If you have a pair of holey socks and some catnip kicking around, this is a really easy toy that cats love.

I wear nothing but striped knee highs, and I always feel so bad throwing them out when I wear a hole in one, so this is the perfect solution for me – I save the socks from the trash and I get some nice, colourful cat toys out of the deal. Novelty socks make the most attractive socknots, but your old, white tube socks will work just as well (I promise, your cat won’t know the difference.)

What you’ll need

This incredibly simple project only requires three items:

• A sock. The longer the sock, the more toys you’ll get out of it. A knee high is good for about four toys.
• Dried catnip. You only need a small pinch for each toy.
• Scissors. A pair of sharp scissors for cutting the sock.

That’s it!

How to make them

Tip: Cats tend to be attracted to the scent of their owners (I’m sure we’ve all peeled off our sweaty socks at the end of a long day only to have kitty attack them with gusto, licking and rolling in them while we can only look on with disgusted amazement.)

Wear the socks around the house for an hour or so (just enough to pick up your scent – not enough to get stinky or crusty) to give the socknots an extra boost of appeal.

1. Lay the sock flat and cut a two inch segment off the leg or instep, so that you have a loop of sock.

2. Cut the loop. You’ll now have a piece of fabric about 5×2 inches.

3. Sprinkle a pinch of catnip into the centre of the rectangle.

4. Fold the fabric into thirds, lengthwise, giving you a long roll of fabric with the catnip inside.

5. Being careful not to let the roll come apart, tie it in a single knot centred over the catnip. Tie so that the raw edges stay on the inside.

6. Toss across the room and watch the frisking begin.

You can also make these out of pieces of fleece, but I find mismatched or holey socks to be a much more common house hold item. Old socks are also free and recycled – throw in some kitty love and you can’t do much better than that.

If you have a whole bunch of old socks, make up a big batch of these and donate them to your local animal shelter (they can also be made without catnip if your shelter doesn’t accept catnip toys.)

Give these toys a try, I think your cat will love them. Post your photos and stories or if you have suggestions I’d love to hear them.

Commercial cat toys are bright, pretty and expensive. We love to buy them and we love to offer them to our cats. Yet all too often cats don’t seem to care and will ignore the shiny new toys in favour of chasing a piece of lint on the floor.

Here are a few items you probably have around the house that make great cat toys. My girls love them. As with all new toys, they should be inspected regularly and discarded if damaged, and cats should be supervised when playing with new toys, especially if your cat is a chewer.

1. Cotton Swabs/Q-Tips

   Violet has been fishing these out of the garbage since the day she came home, and they continue to be one of her favourite toys. The swabs made of rolled paper instead of wood or plastic are soft enough to prevent mouth injury and won’t splinter. Supervise your cat when playing with swabs – the cotton on the end can stick to the barbs on their tongue, and some cats may consider the cotton end to be a good snack.

2. Milk Jug Rings

   Pop these off the jug and let your cat go. They work best on hard surfaces like laminate or tile. Throw out any rings that have been chewed or are broken – they’re not the most sturdy items.

3. Toilet Paper Tubes

   Pull off any toilet paper that’s still stuck on, so that they roll nicely. A whole tube makes a fine toy, or you can cut it into a few pieces if the whole tube is a little big for your kitty.

4. Tissue Paper

   A fresh sheet of tissue paper is a safe and entertaining toy that makes a lovely crinkling sound. The type that is slightly shiny on one side seems to be the most popular with my cats. The texture and sound of the tissue paper is very similar to (unsafe) plastic grocery bags, which they make a beeline for any time a plastic bag isn’t put away immediately.

5. Shoelace/String/Yarn

   A piece of string is great for chasing. Dangle it or drag it along the ground and get your kitty moving. Tie a feather, stuffed toy or other item to the end for extra fun.

   *Very important: Don’t let your cat play with string, shoelaces or yarn unsupervised. Cats will often consume string which can result in bowel obstructions. Because of the barbs on a cat’s tongue they may be unable to spit out a piece of string that gets into their mouth, even if they don’t intend to consume it.

6. Cardboard box

   I’ve bought tents and caves and other enclosures, but the good ol’ cardboard box is a perennial favourite. If there is an empty cardboard box in the house, you can bet there’s a cat inside it.

7. Paper bag

   Crinkly and hidey! Cats can’t resist exploring inside and they make great places to stalk the other cats from. Paper bags are great too, because there’s no risk of suffocation like there is with plastic.

8. Ping pong ball

   They’re light, they bounce and they roll. Not all cats care for balls, but for those that do, ping pong balls are a cheap alternative to commercial cat toys, and you may have some kicking around the house.

9. Cloth Grocery Bag

   These big, soft bags are great for hiding or just relaxing in. My girls love to explore the insides of cloth shopping bags and usually settle in for a nap once everything has been thoroughly investigated.

10. Pompom balls

    If you have a craft or sewing box you may have a few of these on hand. Pompom balls make great soft toys. All the rolly joys of a ball, but soft and squishy enough to be picked up. Make sure they are big enough to prevent swallowing.

For those of you who are crafty, we’ll be putting together some easy-to-make cat toys from inexpensive or free items in another entry.

What kind of household items do your cats enjoy? Do you have any household items that have been a hit with your cats?

Photo by Tammy S.

Many cats love to chew on plants every now and then, and grass is a nice, safe offering. If you have a yard the warm months offer a veritable buffet of greens, but even during the winter that you can easily grow grass in your own home. Clover loves chewing on and rolling in her grass.

Cat Grass Kits

One option for growing cat grass in your home is to purchase an all-in-one,  ready-to-grow kit. These often consist of a small plastic tray filled with a mix of seeds and moisture absorbing granules. You simply add water to the package, stir and put it in the sunlight.

I tried one of these kits that contained crystals that turned into a gel when wet. I have to give it an A+ for convenience and the grass did grow nicely, but unfortunately before the grass grew long enough a white fluffy looking mold started to grow on the gel substrate. Since I wasn’t sure about the safety of the mold the whole thing got dumped out without ever being offered to the cats.

There are other cat grass kits that have a different growth medium, such as vermiculite or potting soil that might provide better results. I haven’t tried any other kits – instead I decided to grow my own.

Your Own Easy Growing Set Up

I quickly, easily and cheaply put together my own cat grass growing set up with the following items:

• Seedling growing tray: I got the flat kind (instead of the ones divided into cells).  They’re about 12×24 inches and cost less than $2.
• Potting soil: Your basic indoor potting soil. You don’t need a lot – a small bag from the dollar store would probably do.
• Seeds: Many seed companies sell packets of cat grass seed. You can also use wheatgrass seed from your local health food store or just grab a handful of regular grass seeds (just make sure it’s not a mix that contains lots of chemicals.)

Just spread the soil in the tray, cover with seeds (make the seed cover fairly dense  so that you have a nice thick growth of grass), water and put in the sunlight. In a week or so you’ll have a nice patch of grass for nibbling.

You’ll want to keep the cats out of the grass when it’s just starting to sprout so they don’t kill the new grass, and you’ll definitely want to keep the cats out of the bare soil so that it doesn’t get turned into a new litter box. Once there’s a good amount of growth you can let your cats have the tray. Water every few days and trim back any blades that are starting to get brown.

With this set up you get a nice big patch of grass – large enough for a cat to lounge in, which Clover thoroughly enjoys. It’s a little patch of summer when it’s too cold to go out in the yard.

More Easy Cat Friendly Plants

Another popular plant with the cats and one that is easy to grow is the spider plant. Plantlets from a full grown spider plant can easily be potted and grown. Check with your friends or on Freecycle to get yourself a plantlet for free.

Catnip, part of the mint family, is also fairly easy and will spread naturally. It’s easiest to buy a bedding plant rather than trying to grow from seeds. Cats that enjoy catnip may seek out even the tiniest sprout and chew it or roll on it, killing it in their enthusiasm.

Photo by Woopidoo2.

Giving a cat a bath. Thankfully mostly unnecessary, the very idea evokes images of angry, bedraggled cats; soaking wet, bleeding humans and shredded shower curtains. But, this occasional task doesn’t have to be scary or painful.

Before you give a cat a bath, first make sure they need it. Generally cats do an excellent job of keeping themselves clean and don’t need to be bathed (in the 12 or more years we’ve had the family cats, most have only needed to be bathed once.) However, if your cat has stopped grooming and is looking excessively dirty or oily, has excess poop or urine on their bottom, is unable to reach certain areas to groom properly, or has gotten into a substance that should not be licked off, then it might be time to consider a bath.

Before bathing it is important to brush your cat thoroughly and remove any knots or mats in their coat. These will be much harder to remove after they have been wet, and wetting may actually tighten them. Clipping claws prior to bath time is also recommended.

What you’ll need

Get your supplies together and get prepped before you even bring the cat into the picture. I recommend the following equipment for a safe and happy bath experience:

• 2 medium-sized containers, at least one that is shallow (empty litter pans work well)
• 1 small container for scooping water (a small bowl or large mug, something non-breakable)
• 3-4 bath towels
• 1 face cloth
• cat-appropriate shampoo
• space heater (optional)
• blow drier (optional)

Once you’ve gathered your supplies, you can start your prep.

Before you bring in the cat

If you have a shower curtain, either remove it or tie it back securely. You don’t want your cat climbing it. Put on clothes you don’t mind getting dirty and wet, and remove items from around the tub.

If your bathroom is cold, turn up the heat or plug in the space heater as far away from the tub as possible. The room should be warm so that your cat does not get chilled as she dries.

Place the two medium containers in the bottom of your bathtub and fill with warm (not hot) water. Place your water scoop with your water. We don’t want to run any water while the cat is in the room if it can be avoided, as the sound can be very stressful, so give yourself enough water for the initial wetting and rinsing.

Tie a bath towel to your faucet or grab bars, with the end trailing into the tub. If this doesn’t work, fold the towel and lay it in the bottom of the tub next to your water containers.  The goal here is to give your cat something that they can get traction on and grab on to. The towel will get wet – that’s okay.

Place your dry towels within reach (have one unfolded and ready to go) and put the face cloth and shampoo on the edge of the tub.

Now it’s bath time

Speaking soothingly, place your cat on the towel in the tub, next to the containers of water. Using the scoop gently pour the warm water over your cat, wetting down any areas that need to be washed. If your cat just has a dirty bottom but is otherwise clean, there’s no need to soak her from head to toe. If the whole cat does need washing, wet her from the neck down, but avoid pouring water over her face or into her ears. If your cat is calm, hold her under the ribcage, with your thumb, pinkie and ring finger behind the front legs and your index and middle finger on the breastbone. If she is anxious or trying to get out of the tub, you might find it easier to gently hold her by the scruff.

Once she is wet to the skin, pour a small amount of shampoo onto the area that needs washing and gently massage into the fur. Wash around the anus and genitals but avoid getting shampoo onto the sensitive tissues in these areas.

Rinse the shampoo off using your water scoop. If you are having difficulty getting all the shampoo off, or if your cat has difficult-to-remove dirt stuck to her coat, such as clumps of poop and litter, gently place her in your shallow pan of clean water and submerge the areas that need a more thorough washing. Use the wash cloth to gently pull off clumps or to work out stickier dirty. After removing the majority of the shampoo and dirt, move your cat back onto the towel in the bottom of the tub and scoop water from the other container to rinse off any residue left over. We want to remove all of the shampoo.

Lift your cat out of the tub and place her onto the unfolded towel. Loosely wrap her and towel her dry. This towel will probably become soaked pretty quickly. Discard it and grab your other dry towel and continue to remove as much water as possible from her coat.

You can attempt to blow dry her at this stage but please proceed with caution. Use the blow drier with no heat or on the lowest heat setting to avoid burns, and hold the drier at least 30cm away from your cat’s skin. If she finds the noise of the blow drier too distressing, just let her dry naturally.

Keep her in the warm bathroom until she is completely dry. She may prefer to stay wrapped in the towel or she may want to groom herself. Supervise and ensure she does not get chilled. If she has long hair separating the coat with a comb can help speed drying.

Once your cat is  dry and has vacated the bathroom do your clean up, change into some dry clothes and you’re done. If all went well your cat is clean and you are free of injuries.

I regularly use this method to bathe cats at the Humane Society and haven’t received a single injury during bath time.