rThis is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Tidy Cats. All opinions are 100% mine.
I hear that most cats love feathers. Maybe it’s a repressed urge to hunt birds, or something, but my indoor cats go one up over love into an obsession. The other day I was digging through my craft stash to find some things to make some homemade cat toys and lo and behold I found a decent stash of feathers that I’ve accumulated over the years. It seems that I typically need 1 or 2 for a project but I buy new bags of them for almost every project. I just don’t know what’s going on with that :)
After digging through the little tub I left it on my desk I set out about getting some housework done. You know the drill, fold a load of laundry, clean out the litter boxes, replenish the pets’ drinking water, wash the breakfast dishes… those sorts of things. Nothing fun, but everything necessary.
As I’ve got basket of hot towels to contend with I hear this strange scratching sound. Upon investigation it turns out that Maybelline, kitty #3 in our clowder, was dragging the entire tub across the desk until BANG, it hits the floor. On it in an an instant, Maybe is nothing but a puff of feathers belching up into the air. Both frustrating and entertaining me at the same time, I sighed with another mess to take care of ! At least I knew in advance that the new feather toys were going to be a hit with 1 of my kitties!
The whole reason I was digging in my stash to begin with was so that I could tell you about my new partner for 2017. Yours truly and my crew of amazing kitties are Tidy Cats Insiders. How cool is that? Now we’ve been using Tidy Cats with Glade forever now. Once when Mr. Rob brought home the wrong litter we had a bit of a situation where the box sat there pristine because nobody was using it.
Like, it was the end of the day and I went to clean boxes and was all, what? After a quick trip in town and replacing the litter in the first box we had a run on the thing. It was the most popular activity in the house! :) We specifically like the Glade option in Tidy Cats because our youngest cat, Maybelline, is a funk-master deeeeee-luxe and not in a Parliament kind of a way but in a “how can a smell that big and bad come out of something so little and sometimes really nice?”
Now our favorite litter/formula is now made in a light as a feather version that’s easier to pick up off of the shelf and toss into the cart and I’m totally digging it. New LightWeight with Glade Tough Odor Solutions Clean Blossoms is actually a whole 50% lighter and works just as well clumping up my cats business while tackling the unpleasant scent with a pretty Glade floral aroma. Want to try it?
Leave a comment with the name of your cat and you’ll be entered to win coupons for 2 coupons good for any Tidy Cats litter, whatever your favorite might be!
Ready to make some awesome cat toys that won’t break the bank? I’ve got 2 options for you, both cats love, but hopefully help you’ll have everything on hand to make a fun toy AND tackle that ever-growing craft stash, you know what I mean? Let’s get it!
For this first feather cat toy project you will need:
- Loose craft feathers
- String
- Wood dowel
- Hot glue gun (hot glue is non-toxic and a good choice for DIY cat toys)
- Feather boa
Taking care not to burn your fingers glue together the quill ends of about 10 feathers together to make a little bunch.
Use string to bind the bunch together with a dab of glue here and there to hold the string in place.
Make a total of 4 bunches and trim up the excess string. At this point they look and feel an awful lot like shuttlecocks or birdies for badminton :)
Glue the bunches onto a dowel (thinner is better because it will kind of bend and sway as you play with it but I had this thicker guy on hand and used it instead). Remember that the glue will easily seep through feathers so protect your fingers as you work!
If the bottom of where your feathers are affixed to the dowel looks messy you can cover it up by attaching a few inches of feather boa to the base to cover it up. You can also add individual feathers to the toy to help fill it out in any empty spaces.
Boom! Lovely, right? Now let’s tackle the next toy, a bouncy creation that will drive your kitties nuts (in a good way!)
For this project you will need:
- Loose feathers
- Mesh braids
- String and needle
- Elastic
- Ring
Cut a dozen 2 foot pieces of mesh tubing.
Fold the tubing in half and run a threaded needle though leaving a tail of about 6 inches.
String on all of your tubes through the center and firmly knot to keep together in a tight cluster.
Taking the end of your mesh tubes, twist and fold the end inward. Place a feather on top of the folded mesh.
Using matching thread sew the quill of the feather into the mesh. Finish by wrapping the thread around several times to hide your stitches. Knot tightly and trim off excess thread. Continue for each mesh end, cutting and 1-3 inches off of each of the tubes for varying lengths as you go.
This toy is a bouncy thing because it is on an elastic cord. When kitty pulls down and then lets go it springs way up into the air. It’s quite fun! To attach the elastic simply stitch it around the area that you bound all of your tubes together in the center. Go crazy with the stitches because a lot of pressure will be placed on this joining when the toy is in use.
Sew a ring onto the other end of the elastic, again taking care to stitch well for maximum strength.
Fold all the tubes down and together and wrap with string to keep bound together.
It looks crazy, right? Cats LOVE these toys. This isn’t their first feather toy like this and won’t be the last because it really is such a crowd pleaser!
Place your finger in the ring and bounce it around in front of your cat and before long you’ve got one happy kitty!
Now it’s terribly difficult to get action shots of cats playing with toys that drive them up the wall (in a good way :) so please excuse these blurry pics! We were having too much fun to notice at the time!
My kitties just adore their new toys inspired by New LightWeight with Glade Tough Odor Solutions Clean Blossoms and I know that yours will too. Plus I bet you they’d love that litter, also.
Remember to leave a comment below with the name of your cat (or a friend or family member’s cat, I’m sure they’d wig out if you handed them 2 coupons for free litter, I know I would!) The winner will be selected randomly and will receive their coupons in the mail. You can’t win if you don’t enter so be sure to do that!
Hi!
LOVE the DIY toys and your beautiful array of colored feathers. I have several bag of feathers, too – not sure why I got them – but at the time, oh it was absolutely necessary. Well, I’ve had them for 4+ years and my little babies LOVE playing with anything (as long as feathers are involved!)
I’ve been looking for some DIY toys to use up this invaluable (!?!) stash and I bumped along into your site. Actually the first words to hit me were “Tidy Cats” then I saw feathers – LOL. I’ve been so lucky to have just about 48 paws cross my life so far. All were rescued and everyone (except one) was ready for a “furrever” home! The one not appropriate was incredibly ferrule any my vet and the shelter all agreed that she should live her life outside – she still visits, but she’s so happy to be in “her” setting – I couldn’t take that from her.
But enough of the sadness – on to MY GO-TO Kitty Litter – TIDY CATS! I have never CONSCIOUSLY used another. The one time I grabbed the wrong one … well, let’s just say it was not a happy day in “catdumb” – that’s the pretend city in which my cats live AND it’s located right in my home. All over my home. Oh, heck, it’s taken over my home. I live in “catdumb” – only at the invitation of my babies.
I currently have 2 furry babies. The little one, Zacquie (rhymes with ‘hockey’) is a tortie w/mackerel pattern. She was rescued by 2 police officers in my home town walking in the middle of a 4-lane road – yikes! At only 2 weeks old, the shelter immediately transferred her to an intensive care foster home where Mom did a super job raising her to the age of 5 months and 3 1/2 pounds.
After about 4 months Zacquie needed a little sister to play with. I adopted little Smokie – a Korat breed who appeared to be the perfect little one for Zacquie to nurture. Smokie’s name was immediately changed to a Hebrew name – Briellanna – since I got lost on the way to her shelter and it seemed like it took enough time to have was crossed a desert. They are best of friends – but Brie IS NOT Zacquie’s little sister. Zacq weighs in at 7 pounds and Brie tips the scales at 14!
They are healthy and happy and are so thoughtful with each other at the litter box. I have 3 boxes, but they like one the best and will gladly wait in line ’til one is finished. I have tried every type of Tidy Cat and every cat I’ve had has loved them all. I have a broken arm – so right now I’m into the “lightweight” – but whenever there’s a man around (not nearly enough LOL) then it’s Glade all the way!
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and if I can find a place to post their pix – I will. But, no photos of them in the litter box!
Greetings from University Heights, OH
Barb
I wrote a lengthy comment earlier this afternoon – but I forgot to ask 2 questions:
#1- Where can I purchase mesh tubing?
#2 – About how long are your feathers?
Thanks so much! Kitties will LOVE THESE!!
1 – I got mine on Etsy!
2 – About 3-4 inches!