Sunday, August 20, 2017

Cat toys - recycle/upcycle!!

I love to recycle...

I love socks, especially cat socks...

When I wear my socks down to the threadbare point, I make cat toys out of them! 

Here's a quick overview:

Get out your old ratty socks and some scraps of quilt batting!  If the sock has a hole, just stitch it closed on your machine.  No fancy darning needed!  Use a couple of layers of batting, but what you see here is literally trimmings from a quilt that was longarmed. 

Make your stack a little narrower than your sock is long. 

 
Then the catnip!  Sprinkle it liberally over the batting. 
As you do for any dried herb, crush it between your fingers a little
to release more scent. 
 
 
Roll it up tightly.
 
 
Shove it in the sock!  If you have a pair where one sock is truly threadbare, use that one as your first sock and put the one in better condition over it.  Here, I'm just using one.
 
 
Almost done! 
 
 
I sew them shut in the cuff but I leave a little of the cuff dangling out for more kitty fun!
 

 
Be sure to trim any loose threads so that the cat doesn't ingest them. 
Thread swallowing is VERY BAD and involves a trip to the emergency vet.
 
 
All done!  Time for play!
 
 
Here's a demonstration from an earlier project.  These sock toys are very popular among cats who enjoy catnip (I believe the figure is about 75% who do).  If the scent fades over time, either discard the toy and make a new one or freshen it up with catnip spray!  
Yes, there is such a thing and it comes in a spritz bottle. 
 
 
Make some for all your kitty buddies!
 

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