Tuesday, June 14, 2011

new toy

Playtime for Cats: Activities and Games for FelinesI got the idea for this new toy from Playtime for Cats: Activities and Games for Felines by Helena Dbalý and Stefanie Sigl. I love this book because it has many great simple cat toy and game ideas.



This toy is made from a bunch of toilet paper rolls and an old tissue box.

A string or ribbon is threaded through two holes on the back so that it can be securely attached to a piece of furniture. I used a piece of string as it was easier than fighting Nahum for ribbon (Nahum loves string but he goes bazerk over ribbon!) I used a hot glue gun to attach the tubes together and to the sides of the box so nothing moves around. Be sure to start with the string or ribbon because trying to install it after the tubes are glued is a pain (learned that from experience!) I had to sequester myself when making this toy because the dangling string was too much for Nahum to resist - putting this all together with him attacking and pulling on it was too much!



The basis for this game is simple. The cat must figure out how to extract the treat from the tube by using their nose, eyes and paw. They can see and smell the treat in the tube but to get it they must figure out which tube to stick their paw into to pull it out. I loaded the toy up with a handful of dry nuggets and immediately the fun began.


This toy really appealed to Theo, since he is so driven by food. Nahum was also interested. Willow and Rose enjoyed playing with the string on the back! They would have played more with the toy if Theo didn't hog it. Maybe next time I will let them each take solo turns with it.


The tubes are just the right size for a paw, even one as big as Nahum's!






With my cats, this is a single use toy - they mangled it! We all had a full morning of fun. It cost virtually no money and about five minutes of time.

Nahum likes posing with his treasures.

20 comments:

  1. What a great idea! Gees, we wish our human wasn't so lazy. Maybe she should save great ideas like this for the winter--that would give both her and us something to do! LOL.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Cool Idea !!! and look like a smart fun toy !!
    I must tell mom to make one for me !
    Thanks for the idea..It's awesome !!!
    xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  3. I read that you have an insulated and heated kitty home outdoors for your Oliver. Please tell me where you got it as I am looking for one for my Chauncey. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Alicia, I don't have your email so I'm not able to email you a response, hopefully you get this! I built the two insulated and heated homes for Oliver. If you live near me, I'd be happy to build you one if you buy the materials. Feel free to email me for more info.

      Delete
  4. great idea!
    I'll do it for my wonderful cat.

    ReplyDelete
  5. love this!! I am definitely going to make this for my kibbies

    ReplyDelete
  6. Love this!!~so will my kibbies ~ going to make this for them~thanks for the wonderful fun toy

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great Idea!. Alternately you could cut up a couple of Paper Towel tubes to do the same thing.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Guess where I saw your picture.. made me smile to see it

    http://www.simonscat.com/Blog/2013-08-22/Craft-Your-Cat-a-Gift/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, very exiting!!! So wonderful too, because Simon's Cat is great! It's fun to hear you recognized Theo pulling food out of the toy.

      Delete
  9. Thanks for sharing the toy and showing the book it came from. I am going to my library today to borrow their copy.
    Love all your photos...and miss all the kitties we took in while we lived in the country, that have since passed of old age. Our young ones are 8, 9 and 10. We live in the city now, so keep everyone inside.
    Tracey

    ReplyDelete
  10. I think I must be missing something, but I don't understand where the string goes or what it is for.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The strings are on the back of the box and they are used to secure the box to a sturdy piece of furniture. You can see them in the second picture. The toy needs to be secure so the cats can paw at it without it moving a lot.

      Delete
  11. My babies will LOVE this! I think it will make a great addition to the cat condo I'll be making after our move. I'm going to make it out of a wood frame (covered will carpet to match) and pvc piping. Thanks for the fantastic idea :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow, that sounds awesome! I would love to see a picture of the final product. One thing to consider, you might want to make it so the PVC pipes can be removed from the wooden frame for cleaning - the nice thing with PVC is you could run it through the dishwasher.

      Delete
  12. your kitties are so cute; Nahum is, esp. so regal! Thanks for sharing this idea

    ReplyDelete
  13. You're a cat lover after my own heart! I think that you have beautiful cats!! I've had numerous cats through the years. I usually have 2 at a time. I'm especially partial to black & whites presently, though have had all colors.

    After the death of my precious Annie (who was almost 18 yrs. and I'd had since she was a kitten, part of the Hooten Annie duo; we acquired Rascal Katz from a shelter in North Dakota.

    We had taken my mom's ashes to be buried beside my father. The lady @ the cemetery told me that there were lots of kitties needing homes @ their Human Society.

    (It was a little easier to leave my mom!) when we were able to think about a new chapter, in our lives, with this new little charmer.

    Nearly 4 years later he has definitely proven to be a wonderful addition to our home.He does the craziest things. His favorite nightly ritual is to jump to the top of the shower door and enjoy the steam, when my hubby takes his shower. Rascal talks to hubby & pats his head....just loves their daily ritual.

    He has helped Hooten, our quiet kitty, to come out of her shell! They are quite the pair. She is 10.

    I can't wait to make the toy you've shown for them!! They will love it!! I'm sure that Rascal will bring some of his many toys & put them into the toilet paper tubes!! Can't wait to make it for them!

    Thank you so much for posting this fun idea!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. My babies, HemiKrikitMcMittens and her older Brother VertigoKitten will love this.
    Thanks for sharing your love for Puddums and great ideas.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Started making this toy today. One already loves toys from tp rolls. Should be fun for both. Thanks for the idea and book title.

    ReplyDelete
  16. My Felix used to love shoving his paw through an empty tp cardboard roll to knock a ball out or get my finger.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for sending in your comments!