How can I make a cat toy reusing and recycling stuff?

Boron and some stringA bit of a no-brainer this one since a piece of string is a cat toy but I’m currently getting major head rubs from one of our cats (Boron) so have cats on the brain (literally).

Ok, so we’ve got the piece of string. Or the piece of ribbon you get on new clothes (that holds it on the hanger in the shop but isn’t needed on drawer-dwelling clothes once you get them home) – we’ve got those tied to every door handle about the place wanting to distract a passing cat. Ours also LOVE a piece of ball chain I got with a name badge once upon a time – if Sili hears us moving that anywhere in the house, she’s there in a second.

On a similar level, my mum and dad’s cat Holly goes nuts for little chocolate wrappers and the aforementioned Sili loves the idea of receipts (but quickly gets bored of them as soon as she has them).

A little (but not much) more involved, I often stuffed one old sock with another torn-up old stock, thrown in some cat nip and added a few stringy things on it to be legs/tails, et voila! a mouse/octo-mouse.

So what are your favourite recycled/reused things to make cat toys from?

(Photo of a manic eyed Boron, some string and a whole lot of movement)

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19 Responses to “How can I make a cat toy reusing and recycling stuff?”


  1. melissa says:

    Our cat’s favourite toy is a foil ball. Really, any foil will do – once their kitchen duty is done, smash it up, and he’ll entertain himself for hours (or until it gets stuck under furniture and requires human intervention)!

  2. Bobbie says:

    My kitties favorite is an old boot shoestring with a bell tied on one end and the other tied to a door knob. They bat it back and forth and ring the bell and never seem to tire of it.

  3. Anton says:

    A scrunched up envelope – seems to provide more entertainment than any of the shop-bought toys.

  4. Renee says:

    Foil balls are awesome, so you could use tinfoil scraps or candy foil scraps. Twist ties or bottle caps work as well. Also, I don’t know if this would work for you, but we happened to have a shoelace tied to the door to our balcony so we can keep it open. It is right by a window, so when it is windy, it blows and it keeps the cat busy for hours on end- literally. She scratches at the window all day long.

  5. Delusion says:

    A friend of mine had come of those clear plastic balls that have toys in for their kids. The ball can be cracked open to reach the toy.

    Well I saved the plastic balls from being thrown, (most have small holes in) and put flowers / grass seeds / leaves inside for them.

    They love chasing them, drawn by the scents from outside.

  6. the other day, thei neighbor’s cat came in and I only had a piece of string. SO i took used paper, crunched it up and tied the string around it and played with the cat for an hour!
    she loved getting her claws into the paper and ripping it up!

  7. mark says:

    platic milk bottle top seal rings have been a favorite of our cats for years

  8. Alice says:

    These “how can I make a recycled one” posts definitely need a new site of their own, it’d be great.

    My neighbour’s cat hangs out in my flat a lot, and the best toy so far has just been a long bit of nylon string, much like bailing twine. The trick is to drag it fast along the floor, which she just can’t resist even if she’s trying really hard to pretend not to be interested.

    When she’s shredded the ends too much and they get stuck on her claws all the time, I just cut a few inches off and it’s good as new.

  9. Anonymous says:

    sox and string make a good mouse.

  10. Anonymous says:

    Wire Cable ties!

  11. Kailey says:

    my cat loves to just chase the mouse on the computer screen as i look up thingd to ammuse it! prr

  12. Claire says:

    I just get a hair elastic and tie it to a string. :D Makes my kitty go bananas

  13. Anonymous says:

    Our cat Ogo loves one of the cheapest and simplest things possible…a Q-tip!
    It rolls unpredictably enough to occupy him, and it is safe to chew on! Plus, you can sit behind a closed door (w/ him on the other side) and tease him by thrusting the Q-tip underneath.

  14. Anonymous says:

    my cat love a milk top of bottle

  15. Shorty says:

    The toe part of an old sock filled with nip and sewed closed drives them bonkers.

  16. Amberjet says:

    I like to stuff cat toys I make with the mylar windows from old envelopes. My cats go crazy over the crinkle sound.

  17. becca says:

    my cats like marbles, or any small, hard, round thing (even candy lol) that can roll across a tiled floor. they like the sound and how fast it goes, i guess.
    a small piece of wadded up paper works as well.

  18. Tahliah says:

    I just get a coat hanger and put
    some string at the and and hook
    foil, leaves, sticks and other
    stuff they like to play with then
    just dangle it above them and
    they will love it.



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