Tag Archives: cat toys

Can sharing cat toys get another cat sick?

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I just recently adopted a cat and a friend of mine gave me some old cat toys she had been storing in her garage. They are really nice toys (and worth quite a lot considering the amount she’s given me). I’d really like to use them, but I don’t know anything about the previous cat who used them. If her cat was sick, can my cat catch anything from playing with the toys? Are there any "cat germs" that can be transmitted in such a way. What about FIV or Feline AIDS and other things like that?

You said "old" and were "stored", so I’m pretty sure that the only thing you need to worry about is dust and mold.

Wash them, in a bleach solution (as long as it doesn’t harm the toys) and disinfect them.

Also, viruses, USUALLY, don’t live long outside of their host.

But, yes, toys can exchange germs if an infected cat had "just" played with the toy and then your cat also played with it. Saliva, the perfect media for transferring, will be present as cats use their mouths as much as their paws when they play with toys. So, keep your cat up to date on it’s shots.

Use common sense and I’m sure you will have nothing at all to worry about,

Just my opine,

Is there any way to wash and disinfect soft/cloth cat toys?

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Both of our cats have ringworm now (not too severe luckily) and I know the best thing to do would be to just throw away their toys and get new ones, but they have some favorite ones that are soft (like little mice and catnip sacks) that I’d like to just wash and disinfect if possible..is there a way to do that? If not I will just throw them out and they’ll get over it, but I thought I’d give it a shot! Thanks!

Hello, Well i see that you are asking about "Cat" toys. Well i use for my puggle,,, a mesh longseray laun.. bag..

Do you make homemade cat toys for your kitties or buy?

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If you buy, what do you buy? If you make, could you give me the instructions how to make? I have always bought toys and I want to make some for my cats to give a personalized touch. Thanks very much!
I make them little yarn pompoms.
Materials:
Cardboard (hard kind is ideal)
Yarn (2 bright colors would be nice)
Scissors
*The larger the circle, the bigger the pompom.
** If you want a tricolored one, wrap the yarn 2 colors at a time.
1 Cut the cardboard into 2 circles* with a hole about a size of a dime in the middle.
2 Cut 6 pieces of yarn about 1 yard long
3 Keep the two circles together so that their holes are aligned.
4 Wrap the yarn** from the hole in the middle out until you cover the whole cardboard "donut".
5 If the yarn ends, let it be and cover it with the next piece of yarn.
6 When you’ve finished all your yarn, cut a few of the layers at the top until you see the cardboard again and keep sniping until you’ve got a bit of yarn left.
7 Open the cardboard donuts slightly and, with a piece of the same colored yarn, tie the middle of the yarn tightly
8 Cut the remaining yarn at the topand pull the donuts apart.
9 Fluff up your pompom and your done! Enjoy! :) )
Ummm……… my bad….. it was * The larger the hole in the middle the fuller the pompom.
Sorry!! Hope didn’t cause trouble!

I’ve always found that cats seem to choose their own favourite type of toy and it’s usually something they found around the home, than a cat toy purchased in a shop.

My female cat loves to play fetch with cable ties.. When she’s in the mood to play, she will bring one over to me so that I can throw it for her. She’ll happily play that game for up to an hour, but if she loses her toy, she then begins trying to steal the one wrapped around my mobile phone charger. The boy cat likes small things like string that he can throw into the air and then pounce on.

We wound string around a cotton reel and then tied it on the end a piece of string. We then attached the other end of the string to a bamboo pole we bought at the garden centre. We can either dangle this in the air for the cats to jump up at or trail it along the floor for them to chase. Whenever a parcel arrives they have great fun playing with the cardboard boxes too.

I think all cats enjoy games that resemble hunting techniques, so anything that involves chasing or pouncing is good fun.

Make Homemade Cat Toys : Make Paper Ball Cat Toys

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Make paper ball homemade cat toys in this free video.

Expert: Grace Fitzpatrick
Bio: Grace Fitzpatrick has studied ventriloquism for years and is a trained improv actor. She uses the illusion of “throwing” her voice to entertain children at parties.
Filmmaker: David Jackel

Duration : 0:1:45

Continue reading →

How can i make cat toys?

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I just got a cat, hes 3 years old. Very playfull, since im low on cash is there ways to make him toys?

Well, i just saw on tv where she got little water bottles and things like that and cut a little hole in them. then she put food in there and the cats would have to play with it to get the food out. or what we do is they love any string- type things or milk caps. basicly just anything you have around the house will be fine. just get creative!!

How to make a nice, sturdy cat tower– supplies?

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I can’t believe how much these things cost, so I decided to make one. I need some good plans and some supplies that I could use. Does anyone know if I can get some 17" tubing or legs that are already round?

You could use natural wood for legs. That makes great scratching posts.

Cat furniture can be great for your home, especially if you have multiple cats… unfortunately, many people don’t buy it because of the cost associated with it. While it is wonderful to have a place for your cats to play, perch, and claw without worrying about them destroying some of your prized possessions, many people simply can’t afford to spend $100 or more on an area for their cats to play. Luckily, cat furniture of similar quality can often be made for a fraction of the cost; the furniture can even be made out of spare lumber and materials that you might have lying around the shop or garage.

In order to make cat furniture of your own, you’re going to need some basic tools such as a hammer and nails as well as lumber of the appropriate size and shape, with enough carpet to cover all of the wood and a little bit of natural rope (not nylon) to make scratching posts out of vertical pieces. Ideally, you’ll be able to make at least a few platforms for the cat or cats to perch on as well as a central vertical column and perhaps even a few places to attach some cat toys.

When you’re ready to start on your cat furniture, you should do the following:

Begin laying out the various pieces of wood, so that you can tell what sort of shape your finished piece will take. You need to have at least one large piece for the central column, a large flat piece for the base, and several smaller pieces to make platforms and supports out of.

Assemble the supports for your platforms by taking smaller pieces of wood and nailing them together in a "T" shape. The pieces should create a "T" that is as wide as your column at the top and that has a tail that is long enough to go at least halfway down your platform. Each piece should be at least 1" thick.

When all of the supports are ready, begin attaching them to your platforms. Nail through the platform and into the support, using at least 2 or 3 nails so as to make sure that the support is well attached.

Go ahead and attach carpet to all of your platforms, using glue and finishing nails. Though you still need to attach the support to the central column and attach any secondary columns that you plan on using, this can be done through the carpet provided you drive the nail all the way through.

Take your larger panel and attach it to the central column board, nailing through the bottom of the panel. Go ahead and begin applying carpet to this piece as well. Wrap the lower portion of the column in rope, using nails and glue to attach it.

Nailing through the carpet, attach your platform supports to the central column, making sure that you use 2 or 3 nails on both sides of the support. If you have enough lumber, you should also make secondary columns at this point by cutting the boards to the appropriate height, attaching smaller panels to the bottoms as "feet", covering them with carpet and/or rope, and nailing through the platforms to give them additional support.

Once you’ve completed your main piece, you might also want to take a few moments to attach additional pieces of rope to the bottom of 1 or 2 platforms and then tie various cat toys to them. This will give your cats an additional way to enjoy the furniture that you’ve built for them.

What are some ideas for safe hand-knitted cat toys?

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I wanted to crochet and/or some toys for the cats for this holiday season.
So far all I can think of is the traditional felted mouse with catnip, and a stuffed sardine. I can’t sew very well but I can knit and crochet. However, I have run out of ideas. Suggestions are welcome. :)
(The cats like to fetch and they like crinkly toys, as well.)
Tips on general safety or sources that have good ideas for homemade toys are welcome.

To spice up your toys, tuck some catnip insidel. They won’t even care what it is.

However, I recommend joining the Ravelry website (its free), they have tons of patterns and I have seen plenty of ideas for cat and dogs toys. My favorite were the cat toys shaped like sushi peices :)

Should you give your cat toys with feathers if you have birds?

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Even though most of my cats are afraid of my birds, they know the damage those beaks can cause, I always am a little hesitant when it comes to toys with feathering.

Am I worrying too much or could they start associating the birds as play toys?

Also I would appreciate only hearing from someone who really knows what they are talking about, meaning they really know about cats. Because I love my cats and birds the same, they are my babies. I don’t want to take away the toys if I don’t have to, but at the same time, I don’t want to risk the lives of my birds.

Well, I wouldn’t do it. Just to be safe. My cat used to be an indoor/outdoor cat and he never killed anything. We bought him a bird toy and a mouse toy. A few weeks later, he started bringing dead birds and mice into the house =/

So I definately wouldn’t recommend it. I think they would associate the feathers with the bird and lose their fear over time. Try a mouse toy instead.

Why does my cat prefer to chew the string on the toys, than actually play?

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I have alot of cat toys, mostly catnip mice, soft balls and such, and lately the two cats are showing no interest in playing with them. I also have a bird on a string, and rather than play with the bird, they just want to chew on the string. They will chew on other things too given the rare opportunity when I drop a twistie-tie or crafting yarn.

They are fed with Feline CD kibbles, with some canned wet food. I live in the city so they are indoor, but have regular vet checkups. Is there a reason they want to chew so badly? Also, is there something safe I can give them to chew on if they are missing something diet-wise? I tried those long cylindrical treats but they aren’t interested in those. They do like grass but its not like they really chew on it when they get it.
I have alot of cat toys, mostly catnip mice, soft balls and such, and lately the two cats are showing no interest in playing with them. I also have a bird on a string, and rather than play with the bird, they just want to chew on the string. They will chew on other things too given the rare opportunity when I drop a twistie-tie or crafting yarn.

They are fed with Feline CD kibbles, with some canned wet food. I live in the city so they are indoor, but have regular vet checkups. Is there a reason they want to chew so badly? Also, is there something safe I can give them to chew on if they are missing something diet-wise? I tried those long cylindrical treats but they aren’t interested in those. They do like grass but its not like they really chew on it when they get it.

Update : yes i just spent 20 mins attempting to play, and on other days also.
They are on feline CD prescribed by vet, I can’t change the food.

Well my cats like their toys but only if they’re small toys so my theory is that they don’t like to bite off more than they can chew (ha ha). But seriously, they love string as they can claw it and wrap it around themselves – it’s more down to the individual cat so I would say you have nothing to worry about. Mine go bonkers for shoelaces, ribbon and pretty much anything that dangles.

Re the toys themselves – if you’ve had them a while, the catnip smell will have faded. Either buy some new ones or get a catnip spray to spritz over them to make them attractive again.

As long as they’re playing they’re fine – it’s when cats do nothing but eat that they’re bored. Plus you have two so they probably play with each more than the toys. Get some catgrass too if you can which you can grow on a windowsill so they can gnaw on that should they wish. And their diet sounds perfectly balanced so I wouldn’t worry they’re missing something.