With all these creative minds on the Internet, we never run out of DIY projects to create. There are so many things we can make for ourselves and our pets that are right there in our own homes. Thanks to the dryer eating all of yours, you might have a shortage of matching socks.
So, what do you do with all those mismatches? You turn them into cat toys. Luckily creating cat toys out of old socks is one of the cheapest and easiest things you can create. We’ll go over how you can make a simple, attractive cat toy out of your old socks step by step.
Click below to jump ahead:
Disclaimer
Since homemade cat toys have not been through rigorous testing, you should give them to your cat under supervised guidance. If something comes undone or if you have accidentally attached any small pieces that could be dangerous to your cat, they could ingest them or injure themselves.
To avoid that completely, it’s best to have interactive play time or be close by when your cat is trying out the latest toy you’ve designed. Now that we’re all safe and secure, we can get down to creating!
The 7 Steps to Making Sock Toys for Your Cat
1. Find Your Socks of Choice
You probably have so many socks lying around that you can scoop up five to 10 to create your projects. The sock you select shouldn’t have any holes in it, as we’ll be stuffing them with things that can most certainly fall out.
Consider the size. If you want to create a relatively small cat toy, ankle socks might be just fine. But if you want to create a sizable design, you can choose socks with a little extra room for tying and folding.
But if you have a few that are entirely intact, it’s time to gather them up and place them in a pile.
Avoid brightly colored socks just in case you have a sensitive kitty and don’t even know it. Some dyes can irritate your cat, so try to choose white socks if you can.
A good pair of cotton ones will do you fine. You won’t want the material so thick that your cats can’t smell what’s inside. But you also don’t want it to be so thin that they can rip it open with moderate play.
2. Gather Up Other Supplies
Next, you’ll want to think about what to stuff the sock with. You can choose a combination of things, picking a sound, texture, and smell, for example.
Potential Supplies:
- Yarn
- Jute String
- Catnip
- Stuffing
- Corks
- Bells
- Feathers
- Balls
- Crinkle paper
Catnip only affects about 80% of cats. You should know by now if your cat is affected by catnip. But if you don’t, you might want to test it out first. You can also gather up crinkly-sounding materials and add a few bells or noisemakers.
This isn’t one-size-fits-all so now you can get pretty creative with it. You can even get feathers, dangling material, and other play-enticing materials to tie around the sock to make playtime much more exciting. Whatever would attract your cat the most, definitely use that.
3. Toss It All Together
Place the items and stuffing inside until midway full. Begin stuffing the sock evenly with your chosen materials. Once you fill the sock halfway up, it’s time to stop. Use the remaining empty portion for tying. The extra portion of the sock will be used to tie things up.
4. Secure the Sock
It’s time to gather up or implement the method you want to use to close it off.
You can fold the sock until it is in a knot, pulling it tightly to prevent spills. Or you can use jute string, yarn, or another sturdy material to close it tightly. You can leave some of the strings to dangle, encouraging play.
5. Add Decorations, Playthings, and Enhancers to the Sock
Now is the time if you have any additional play items you’d like to add to the sock. You can attach feathers, bells, and other enticing items. Just make sure they’re totally safe for your kitty to play with.
6. Make Sure All Pieces Are Securely On
Double and triple-check every tie, knot, or stitch you’ve done on the sock. You want to ensure that no little pieces will come off during play.
7. Toss It to Your Cat to Try Out
It’s time to give it to your biggest critic. Toss the toy to your cat to see if they respond. You might even try getting down on the floor and activating their play sense. See if this new homemade toy is the next big hit. And hey, if not, it was all free anyway. That’s the beauty of DIY.
Extra Pointers
This is just the baseline version of what you can do to create a sock toy for your cat. With this basic concept, you can get as intricate as you want. Let your creativity flourish.
You could turn half of a sock into a mouse, elephant, lion, or whatever other animals you can dream up. You can even make little creatures or put other embellishments on the sock to make it look intriguing. As long as you have a safely closed sock to work with, you can really go to town with the outside.
You can even get your kids or other household members in on this. Each could make one for your pets to see which one they respond to most. You can even make a few styles of cat toys as gifts for a friend.
Make sure you’re creating a safe item for your cat to enjoy.
Exercise Caution
Ensure every item you choose for your cat’s sock toy is completely kitty friendly. Some materials are not suitable for our feline friends, so we must ensure that we’re keeping our cat’s safety in mind first and foremost.
Avoid sharp objects, toxic oils, small pieces, and other questionable items.
Final Thoughts
Creating cat toys out of socks can be an enjoyable experience. You can make them as straightforward or as complex as you want, as long as you’re using safe materials and secure attachments. Plus, you don’t have to spend any money to do this.
So, take this project and make it your own. You could have some exciting things to show your friends next time they stop by to see you and your fun-loving feline.
Featured Image Credit: Lukasz Pawel Szczepanski, Shutterstock
