With the long weekend approaching, I’ve decided it’s time for another homemade cat toy project. On Day 8, I posted my cat toy idea for the Flippity Flappity Flag. That cat toy was a cinch to make and great for cats who love to run, chase and catch. Today, I’m posting what I call the “Wrestle Sausage” from my Make Your Own Cat Toys book. As with all the homemade cat toys in the book, this one is eco-friendly and reuses an old T-shirt. However, because you’ve got an extra day off, I’ve chosen this project because it takes about 30 minutes to make. This toy is great for cats who love to wrestle or play tug-of-war.

Don’t forget that when you make your own cat toys, safety should always come first. Remember to play safe and play smart. Only make a toy if you know your cat won’t ingest the materials and never leave your cat unsupervised when playing. This goes for all cat toys, not just homemade ones.

WRESTLE SAUSAGE

Wrestle Sausage, as its name implies, is for cats who love to wrestle. It’s the size of a small rodent, but it makes a Kitty-satisfying crinkly crackle sound when she attacks it. As an added bonus, Wrestle Sausage does not leave a bloody mess on your doorstep.

Ideally, you should make Wrestle Sausage from one of your old T-shirts so that Kitty can enjoy that lived-in smell, giving Wrestle Sausage the added “scents” of realism. Soft jersey cotton is also an excellent texture for Kitty to sink her claws into. And, you’ll have fun recycling your T-shirt into something other than a garage rag.

What you’ll need:

• Old cotton T-shirt
• 1 crunchy plastic bag, grocery store style
• 1 Tbsp organic catnip (optional)
• 1 sturdy shoelace or the Utility Belt (page 72)
• Needle and thread
• Scissors
• Chopstick or pencil
• Threaded sewing machine (optional)

Instructions:

1. Cut two 9” x 5” rectangles from the old T-shirt.
2. Place the rectangles one on top of the other. The material is being doubled up for durability. Fold in half lengthwise. See Figure 1.
3. Using either a needle and thread or a sewing machine, stitch the rectangles together. Start from the folded end on the short side and continue down the long side, leaving a 3/8” seam allowance. When you reach the end of the long side, finish off the stitching if you are using a sewing machine. If you are sewing by hand, go back and sew a reinforcing seam along the inside of the first line of stitching. See Figure 2.
4. Turn the sausage inside out. Use a chopstick or pencil to help you. See Figure 3.
5. Cut a 7.5” wide section from the plastic bag lengthwise. See Figure 4.
6. Lay the section of plastic bag flat and sprinkle catnip evenly across its surface. Begin loosely rolling the bag so that it will be the right width to fit inside the sausage. See Figure 5.
7. Insert the rolled up plastic bag into the sausage. See Figure 6.
8. Tuck in the unfinished ends at the open side of the sausage. Use the needle and thread to sew it closed.
9. Tie a slip knot in the shoelace. Secure the loop over the Wrestle Sausage about 1.5” from the end. Now you’re ready to wrestle with Kitty from a safe distance.

HOW YOU CAN TAKE ACTION

• Set aside a half hour this weekend to make this deluxe cat toy for your Kitty.
• Please feel free to share this “make your own” cat toy idea with friends by clicking the “Share This” link below.

The Wrestle Sausage is copyrighted so if you’d like to reproduce this homemade cat toy idea, please contact me at permissions AT makeyourowncattoys.com with your request. Thank you.

		Dozens of Eco-Friendly Cat Toy Ideas Furball, my cat, loves to play and he was so hyperactive as a kitten that I invented dozens of toys and games for him and even wrote a book about them. Make Your Own Cat Toys features instructions for over 50 cat toys that are can be made in minutes, if not seconds, from stuff you have around the home. If you’d like to learn more about the book, please visit www.MakeYourOwnCatToys.com.