Image courtesy of my newest blog, The Kitty Blog.

Have you ever thought of cutting a simple (doesn’t even have to be straight) hole into a cereal box for kitty? Check out Build a Free Cat Toy: Cereal Box Hunt & Knock for more images.

PS for kitties: I also have a great cat food contest going on, so tell your keeper to enter.

(Image by Peggy Rowland.)

Post from: Blisstree

Cereal Box Fun with Cats

You may recall the photos of my cat in Many Uses of Catalog Pages to Entertain Cats. Choco loves his cardboard bed, but he’s starting to make a mess with those catalog pages!

In case you’ve been depriving your feline of cardboard, stop it. They love the stuff, and you can usually get it for free.

Windell at the Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories has designed a functional, beautiful and cat-friendly piece of cardboard furniture. I know that cats love to lounge, but this is real pampering indeed.

Go to Cardboard Cat Chaise for full instructions from Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories.

Image via flickr.

Post from: Blisstree

Kitty Cardboard Chaise

So, there I was in my red recliner with a J Jill catalog I didn’t want. And there was kitty sitting in the floor whining for attention.

I started tearing out pages, one by one. I wadded them up and threw them across the room for my cat, Choco. He loved it. He even managed to catch a few between his paws.

After the entire magazine was lying on the floor in wads, I realized the fun just didn’t have to stop there.

Harnessing Catalog Pages as Free Cat Toys or Beds:

1. Let the catalog wads sit in the floor for a while. Cats love to rest on top of paper. Free cat bed!

2. Put the paper wads in your cat’s carrier. This creates something like those magical ball things kids like to jump around in. This can also be done with a crinkle sack.

3. When finished with #2, turn the carrier up and dump the paper over your cat.

4. Put the catalog wads in a shoe box, and let kitty dig around. Cats always think there’s something hiding. (Add a toy mouse as a bonus.)

5. Leave the paper inside the shoe box as a mattress for kitty’s cat bed and blanket. I’ve tried cat beds from the pet store. Choco prefers his shoe box.

6. Scoop up the catalog wads and save them for another day. I stored mine in a reusable shopping bag. If you take them away, kitty will be more interested on their return. Plus, it’s difficult to vacuum with paper in the floor.

7. And there’s the original fun of letting you cat try to catch the catalog wads as you throw them. Plus, if your cat’s anything like mine, he enjoys perching atop high places while you throw things for him to catch. For Choco, this means getting on top of the media cabinet.

8. Finally, when paper gets worn, just throw it in the recycling bin.

Are you going to try catalog page wads as cat toys?

Images by me with Choco participating as a willing model. No cat was forced to play for this post.

Post from: Blisstree

Many Uses of Catalog Pages to Entertain Cats

Isn’t it time for a little Christmas in July for your kitty? Or maybe it’s kitty’s birthday…

Either way, I’ve been saving up these cute cat junk creations:

On re-nest, Turn Salvaged Drawers Into a Cat Tree. You must see this! I can’t think of a better use for old drawers.

DIY Cardboard Cat Toys from Marmalade pet care. Download free templates to turn ordinary cardboard into free cat fun.

Watch how flickr user DesignIt created a windowseat/alcove/cat bed in the bedroom. Wow. Do you like your cat this much?

And finally… Automatic Cat Faucet. Here’s a video:

Image via flickr.

This post is part of All Holiday Cafe’s Christmas In July series.

Post from: Blisstree

Homemade Gifts for Your Cat

Watch this video from Zack Scott to discover a fun way to gain a free cat toy.

Post from: Blisstree

Let the Cat Help You Make a Toy

I mainly feed my cat dry food, but when I give him wet food I like to divide it. Otherwise, he will either eat too much at once and hurl, or the food will get crusty in the bowl.

There are lots of easy leftover cat food container solutions right in your home. Don’t buy one of those fancy plastic containers or special lids at the pet store.

Items to reuse for wet pet food leftovers:

•Baby food jars

•Hand cream jars (pictured – mine is from Burt’s Bees)

•Small mustard or relish jars

•Short jars that contained fruit preserves or jam

•Those cute, squat minced garlic jars

Glass jars that aren’t too deep and come with a metal lid will be easy to use and last a long time. Not to mention, you can throw them in the dishwasher.

If you don’t have a leftover pet food issue, you can always use these jars to hold paint for your masterpieces or for storage of homemade spice mixes.

Photo by me.

Post from: Blisstree

Simple Reuse: Wet Pet Food Leftover Containers

After rinsing a used ketchup bottle, I decided it had a different destination than the recycling bin.

Cats love a puzzle. And better yet, I didn’t have to spend anything to make this toy. I already had the toy mouse to go inside.

This is a very easy reuse project, plus if you save the bottle cap, your options widen even more, but we’ll talk about that in a bit.

What I used:
Clean wide-mouth ketchup bottle
Elmer’s glue (non-toxic)
Jute
Sharpie
Scissors
Tea tags

The junk project:
-Remove bottle label by soaking in hot water. After the bottle is dry, plan your design.

-In my case, I decided to make a simple cat face from jute. It doesn’t really matter want you choose as long as you don’t completely cover the bottle. The idea is to allow kitty to see inside it.

-I drew my design with a Sharpie and then applied glue one section at a time. I cut the jute to match my design and applied.

-For the whiskers, I untwisted a piece of jute. This gave me three thinner, curly pieces to use.

-For the nose and inside of ears, I cut out designs from a raspberry tea tag.

-I considered using buttons for the eyes, but they looked creepy and I was afraid my cat would eat them. So, I drew the eyes on with a Sharpie.

As always, supervise your cat when playing with the toy. Make sure you haven’t used any materials your cat may eat. Use non-toxic glue.

Additional kitty uses:
Cat treat container — Put treats inside and shake before treating. Cats learn this noise and react when you’re about to give them a treat. Keep lid for this use.

Catnip infuser — Put mice or other toys inside with catnip when not in use. The catnip bath will keep pets interested in toys when you bring them back out. Keep lid for this use.

Cat food scoop — Cut off portion near mouth for a handy scoop.

Would your cat enjoy this junk toy?

Images via Peggy Rowland.

Post from: Blisstree

My Junk Creation: Cat Toy (and more) from Ketchup Bottle