities are endless.
5. Crumpled-up paper. My cat Baby loves nothing more than a wadded up paper napkin. I guess he likes the feeling of ripping it to shreds with his teeth and claws. Regardless, it's probably the easiest (and laziest) way to keep him busy for a few moments.
With a little creativity and a pair of scissors, you can turn all sorts of useless things into super fun cat toys. And cats DO like them, I promise! Spike and Baby had so much fun helping me make this post that I made a video to share with you - proof that cats don't care how much or how little you paid for the toy as long as they get to kill it! So, no more excuses. Have some fun with your cat today!
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