As much as I love spoiling my kitty cat, I prefer to look for enrichment ideas that don’t cost anything. I have compiled a short list of very easy DIY projects to create some really neat toys for your pet. I know that for me, it’s not easy to take Chumka out on adventure each day, so having interactive toys is a great enrichment to have.
Warning: Always supervise play time with toys that can be ingested / chewed on
Pillow fort
The good ol’ pillow caste/ fort! Making it for your pet is even easier than for yourself! Just throw pillows and blankets on the floor, that’s it! Cats are naturally very curious animals so having this “big mess” is going to get their brains fired up. You can use fishing rod kind of toy to add some extra fun!
Bonus point: throw some treats or toys in there and let your cat “fish” for them
Toilet paper/ paper towel rings
Just cut up toilet paper (or paper towel) roll into small pieces!
Bonus point: play fetch by throwing them into a box. Check out this cute reel of Chumka playing fetch with me 😊
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Wine cork
It might not be a $0 cat toy if you don’t drink wine but maybe you can ask a friend or family member for one? lol
Bonus point: play fetch by throwing them into a box.
Easy interactive toy
Use egg carton and add some treats into each form. Check out this video on how you can make your own egg-cellent toy!
More challenging interactive toy
There are two ways you can make this: Once you place the tubes in the box (you can glue them for extra support if you don’t want them to fly loose) you can either leave them as is, or stand the box on its side for more difficult set up.
Check out this video for a nice tutorial:
Ultimate DIY interactive toy/ Activity Center
I love our interactive cat puzzle but you can make one yourself for $0 that will keep your cat occupied.
This is one of those projects where the sky is the limit. Check out this amazing and simple tutorial:
Make a cat tent
Did you know you can make a cute cat tent with just a t-shirt and wire hangers? Yeah, me neither. It’s very simple and doesn’t require ANY sewing! It might not be $0 project if you don’t have wire hangers but maybe you can grab one from your friends or family? 😜
Good ol’ paper plane
Who doesn’t love a good throwback project?!
DIY “CatAmazing” box
I LOVE CatAmazing boxes – but you can make one yourself with some household objects 🙂 You can use a shoebox, old parcel box, or even soda box! Just cat some holes or other shapes in the box and throw some toys/ snacks inside!
Wine cork (again)
You know how those little moving fish are getting popular? Ones that you just throw in the water and they start moving on their own? If your cat likes to play in the water, you can just throw a wine cork in the sink and watch him play with that!
Cardboard cat palace
Now this one can be as simple or as complicated as you want. You can make a “one bedroom” place or a full size castle! Youtube or Pinterest can be your inspiration and the sky is the limit haha
Just make sure that you use non-toxic glue or tape on this project 💛
Bonus project: Sniffle Mat
Now this one might not be $0 project, but it’s a really fun one. I wanted a snuffle mat for Chumka for a while but their prices at pet stores were too high IMO. So when I saw a lady on Facebook Marketplace making them for less than half the price at the stores – I messaged her right away haha.
There are just couple items you need to make one and some of them you might already have at home. The rest can be purchased at a dollar store 🙂
In the following video you can see Melissa (the founder of Proud Dog Mom) explain how to make one.
