Many of us have unofficial interns and assistants at our home offices. Some of them sit and wait patiently for their assignment. Others – go-getters – jump up on our desks and plop their furry butts right down on the keyboard. “Let’s get to work,” they say. And by work they of course mean they would like scratches, snacks or playtime with Da Bird. 

Here are some fast and easy DIY toys from household objects that’ll keep your kitty busy.  

Toilet paper rolls

Don’t let your finished toilet paper rolls go to waste! Cut small holes in the body of the roll, put treats inside and fold up the ends for a quick and easy puzzle feeder. You can even cut into them diagonally to make a spring!  

Shoelaces

These can be made into safe and simple toys. Just tie them onto the end of a broken wand toy, drawer handles, or door handles. 

Dried pasta noodles

These make great toys on their own because they skitter about when cats play with them. And because pasta noodles are both toy and food, it isn’t a big deal if your cat eats them. 

Cardboard boxes

If you’ve had anything delivered to your home, you know how much cats love cardboard boxes. Why not make one an official toy? Take a shoe box, or soda box, cut some holes in the top and sides and drop some cat toys or treats inside.  

Socks

Grab two socks you no longer use, put one sock inside the other (you could even add catnip!) and tie off the end of the outer sock like a tail. This creates a toy for your cat to grab on to, kick and bite. 

Please note, it’s important to always supervise and never leave your cat to play unattended.