Homemade Catnip Toys

For anyone with a cat as a house pet, catnip toys give them the exercise they sometimes lack.  Cat owners spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on their pets every year on toys, beds and treats.  This does not include the every day essentials such as food and cat litter.

Making cat toys is quite simple, whether or not you are a crafty person.  The craftier you are though, the more creative you can be.  All you need are a few basic supplies, such as needle & thread, fabric scraps, stuffing and some catnip.

A very basic toy can be made as follows:

First, cut 2 pieces of fabric 3" square.  Sew them almost all the way around right sides together, leaving an opening for turning.  Turn right side out and fill with stuffing and catnip. Be sure to put the catnip in the center of the stuffing, to prevent it from coming through the fabric too quickly.  It won't hurt anything if it does, it will just mean the cat may lose interest in it after awhile.

For those of you who are crocheters, you can crochet a ball about 2" in diameter.  Before you close up the end, fill with stuffing and catnip.  For the crocheted ones, especially if stitches are a little bigger, I recommend enclosing the catnip in a small scrap of fabric before placing inside the ball.

Once you start making these toys, you find yourself coming up with more ideas and putting more detail into them.  Your cats will get the exercise they need, and your friends will want some for their cats.  The start of a sideline business perhaps?!