Hand-made Cat Toy Swap 11

So, some of my suggestions for making cat toys:

Avoid string and ribbon. Thicker rope, yes (1/4" or thicker), but string, especially loose string, can be swallowed and cause digestive tract problems. There's a type of coarse rope (also used in parrot toys) that cats love to scratch on.

Find out if your partner has a kitten or a cat-- different toys are appropriate for different felines. My cat, at 18+ lbs., needs toys that can really take a beating (fortunately, that means cheaper materials, usually)! A smaller kitten should be given toys that won't seem huge (and frightening) to her little eyes.

About 1/3 of all cats don't respond to catnip. Does yours?

Many cats love wool, especially for chewing. Before sending a wool item, find out if the owner is trying to dissuade kitty from wool-biting.

Cheap, scratchy acrylic yarn feels scritchy on cat claws. My cats generally love playing with toys made of acrylic yarn (finally! A use for RedHeart!)

Some cats respond with fear to noise-making toys, while others view them as eminently pounce-able. I often include a dog-toy squeaker in my home-made toys, so the cat has a "mousie noise" to give them something to think about at playtime.

One favorite toy from my previous cats: A home-made strawberry stuffie. About the size of a toy mouse, but a little smaller, and it rolled better. Joy!

If you drink a lot of milk, collect the rings from the lids for the duration of the swap, glue or zip-tie them together, and mail them to your recipient's cat!

Similarly, if you use toilet paper, save the rolls (same reason) and attach your homemade toy to one!