Anyone who has a dog who is a chewer or a cat that is a shredder, it can be easy to go through toys, fast! A toy might seem new for a day and before you know it, it’s either in pieces from a destructive cat or “boring” from a dog who spent 5 minutes with it. Either way, it’s money down the drain. As an owner of a dog who loves to rip toys apart, I find it impossible to find a reasonably priced toy that won’t be ruined in minutes instead of days. However, over the years and from many internet searches, I have found homemade toy ideas that are almost indestructible. Here are some ideas to keep our pets busy!
A personal favorite of my dog, is knotted fleece chew toy. I first came across these toys from ‘Dalmation DIY‘ and decided to make my own. I bought a few feet of fleece fabric from a local fabric store, in 4 different colors. The instructions in the blog are fairly straight forward and if you buy enough fabric, you can make several! It is important to make tight knots, this way your pet can’t rip it to shreds easily.
Note: you can also do this with a cut up old t-shirt.
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Another simple toy that works great for cats and dogs is the old “treats in a bottle.” This homemade toy is exactly as it sounds; take a plastic bottle, fill it with your pet’s favorite treats and cut a hole just small enough for 1 treat to fall out at a time. I love to do this with my dog, he can’t always tell where the hole is and will pick up the bottle, throw it around and nudge it across the floor until all the treats fall out. This is a great one for rainy days; keeps the nose busy!
Tip: If you don’t have an empty water bottle laying around, a tennis ball or old cardboard box will work.
Finally, here is a mental game to keep your cat’s brain busy. Try making this cardboard tube puzzle from Wish for Pets. Something as simple as a paper towel roll and some treats could keep your cat busy for awhile.
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