DIY

I tend to find some cat toys a bit on the $$$ side. 

When I am not sure if they will play with them at all, it is hard to fork out the money..just for it to become another misfit toy. 

So,  what about making my own?

That involves planning ahead.. which I am not all that good at. 

How about I just look stuff up and post pretty pictures?

Then the pictures will have links on How To

Then other people can make them... and maybe I will be inspired to make one or two myself.

Cats like cardboard.
It's a fact.
They like to gnaw on it.
Play in it.
Bat it around.
Scratch it.
Cardboard is super cheap.
Well ...until someone decides to make it into something then adds a pretty label.
WE DON'T NEED NO STINKING LABEL.

Cardboard Ball

After you make that ball, I suggest tossing a bit of catnip on it.


Box O Fun





The 'how to' for this one is lacking...basically ..get a box and cut holes in it.
Then staple some toys to strings inside.
The picture seems like a lie.
That looks oddly like wood or MDF
If you can cut a circle that good in cardboard with scissors - you are lying!
MDF isn't that expensive.
Glue gun or maybe nails... depending on the thickness.
Before putting it all together.. find someone with one of those tool thingies - I have been informed it is called a Hole Saw

So I guess you could make a throw away one.. or one that should last.

Kitty on-a-roll

Not only is this really cute..
Lowes gives you all the item numbers and names of everything you need to make it!
I personally would add a bit more to it.
Maybe because I have a bit more meows to amuse.
Very cute idea.
Nice job Lowes!

T-shirt tent

The dollar store sells these tents... they are made of cheap material that tend to rip at the seams.
Not a big deal.. since they are under $2...but ...there are only 2 different colours to choose from.
And they are both tacky .
A tend made from a t shirt?
That could be any colour!
Maybe you have a shirt from an ex.. maybe that ex hated cats...
Naw, save that one for cleaning the litter boxes.
Use a random shirt with a nice colour or print on it that you like.
Simple to make.
Cheap.
I think kitty would love it.


Perch-n-scratch

This may not be all that apartment friendly.
Kitties love to look down on us.
They are hunters by nature and having a higher vantage point keeps them happy.
It also utilizes vertical space, which in turn saves space!
No more clunky cat climber needed... just make a bunch of shelves at various levels.
The scratch pad is also a good idea. They can use it to stretch, scratch, and climb from perch to perch.
If you have a cat that seems to like corners of walls for stretching... maybe this can be a corner scratch pad.
Once kitty has its own scratching area- it tends to use random ones less. 


Super simple ideas for lazy humans

Crumpled Goodness
1. take random piece of paper
2. crumple it up
3. find container, put catnip in container
4. put crumpled ball in container with catnip
5. Shake container
6. repeat crumpled paper with smaller sheets
7. add them to container with other crumpled paper and cat nip
8. shake again
9. take out one of the crumples and toss it in kitties direction
10. kitty like? good - now put the container in the freezer - it will keep it away from kitty and help keep catnip fresh.

Lids-o-plenty
1.Open any drink or liquid that is safe ( seriously if you are dumb enough to give the lid off a bleach bottle then stop reading this now.. you are an idiot..go crawl in a hole)
2. Pretend you don't want kitty to have it, and place it on the coffee table or side table.
3. Wait.
4. Or toss it onto the floor when kitty is watching.

Jackass-lids-o-plenty
1. poke a hole in lid
2. insert string and tie knot to keep string secure
3. toss lid while holding string
4. pull lid away just before kitty gets it
5.repeat.

Misfit Socks
1. Locate your socks with no mates..lonely socks :(
Give them a new purpose !
2. grab a handful of catnip - I really like Cosmic Catnip and you can buy it in a rather large container
3. put catnip in sock
4. tie the top like you would a balloon
5. throw
6. pre washing sock is not needed. Kitties like unwashed socks. Unless you have super smelly feet.. then just throw those socks away.. its not nice to make kitty deal with that.
7. Kitty may slobber all over this - no worries - place up on something to let it dry then throw it down again.. all good

TP roll
There are so many things you can do with an empty toilet paper roll ...
Like throwing it down the stairs.
Seriously, that's good enough for a kitten.
Let them use their imagination...
Now go watch tv.

Jackson

Human

Jackson

**

I realize you no longer need your winter coat.

Yup, you can have it. I'm an indoor kitty now. 

Yes you are, but I really don't need your winter coat.

But I like you, and I want to share. 

But I don't want your coat.

Okay, I lied. 

I can't stop myself. 

I am shedding like a mad man. 

This has never happened before. 

Yes I have shed before, but never like this. 

You could make a second me!

Don't though. 

I don't want to share you. 

Yes, you are shedding like a mad mancat.

Since you are inside, you no longer need all the fur you had when you lived on the streets.

So now it's on your bed, and your sweater, and on the floor, and in the air, and ...

EVERYWHERE!

Tell me about it!

I just did!?

Uh.. ya.. anyways... I hope it stops soon.

Good thing I am white.. cuz you can see it all.. so it will be easier to clean. 

Fabulous.

For a kitty that has a lot to say.. you sure try and limit my typing time.

It interferes with my hugging time. 

I can't type if you are laying on me and hugging my arm.

How is that my problem?

Because seriously.. I am okay with nobody reading this. 

Yeah, well that's not part of the deal.

When was this deal made?

Was there catnip involved?

I can't be held accountable if I was under the influence.

'If you give me 10 treats, not 9, 10 treats.. I will let you write a post.'

You said that.. those are your words.

But...

Then I said that I would give you treats regardless.

And you said..'What about catnip? Do I get catnip too?'

See!

So I said that you needed to agree or disagree prior to receiving any catnip. 

You agreed.

Then I gave you the catnip.

I recall none of this. 

I suspected that might happen.

So I took back the catnip before you had any. 

Gave you the treats and told you that I will give you the catnip after we were done the post.

Are you saying I get catnip?

No.

You stole the catnip that I had set aside for you. Then you ran off with the bag of treats.

I would do no such thing!

But you couldn't get the treats open.

Oh.. oh yeah.. stupid bag. 

So new deal.

I will give you some treats if we finish this post.

Can I have them now?

No, we are not done.

Oh. 

Well what are you waiting for... post it!

You are getting rather bossy.

Sorry. Give me some catnip and I will let you finish.

Bribery will not work.

How do you know if you don't try?

How about you let go of my arm?

Never.

Kitty Bad Habits- Lid stealing & Toy Hiding

My Willow is a criminal mastermind.

 Don't let her cuteness fool you.

Her ability to thieve pop lids, water bottle lids, milk pull tabs, and any other plastic lid she can find is amazingly annoying.

If she would wait till I was finished with them then it would be less of a pain.
No, her little paw will sneak up and snatch away the lid before I can even say meow.

Then she hides them.
Along with any toy she gets her paws on.

Silly me, I keep buying toys.. what I should be doing is limiting her.
She should get a certain amount of toys and if she hides, loses, or gets them stuck somewhere.. that's her problem!
Except it's my problem.
Bored kitties do bad things.
They turn other things into toys.. like cords.
Or they turn on each other.. like Sebby.

So what do I do?
Nothing.

I allow her to steal the lids, hell I even toss some to her.
I keep buying toys, because I can't find the ones I gave them.

Until today.
Today I found one of her stashes.
I never think to actually take out the bottom drawer of the stove.
A broom should be good enough to located a wayward toy.
This time I took out the drawer.
It was surprising.
I was surprised how many toys could fit under a stove.

 Yes, that is Willow sitting beside her loot.
Way less lids then I suspected.
I'm not lifting the fridge.

Do I have a kleptomaniac feline?
or
Is this normal kitty behaviour?
Could she be suffering from a fear of toy drought?
Did someone steal her toys in a past life?
Was she attacked by lids?
Am I reading into this a bit too much?
Maybe the location of the stove makes for a great reservoir or toy receptacle?
She is Canadian, maybe the under the stove is actually like getting a hockey puck in the net?
Can I deny her right to play hockey?

Am I just slightly slow on the realization that I could block the entrance to under the stove?

I found a rather interesting blog called Way of Cats
They speak of a cats environment, and their need to create their own space.
This makes it easier to hunt, hide, spot their prey.
What we may find annoying.. like having to remove over 30 toy from under the stove.
or
Constantly finding toys in their water bowl.
or
Having to pick up random articles of clothing off the living room floor that have been relocated by Sebastian!
or
Almost twisting your ankles when stepping oddly on a toy that is hidden under the throw rug.
The blog calls this Terraforming.
 Basically making our home- their home as well.
Which it is.
Slowly becoming more of their home and less of mine...

Reading more of this blog, I came across Pretending
Do your cats pretend?
I wonder what they are thinking... what they would pretend about.
Why they  have not banded together to kill the vacuum?
Probably not enough of them to take on the beast.

Willow pretends.
She knows that I am the creator of the red dot.
She knows the sound the laser pointer makes when I pick it up.
She still tries to catch or kill the dot.

The foster kittens try to save the world from this

 

They run at it, pounce on it, try to get the ball out. 

They lay on the ball and look at me.. possibly letting me know that I am not safe from the evil creature?

I absolutely believe that Sebby wears this bag as a cape.
He always looks like he is proud when he walks around with it.
Super Sebby.


From stealing lids, to hiding behind see through curtains...cats are clearly hilarious.
Hold on.. I need to add in Jackson.
He doesn't steal.
I am not sure if he pretends.
He just knows.

If he lays on the computer mouse, I have to pay attention to him.
If he tries to eat the mouse, I have to pay attention to him.
If he walks across my laptop, I have to pick him up and move him.
If he stares at me while I type this.. which he is.. I will wonder if he can read.

Night

Human

Night

***

Today I will be interviewing Night. The dapper feline shown below.

I am rather dapper.

What is dapper?

A stylish gentleman.

The name is Night. Dapper Night.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

Um, well I'm a boy.
9 and a half months old.

I'm super cool.

Super fun.

I'm not fat! I'm big and strong!

I never said you were fat. 

Just making it clear. 

I have a brother and three sisters. 

They have all been adopted. 

But I am waiting for a certain someone. 

I will know when I find them. 

Then I may yell at them for taking so long.

I mean really , what is more important than coming to adopt me?

Nothing!

Though I am having fun with you human. 

Eating cat grass and treats. 

Hanging out on the counter at the store. 

Making new friends.

Polly and Carrie are rather cute.

But if they get adopted before me.. I may smack someone. 
Probably you Human.

Gee thanks. 

You're welcome!

So, what else do you want to know?

Likes, dislikes?

Likes:

Attention 

Toys

Treats

Cat grass

Catnip

Being carried 

Being petted

Being hugged

Dislikes:

Being ignored 

Being put back in the cage

When you leave

When you stay but pay attention to other meows

When someone else eats my treats

Really loud dogs

When the store closes

When people take forever to come adopt me!

Okay then.

What would you like possible adopters to know?

I'M NOT FAT

Also, hurry up. I'm starting to think nobody likes me.

Hey, I like you!

Sorry human, you don't count. 

You love us all. 

Gee thanks.

Aww, don't be sad.. You know you're my favorite human.

That's sweet.

For now. Hee hee hee

Kitty Bad Habits - cord chewing

Humans have bad habits, so do pets.
Lets check out ...



First off - cord chewing can lead to electrical burns, electrocution, singed whiskers, singed fur - I may joke about the annoyance of having to replace cords but the animals safety is much more important.

My cats are very good, they do not chew on cords.
The foster cats...well, considering the amount of different felines that spend time in this house - there have been a few chewers.
Don't worry! None of them have hurt themselves. 
 We also inform the people adopting.

While they are in my care I try and help them stop - they learn to do it when I am not around.

I wonder if the phone cord and laptop cord companies are in cahoots. 
Do they lace these damn things with catnip????
Hey Apple, why not create a cord that repels felines?

Why?
Why do these furry jerks chew cords?

Good question.. yet so far I can not find an answer. Just suggestions.
Geez google... can't you read!

I found - Boredom, and Pica

I will speak in regards to the current meow causing issues - She shall remain nameless.. just kidding - It's Coda.

Boredom I can understand - except these meows are not bored.
I asked.
I have a plethora of toys, scratching posts, tunnels, wands, treats, catnip, oh and there are two 9 week old kittens in the room with them - boredom is unpossible.

Pica - that is basically eating non food things.
A dog will at times eat ...well anything. It may be hard to distinguish dog behaviour from Pica.
I think one way would be noticing if there are certain things they eat over and over...like socks.
Yes, there are dogs who feel the need to eat socks! This can be very serious because of blockage issues.

Cats generally are not random object eaters.
Yet, there are many incidences of cats with pica.
What the hell did I just say?
It would be simpler to tell if a cat has pica because they are not known for eating random things.

Except she isn't eating the cord.. she is chewing it!

I will have to go with my go to response - because cats are weird. 

Okay, so how can this be stopped? 
Or, how can we make the cords less tasty. 

There are actually many ways to deter a cat from chewing on cords.
Face it, it's your own damn fault. You could have stopped this..before having to replace your laptop cord.
Truth is, I saw her doing it.. I just never got around to doing what I was suppose to.. until my laptop cord was visually mangled.

Then I found my printer power cord... it had met the same fate.
It had to be stopped.
She was crossing over into plugged in territory.
Oddly enough... someone had unplugged the power bar which had the printer plugged in. 
Could they be that clever?
Or did they fall off the dresser and manage to pull out the plug on their way down.
I will go with the second option. 
I am glad she was not hurt.
Not so happy about my cords.

Options:

CritterCord

Basically it is a tube sliced down the side - you cover your cord with it - it is infused with a citrus scent that should help deter the cat from chewing.
They do not like citrus.
********
I found a site that may possibly have an economically sound way to cover cords.
Buy in bulk!
Find something that works.
Many different items that can be used to cover cords of any size.
Cable ties and more
If you like the braided sleeving - keep in mind that these are very similar to a cat toy.. which makes me want to buy this to make cat toys.
The stainless steel sleeve may be rather difficult to work with, and the ends would be pokey.
If you are interested in a product I suggest emailing the company and asking if these would be usable for 'baby safeing' your home office.
I think they would be more inclined to consider certain hazards that may not come to mind when thinking about a pet.

*****

AliExpress carries these cord covers.
They look like the old telephone cords.

Not old enough to remember phone cords.
WHAT? PHONES HAD CORDS?

Yes they did. 
People use to sit and talk.. or if they walked, they had a leash. 

Cats like those phone cords too.
So.... not sure if that would work.

Anyone else see the irony is covering our iphone cords with what looks like old telephone cords?

******
Today I bought Braided PVC Tubing.
I sliced it down the side myself.

So far it has been effective
I need to find a smaller size for my phone cord.

It may be available in other colours.
Look familiar?

It is basically a hose.
.49 cents a foot.
 Got it at Home Hardware.




They may attempt to chew it...but it's thick.
You will know long before kitty can work its way though.
Unless you have Cujo kitty.
********
Other methods include:
Spraying the cord with Bitter Apple - you can find these in pet food stores.
Spraying with some sort of citrus - though I am not sure what.. and I am not sure if would be safe.

You best bet is to hide the cords.
Don't trust a previous chewer to just stop cold turkey.
Sometimes they can't be trusted.

Keep your cats entertained. Play with them.
They will get in less trouble if they are sleeping.

Sebby just happened to lay down beside an extension cord... he wanted nothing to do with it... but it made for a good picture.

Next up - Kitty lid thieves.

Vacuum ?

So the new foster meows met the vacuum for the first time today.

I feel bad- but at the same time it is hard to not giggle a little at the one cat Polly bouncing across the room like a terrified ping pong ball.

It needed to be done.

Went as fast as possible.

Maybe 2 min tops.

The baby meows were in the roll away cage..trying to tunnel themselves to China.

3 of the 4 older kitties were on my bed under the blanket.

The blanket of safety I assume. 

Polly just bounced around the room.

They got over it.

Betcha they will never forget what the evil vacuum monster looks like. 

Yup, sorta like that.

As I am typing this - a snowmobile goes past and they are all scared again. 
Coda is under the blanket. 

The fear has subsided. 

So far Polly is proving to be a constant source of entertainment. 
Polly, I swear she thinks everything is alive. 
She just batted at a small box as if it was an animal. 
Possibly just pretending to be a box???

Okay, but what exactly does she think the blinds are pretending to be? because she was batting at them earlier. 

Who ever adopts her will definitely be safe from rouge objects.
***************

The older 4 were raised by a nice quiet little old lady.
She found the momma pregnant.

I believe there were a few cats rescued from one area.
One of the cats - not the momma or her babies - became ill.

They figured out that the cat had FIV - Feline Aids.
Sadly, due to complications down the road - I believe that kitty had to be put down.

The lady was worried, what if these kittens were exposed?
The sick cat could have been one of the daddies.

To test the kittens - she had to wait until they were 6 months old.
That is exactly what she did.
They all received a clean bill of health!!
They were all vaccinated and spayed.

She needed help finding good homes for the kittens
Our rescue finds fabulous homes :)

This lady has done so much for feral cats, stray cats, abandoned cats - if there is a cat in need - she did what ever she could.
We have a pet food store that allows us to adopt through them.
A big cage that has a walkway above our heads - you know.. so they can look down at us.

It's less of a cage and more of a kitty apartment.
Check out what a few look like - The Cats Den

Polly and Carrie will be going there next week.
Coda and Willow still need a few more days to get use to other humans.

Having this space to showcase our fabulous felines is fantastic.
They also get exposed to different things that they would not in a foster home.
Such as dogs!
Lots of dogs.
The cage is near the grooming center... they get to see the before and after pooches.

Children - sticky , kind of annoying but sometimes very nice and gentle.
We do our best to make sure nobody lets their kid bug the cats ( I am totally cool with letting a parent know that their child needs to get the hell away from the cage.)

Noise - lots of different noises can be heard in the store - and I believe they build up a tolerance for strange sounds.

Smells - food, pets, people, a plethora of different scents.

The cage has done wonders for some of our more shy meows.
They start to crave attention - they want us to carry them around.
They like being out and about in the store. Sitting on the counter, or checking out all the toys.
The store is a much better showcase than the small cages a shelter may have.

Of course, knowing the cats personalities helps.
That is something I take pride in - knowing the cat. Being able to tell if their personality will fit with the person applying to adopt them.

A shy kitty will not be adopted out to a household with young children who are loud and hyper.
Though a shy kitty would possibly be adopted to a person with a young child that is also shy and more reserved.

Each kitty is different.
No two kitties are alike.
Furry snowflakes.

Though they do tend to copy each other.

Stella just wiggled under the blanket to take a nap. ( 10 week old)

Coda just slithered behind me and is now under my pillow.

Bunch of adorable weirdos.

Introducing - 

Who are they?

.

*

Human

Sebby

Willow

Molly

Rio
*

So, are you going to introduce us?

Introduce you to who?

Why must we play these games. 
You know exactly who I am speaking of. 

The new ones. 

The new ones?

You do this on purpose!

What ever do you mean?

Don't play coy with me human!


Ur no fun today Sebby.

I am so!

Did you not see me playing earlier?
I was a riot. 

I wasn't home.

Oh, well that isn't my fault. 

The new ones. 
I want names. 
I don't smell any males. 
Are they all girls?
Did you bring me chicks???!

Yes they are all girls, no I did not bring you chicks!

Oh come on, you know I am joking. 

The 2 little ones are Stella and Scarlet.
What do they look like?

Stella is a black short haired 10 week old.
Scarlet is a ....she looks just like you did as a baby!
Shes a silver tabby.

She must be gorgeous!

They both are.

And the others?

4 ten month old females.
Coda - medium hair black
Willow - medium hair black
Carrie - short hair black and white
Polly - short hair black and white.

Wanna hear something kinda cool.

Sure. 

One of them was born a day later!!

That happens?

Sometimes.

Which one is it?

Umm... darn I forget!
Polly or Carrie - I have to check their papers later.

They came with instructions?

No, weirdo... their vet records.

I am not a weirdo.. okay maybe I am a bit of a weirdo.. some odd person raised me. 

Clever.

Is nobody going to mention the fact that one is named Willow????
That one better be pretty!

She is.
They are still so unsure of me.

They are a bunch of Mollies.

I would take offense to that.. if it wasn't absolutely true.
What about food?
Food works for me. 

I tried treats, and wet food.

Where is ours?

You just had wet food an hour ago!

Treats?

Before I left this afternoon.

Hmm, I can't remember. 
Maybe you should give us more just to be sure.

No.
Fine, I shall go back to being scared of you.

Do whatcha gotta do.

What about the babies? 
Are they scared?

Naw, a bit bonkers though.

Perfect!
Why is that perfect?
I wanna play!!
These guys don't play as much.

Cuz you are a youngin.
They are all old and tired.

I am not old.

Sorry..lazy.

That's better. 

Is she one of us now?
Who?
Rio
Oh..

Possibly.

Did I miss the vote?

Vote? Yes. It was 1 yes and the rest were tossed out due to illegible writing.

Fixed!

If by fixed you mean your vote does not count than yes.. it was fixed. 

Jerk. 


Pictures to come at a later date.