Spooky season is upon us, and you can help your feline friend join in the fun! There are many ways to enrich your relationship with your cat, including new toys – they serve as a treat for all. Why not make a do-it-yourself toy for your cat, using items you can find around the house? Cats love to chase and pounce, so this Halloween teaser toy is perfect.
Materials:
- A long stick
- A permanent marker and a pencil
- A piece of paper or catnip
- An old T-shirt
- Needle and thread
- Scissors
- String
What to do:
- Cut four identical rectangles out of the T-shirt. These can be small in size, as they will be the shapes attached to the teaser.
- Take two of the rectangles and lay them one on top of the other. Draw the outline of a ghost with your pencil and then cut it out. Take the other two rectangles and repeat, but this time draw and cut out the outline of a bat.
- Use your scissors to make a small hole near the top of your ghost and your bat. Separate the four pieces and use the permanent marker to draw the faces of your ghost and your bat on one side.
- Take the needle and thread and begin to sew the two pieces of ghost together, leaving a small gap. Rip the piece of paper into thick strips and crunch it into a ball. Stuff it inside the ghost to serve as a noise-maker. If you have catnip, stuff the ghost with catnip instead. Sew the ghost shut, sewing round the hole so the stuffing can’t fall out. Repeat the process with the bat.
- Tie one piece of string to the long stick, wrapping it several times to ensure it stays in place. Thread the string through the hole in the ghost and tie it with a knot. Tie a second, longer piece of string to the long stick, and thread the string through the hole in the bat and knot it.
Your Halloween cat teaser is now complete and ready for your cat’s playful paws. Have your kids help with the project – they will love being part of the action and spending quality time with you and your cat.