Inexpensive Toys to Give Your Cat

If your cat frequently bites and pulls on or destroys his toys, you may find yourself constantly replacing them. Although each toy may not seem very costly, the amount of money spent over the long run can add up. Providing alternative types of toys can help your cat enjoy his play time while you keep more money in your wallet.

Shaker

To give your cat an inexpensive shaker toy, use a small container that you otherwise may throw out, such as a small fish food container; if you can, remove the label first. Clean out the container, fill it with several pieces of rocks or gravel, then tightly close the lid. Shake it to make sure it makes a loud enough noise, but not too loud that it would scare the cat. To ensure that there's no way he can get it open, wrap clear packing tape around the lid to keep it closed.

Paper Bag

Some cats are simply amused by playing with a paper bag. If you have a few that you don't need, throw them on the floor and let your cat have some fun. Leave one intact, but cut the bottom off a second one so he can use it as a tunnel. You can also cut the bottoms off a few, tape them together and create a longer tunnel for him to play with.

Paper Towel Tube

You may be surprised at how much use a cat can get out of paper towel tube. One option is to leave the tube in its original condition. Another option is to tape up one end; you can put a couple of large treats inside so he can work to get them out. The cat can stick his paw in the tube and chase it around as well.

Socks

Take a couple of socks and fill them with other socks, fabric or pieces of cotton; leave enough room to tie the end of the socks closed. Your cat can chew on the socks, chase them around and enjoy himself and all you had to do was spend minutes to put them together. Before you give the new toys to him, make sure you thoroughly wash the socks and check that they don't have any loose threads.

When you reuse the items to make new toys for your cat, it helps to keep them out of the garbage in addition to allowing you to save quite a bit of money. Your cat can still get just as much play time out of the homemade toys as he would have from the store bought ones.