Kitty Bloggy - DIY for kitties

What you Need:

• A store-bought toilet LID cover that will fit your toilet lid, we got this at Wal Mart for about $3-$4. Pick a color you like. You might be tempted to buy the matching rug, but don't do that because kitties like to do the #1 and #2 on bathroom rugs while they are in training. At a place like Target these were around $20, so shop around!! Ours is a very sunny yellow because we have duckie towels in our bathroom. The advantage to this over buying fabric is that this has the rubber backing, already has the proper form to stay on a lid, and is quite cheap.


• Some elastic, about 1/2 inch to 1 inch thick. White is a good pick because it matches the toilet seat. You can get it for $1-$2 at Wal Mart. We got the cheapest we saw, the roll had enough for more than 1 project.


• Some hooks & eyes. We got these also at Wal Mart for about $3. These will not be visible with the seat down, so we suggest getting a color that is different from the seat cover, then it will be easy to attach to the seat. Alternatively you could use any fastener you want, such as buttons, velcro, etc. We found using hooks works well because they are small and don't get in the way of putting the seat down, but on the downside they are hard to fasten on and off.


• Needle and thread, and a pencil and scissors (if you know how to sew you must already have these!) We used heavy-duty thread.


• A tube of glue stuff for hemming without thread (optional) we got this just in case we needed it for about $2-$3 at Wal Mart. (Something like this, but we got ours cheaper than $5, so we aren't suggesting that one)

Steps:

1. Take the toilet lid cover in the bathroom and put it on the toilet seat. Put the seat up, and trace the hole in the seat on the lid cover. Allow some space for the lid cover to overlap the hole, the hole you cut should be slightly smaller than the actual hole since that fabric is going to fold under a little bit.

2. Take the lid cover and cut the hole in it using your drawn hole.

3. (Optional) Use that fray block item to trace all around the area you cut. We did this because we were worried it would fray but now we don't think that fabric would actually fray because of the rubber backing. Alternatively and more cheaply, one could hem it by hand. If you use the fray block, do it from the back side of the cover because it stains a blue color. Also, if you do this step, allow overnight for drying before proceeding.

4. Mark off spots for the elastic. The elastic will be holding the toilet seat cover to the seat. We marked off one spot in the front of the toilet seat (A), one spot per side (B1, B2), one spot directly in the back (C), and also two extra spots, one on each side of the back one (D1, D2). You might want to put the seat cover back on your seat now for this part to customize the fit. Reference the above image for this part - if you click on it it enlarges.

5. Cut about 2.5 inch long elastics. For our toilet, D1 and D2 were slightly longer because of the way the seat is shaped. Sew the end of each elastic to the marked off spots, in the inner part of the toilet seat cover.

6. Hem the ends of the elastics and attach your fastener, we used two hooks, one on each end. We used two because we didn't want the elastic to twist and also we wanted to make sure the full 3/4 inch of elastic was doing its job.

7. Attach corresponding eyes to the outer edges of the toilet seat.

Use:

You are finally done! Attach the seat cover to the seat. We wash it once a week or so in the washer together with a similar rug from the other bathroom. Wash it on cold. We air dry it and also wash it in a baggie, like a lingerie bag, because all the hooks otherwise get twisted up and stuck, shortening the life of the seat cover. Kitties take to this right away because it is so nice and comfortable. It might get wet more so more washing may be needed, if you have a platter for toilet training that is not deep enough, or if your kitty is prone to throwing litter around. In that case, wash more often. Litter also gets stuck in it in which case we use a handheld vac to remove it. Once the kitty is toilet trained though, there will be no litter and you can use this seat too! It is very soft and cushy for a person.

Difficulty: Very Easy, under 10 minutes, but with parent supervision

It is bad for kitties to wear a bow that they can't get out of - what if they get stuck on something and choke??

This Homemade festive kitty bow is very safe, and looks so stylish! I love to wear my bow, see the picture of me from last year's Christmas party?

What you need:

• Some fabric ribbon, at least 1/2 an inch thick. If it is Christmastime, make it festive! But you can do other themes too. For example we wear bows for parties in the fall (orange and brown bows) and in the holiday season (red and green bows), and in the winter (blue bows with snowflakes.) In the summer we will surely have bows too. If you don't have any fabric ribbon at hand (we did because parents use fabric ribbon for present wrapping - it is so elegant!), you can buy some. If you have a store like Hobby Lobby, every once in a while you can get ribbon there for 1/2 price, and then it is 50c or $1 for a whole roll.


• An existing kitty collar. If your kitty already wears a kitty collar, this is really easy. If not, you should have a kitty collar with an ID tag because what if your kitty runs outside and gets lost?? Buy one that has elastic so if the kitty gets stuck on something he or she can get out.
  

Steps:

1. Take the collar off the kitty.

2. Cut a piece of fabric ribbon about 5 inches long.

3. Tie the ribbon around the collar next to the ID tag if you want the ribbon to go under your kitty's chin (because it is the heaviest part), or acrioss from the ID tag if you want the ribbon to go on kitty's back. Tie it once in a single knot, make a bow, and make sure the bow is very tight.

4. Put the collar back on kitty and you're done! If the bow is the same color as the collar, you can't even tell it isn't a bow all around kitty's neck!

Use:

Make sure you are supervising the kitty while he or she is wearing the bow. In case the bow unties and the kitty tries to eat it - because that would be dangerous! Alternatively, use very thick ribbon, over 1 inch long - it is less likely to be ingested by the kitty. We advice to not use a ribbon that is very thin, because this kind of ribbon is very easily eaten by kitty. Also, fabric is better than paper because the paper ribbons rustle a lot and might agitate kitty. We like to wear ours when parents have parties because when their friends come over we get lots of compliments on how cute we are!

Difficulty: Easy, under 30 minutes, but with parent supervision

I loved the Peek-a-Prize toy - ever since I saw it online, I wanted it. But it is a little expensive for the parents, an average of $25-30 anywhere you look. Here is a Peek-a-Prize from Amazon and it is about $31 including the shipping. I think it is probably very sturdy of wood construction. It has many good reviews

• A box from a food item. This can include many things, for example a cereal box, Little Debbie snacks box, you get the picture. Use a box from something that is already eaten - don't buy cereal special to make this, or it won't be under $1! I like it to be from a food item because if it is for example, from a dishwasher detergent box it might be toxic if ingested. The best food item box is one where inside the box the stuff in there was in plastic. This is why Little Debbie is a good choice. Make sure it is not from chocolate because this is very bad for kitties! We used a Taco Bell Hard Shell Taco box, because Mom had it laying around.



• Duct Tape (or regular tape, if you aren't worried about the toy lasting long. Kitties like to chew on stuff!
  
• Something flat and heavy, like an old cutting board you are not using anymore. Or some old magazines that are about the size of the large end of the box (when the box is laying down.) We used an old catalogue.


• Scissors, anything that will cut your box

How to Play!