Kitty Bloggy - DIY for kitties

Kitty Sock Puppets with Catnip - what to do with missing sock pairs

2008-07-29T13:27:00.000-07:00

Recently we discovered a super-fun toy. This is very easy to make and also very cheap. Did you lose one of your socks from a pair and now only have one sock, that you do not know what to do with? Then this project is for you!

All the materials you need:

1. Sock - either from a missing pair, or with limited holes
2. Loose catnip

Here is what you do. Open up the sock very wide, and sprinkle in just a bit of catnip, maybe a pinch or two pinches. Then close up the sock and squish it around a little bit. Give it to your kitty. That is all! Your kitty will love it (and you!). When you think the kitty has lost interest, go ahead and add more pinches of catnip.

Here is Figaro playing with his Sock Puppet.

IKEA Hacker - Link to DIY Projects!

2008-03-07T07:03:00.000-08:00

Difficutly: More difficult than our own DIY projects, and require more store-bought materials.

We are excited because Mamaw found a cool site where you can make stuff out of IKEA stuff for kitties. It is called IKEA Hacker. We haven't made any of these things yet but we are considering it.

First, a most attractive kitty bed. It is made out of a doll bed at Ikea. But you have to color it up whatever color you want and make the pillow for it. Go here to learn directions for this most attractive kitty bed (It is not our idea but IKEA Hack's!)

Next, we have this super awesome wall cat ladder. We badly want this. The shelves and brackets are from IKEA, and you can customize sizes. We think another bonus would be to secure some padding or carpet pieces to each shelf. This could be done by using stick-on velcro pieces, stick one on the top of the shelf and another onto the piece you are adding. A good choice would probably be felt. Because we usually slip on stuff. We especially like the little pillow on the top shelf. Go here to learn directions for this wall ladder!

Unfortunately, we aren't sure if we can have this as it would require drilling into the walls and we dunno if its a good idea in case we have to sell our house soon and it doesn't go to kitty people.

Toilet Training Toilet Seat - Soft 'n Fluffy - under $10

2008-02-23T13:07:00.000-08:00

As you might realize, we are toilet training kitties. This means we are learning to use the toilet instead of a litter box! But on our regular toilet seat, our feets slid off because it was slippery! We didn't want a store-bought seat because we thought it might be slippery too, and also we like to scratch on carpet-like material. Mom wanted to buy a toilet seat cover, similar to a lid cover, but those aren't in stores! So - she MADE ONE!

Difficulty: Fairly Difficult (sewing skills required), 2 hours, only for parents to make (not kids or 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.

Homemade Festive Kitty Bow - Safe and under $1!

2008-02-23T11:40:00.001-08:00

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!

Inspiration: Here is a photo of a kitty the parents saw on the island of Santorini when they were doing something I never heard of called "Honeymoonings"- she is wearing a shiny satin bow in white!

Homemade Peek-a-Prize (Peek-a-Treat), under $1!

2008-02-23T10:57:00.000-08:00

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

I will describe how to make the Homemade Peek-a-Prize, which I am going to call Peek-a-Treat because you can adjust the sizes of the holes for treats.

Things you need:

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

Steps:

1. Decide what you will be putting in it. We use Petrodex Dental Treats for Cats. We like these, plus they are healthy and roll around quite a bit. (Check our our review of it here.) The holes should be larger than your kitty's paw, but small enough that the kitty can't reach both paws in one hole. If you are going to be putting toys in it instead, make sure the holes are big enough for the toy to come back out.

2. Cut holes on the front of the box. If it is a box more like the Debbie Snacks size, you can cut about 4 holes. If it is the size of a cereal box, 8 or 9 holes will be best. Make the holes variable sizes, and put them wherever you want on the box. It is good to cluster a few next to each other. Also, it is better to add holes later if you need to, so don't cut too many!

3. Now cut holes in the sides of the box. Our Peek-a-Treat has only 1 hole on each short side, plus 2 holes each on each long side. Here is the important part. Make sure the holes on the sides are closer to the bottom of the box than the top. You want the treat to roll out when batted into the hole, otherwise your kitty will be mad at you and will never be able to get it out! Here you can make the holes a little larger than a paw size, but for extra "challenge" holes we suggest a few that are just a bit larger than the treat. Otherwise the game will be too easy!

4. (Optional) Now reinforce the holes. If your kitties are very playful and have sharp claws, you have to do this part. If you just want to keep the box for a while, you don't need to do it. To reinfoce the holes, take a piece of duct tape that will be long enough to circle the hole. Make a circle with the duct tape with the sticky side out, that is about the size of the hole, slide it into the hole and press it down on top of the box and on the inside of the box. That way the holes are protected from getting torn. We didn't do this part, because when we are done playing with this box, mom will just recycle it and make us a new one. It can't be recycled if it has too much duct tape!

5. Set the box down on top of the heavy flat object, and use duct tape to tape it down on all sides. The flat object is to keep your kitty from picking up the box and turning it over. In the store-bought Peek-a-Prize, the box is wooden and heavy. Ours is very light.

How to Play!

Only take out the Peek-a-Treat sometimes. You don't want kitty to get bored. Make sure the kitty sees you put treats and toys in it. I promise your kitty will love it. We love ours, especially Figaro loves it.

How to Recycle

After you are done playing with it, if it isn't dirty you can recycle it. I love to recycle because I am a kitty who is the caring about the environment. Just remove the duct tape and recycle the catalogue and the box if you have that kind of recycling available.