Cat toy suggestions?

Frodo is obsessed with his foam ball with a little feather sticking out of the top.

It is just like this one

He also loves this one.

Only problem is that they are at least $5 each and they only last about a week before he has them destroyed. And, on top of that, I can only get them at a store that is 2 1/2 hours drive from me! We don't go out of town that often.

I only have a dollar store and a SMALL dept store here. They do not carry toys like this. I did buy Frodo some foam balls from the dollar store but they are much harder and heavier. I can't find anything else around here.

I knit and crochet and I made a few toys for him but they are just not as good as the Cataction ones.

Do you have any suggestions that we can try out?

Thanks!

Frodo also thanks you He is also getting downright skinny on his new diet and he is playing extra hard since he is losing the weight

Glad to hear Frodo is getting to a healthy weight.

You might try crumpled paper balls. I use the envelopes that come in the mail with cellophane windows, they make wonderful crinkly noises.

Another good interactive toy is any kind of String on a Stick toy. A thick shoelace tied to a kitchen implement, with a feather or other toy tied on the end. Or just the string on a stick and no toy on the end at all.

Fur mice are popular here too. Tolly is the Fur Mice man. He keeps a pile of them in front of Mazy's Box. When he wants to play with one he goes to the Pile and paws over them, sniffing them, and chooses the one he wants.

Thank you for your suggestions

Frodo likes toys on a stick and we have a few of them but he is not a huge fan. He will play for about 5 minutes and then he will go off on his own.

He plays ALL NIGHT LONG with his foam ball. I come out of the bedroom and there is a trail of carnage from the bedroom door to the living room He loves to make a huge mess with it.

We have lots of fur mice too and he used to have one that he loved so much that he just destroyed it but I can't find one like it again. I got it from a store in my hometown when he was about 3-ish. That was about 5 years ago. I am going home again over the Easter break so I will check the store again but my hopes are not high since I couldn't even find a replacement when he destroyed the first one!

Thank you again!

These don't bounce (well, they do a little), but if trimmed correctly they roll around very well. You could wrap feathers into it, or even glue them to the center of the strips with a tiny bit of tacky glue before wrapping it up - just trim around the feathers carefully.

It's not exactly what like those in the link, but a fleece remnant and a bag of feathers shouldn't cost you more than $5.

thank you for the pattern!! I will definitely make some

How about ordering a bags of feather from a craft store/site and re-applying the feathers to the toys.

The 2nd toy you mentioned is on sale now for 2.20.

Try to find the toys through a wholesale catalog and buy a bunch at once.

Thanks for the suggestions

The feathers are the least of the problem with the toys Frodo destroys the foam itself. I will check some sites to see what the shipping is like.

I made the fleece pompom toy and Frodo is a little iffy on it right now (I think that I will put it in the catnip container for a bit!) but my dog is totally loving it! He can't have it since he will eat it but he is a big fan.

How big is your dog? They do make larger shaggy versions of fleece balls for dogs. Obviously you increase how much fleece you're wrapping in there.

And yes, I stick some of mine in with catnip, too.
I probably have a dozen of the things scattered around the house and a bag of 60+ balls I've made when bored and watching tv...I have no idea what I'm going to do with that many and I don't know any cat owners around here, nor is there a shelter.

The puppy is about 55 lb and will likely top out at about 65 lb and my other guy should be about 60 too but he can't seem to keep weight on. I can definitely make a big ball for them but they will just sit down and eat it all. I don't want that to happen. Maybe when they are more mature and don't eat toys anymore I can make them some.

I am thinking they would be good ferret toys too, as long as it is not given to a ferret who likes to eat fabric. I am a part of a ferret rescue and we are always looking for new ways to raise money. Would you mind if I used your pattern to make some toys to sell for the rescue? This is us (hopefully I am allowed to link this, if not, mods please delete)

Technically it's not my pattern. I found a fleece cat toy at petco and thought "that would be easy to make" and copied it. You can use my guide if you need to, though.

Thank you

I will check with the rescue to see if it would be a good toy for them. I already knitted a bunch of toys and crocheted a bunch of easter eggs filled with rice for the rescue. I will see if they need a new toy for the line up

My kitty Zelda is obsessed with this kitty cube thing. I bought it at wal-mart for less than 5 bucks and its her favorite. She rolls around in it and tried to play THROUGH it....its the cutest thing. But its cheap and when you take it out of the box it just pops open and thats it.

Thank you

I will have a look in Walmart when we go into town again next week. I have to find something for him. He nearly has his latest foam ball completely destroyed!