Crafts To Do

Kitty Mat | Flea Collar | Kitty Glove Toy | Dog Stuffy Toys |

Make your own toys, crafts, and healthful aids for your companions. If you have something to add to this page, please send us an email with complete instructions and description. Thanks for your help.

*Squeakers for inside the toys can be found at Jemar 1-800-458-6598.

Kitty Mat by Helen Berge

Depending on the size of your cat and also on how many cats will be "sharing" the mat, cut two Pieces of fabric to the desired size( 16 x 16 inches will accommodate the most portly kitty). Sew up three sides leaving one end open for stuffing the mat. Place some cotton batting or fiber filler inside as cushioning, making sure the material is evenly distributed and not lumpy. Lay about two cups of dried, finely crushed catnip leaves on top of the filling and sew the last edge closed. You can make the mat fancier by adding lace around the edges, but you may find your feline friend tearing it off in his enthusiasm. Extra catnip scent can be provided by sprinkling three or four drops of pure catnip oil** over the cotton batting if you have some available. Give the mat a vacuuming every now and then to rid it of dust and hair. These mats are not washable be cause they have dried herb inside, but you can keep them clean by simply sewing a pillow case to put over them. The catnip scent will still be strong enough to penetrate the cloth. I would suggest using a velcro closure for the covering as zippers, buttons, or snaps can be dangerous if ingested by your pet.

If you are clever with a needle and thread, you may want to make your own little catnip-filled mice toys for your cats. Soft wool, felt, or pillow ticking are all suitable fabrics. Remember not to use any buttons or other objects that your cat could swallow.

Some cats are very fond of the scent of valerian root as I accidentally discovered while bottling some home-made valerian root tincture. Said to attract both cats and rats, valerian root is a sedative herb often used to treat insomnia and nervousness. It has a musty, unpleasant odor when dried, reminiscent of dirty laundry, but that doesn't seem to keep the cats from wanting to be near it.

In an effort to rid my cup boards of some of the odiferous dried root pieces I'd been storing since last fall, I decided to make some toys for the cats. A portion of valerian root the size of a walnut can be tied up in a little piece of calico or other sturdy cloth in much the same way as you would if you were making sachets. Or, you can sew the piece of root into some cloth and offer it to your cat in place of a catnip mouse. Some cats seem to prefer the scent of fresh valerian root, in which case you may want to save a bit from your autumn harvest for the cat to play with. Since fresh valerian root is used to make tincture, there are usually a few small pieces left to give the cats. Placing the root in some sort of cloth enclosure is a good idea if you have time to do it. You'll be able to locate the toy more easily if company arrives and you notice a rather peculiar odor of unknown origin!

** Catnip oil - Sources:

Wild Earth Catalogue - Extracts
http://www.sageways.com/wildeart/
2611 Grant Street
Houston TX 77006
Phn: (713) 524-0388
Fax: (713) 522-6103

Gaines Nutrtional
http://www.gaines.com

Flea Collar by Helen Berge

Herbal flea collars are always appreciated as cold weather arrives and the animals are indoors more often. There are two different methods you can try in making your own herbal flea collars for your pets. The first is to use a length of cotton lamp wick (available in most hardware stores) that has been saturated in insect-repellent herbal oils. Using a cloth measuring tape, measure the diameter your cat or dog's neck, remembering to allow room for a velcro closure. You want the collar to be snug, but not uncomfortable.

Cut the wick to the proper length for your pet and sew on the velcro to make a neat, snug closure. The cloth wick should be about 1/2-inch wide for cats and very small dogs, and 1-inch wide for large dogs. Place the wick, curled up, in the bottom of a widemouth jar leaving the velcro ends standing upright (if possible).

Cover the wick with essential oils of pennyroyal, citronella, and rosemary, just enough to saturate the wick completely. Use equal portions of each herbal oil (you'll need more for larger collars) and leave the wick submerged in the mixture until well saturated. It will absorb a great deal of the oil. Try to keep the velcro ends dry, but if the oil gets onto them it shouldn't affect the collar's ability to stay closed. It's just easier to handle the collar if the ends are dry. Once the wick has been saturated with the oils, lift it out of the jar and let the excess oil drain off. After draining, hang to dry thoroughly before using. Place the herbal collar around your pet's neck and press the velcro ends together. You can "recharge" these collars when the scent wears off by simply submerging them in the same herbal oils for a while. Place a tight-fitting lid on the jar of oils and store it in a cupboard for future use.

Yet another way of creating a flea collar for your pet is to cut a length of sturdy cloth to fit your pet's neck, making it about twice the width you'll want the finished collar to be. Blend together a mixture of the following dried herbs:

1/4 cup cedar shavings
1/4 cup roman wormwood
1/4 CUP southernwood
1/2 cup pennyroyal
1/4 CUP mugwort
1/4 cup lemon verbena

Place the herbs in a blender to pulverize them well and blend to gether. With the underside of the cloth facing up, place an even amount of the herb mixture along the length of the cloth. Fold the edge over and sew the collar closed. Velcro can be used for the ends, or you may want to sew strong ribbon at the ends to tie around your pet's neck. Whatever method you use for the closure, be sure your pet will not be able to get hung up on something outdoors and possibly hurt itself.

By increasing the quantity of dried herbs, you can also stuff a large bed or pillow for your dog or cat which will help keep fleas out of their sleeping area. Use the same method as you would for making the "Kitty Mat," increasing the size of the cloth to fit your pet's body. Essential oils of pennyroyal, citronella, cedar wood, or rosemary can be sprinkled over the cotton batting or fiber filler used to plump up the bed. You'll definitely want to make a cover for the bed if you plan to keep it fresh and clean for your pet. Store unused, dried, herbal flea repellent mixture in a jar.

Kitty Glove Toy by Bonni Bailey

Take an old knitted glove with fingers and attach a string through each of the fingers. This can be done with a crochet hook and making a knot on the inside of the finger so it won't pull through. Now you can attach things to the ends of the strings, like bells, feathers, rubber spiders or pom poms. Put on the glove and tantalize the kitty.

Dog Stuffy Toys by Lauri Carey

Checked the prices on those cute, fuzzy, stuffed dog toys lately? In a popular catalog, a 10" disc (circle) goes for $5.34. Well, I'm going to tell you how to get 10 of those 10" discs for about $10!!

Here's what you'll need. These items are available at almost any fabric store. The prices listed are what I paid at my local store.

Fiberfill - 100% pure polyester stuffing for toys and crafts (16 oz. Bag) $2.49
2/3 yard of material - called Sherpa or Basic Fun Fur ($8.99 / yard ) $6.00
Button Hole or Carpet thread $1.46

If you have a sewing machine - great! That makes this much easier. If not, then don't worry. It just takes a little longer to sew these by hand.

If you want to use *squeakers, you can usually get those at a craft store or a dog show. They run about $1 each.

I bought the expensive material - it's a Cow Print fur-type material. Plain imitation lambs wool runs about $5.24 / yard. 2/3 of that would be about $3.50.

Make sure the thread you get is the strongest type they have. Ask the clerk for help.

First, lay out the fabric. I use different shapes - but nothing hard to sew. I use triangles (easiest to sew), circles, squares, and long tubes. I use dinner plates for marking out the circles and magazines for the squares. The size of your dog will determine what you use for marking the shapes.

Mark the shapes on the material and cut. Don't worry about cutting perfectly - your dog won't know the difference!! For circles, cut 2 pieces. For triangles, cut a large square and fold to form triangle. For squares, open the magazine on the fabric, cut and fold in half. For long tubes, I do the same but fold in half the other way.

If you want, you can use other shapes. I have made the person figure and a bone figure. These are harder to sew. I cut out the guide from cardboard and use that to mark the material.

Once the shapes are cut, I like to pull the edges of each cut piece to remove any loose fur.

For circles, take the 2 pieces, place them together with the fur side INSIDE and sew. On the machine, I like to use a very heavy, tight, close stitch. If I am sewing by hand, I start the stitch by going up through the fabric, then down about 1/2" from that point (but don't pull tight yet), then pull the needle around the fabric and thread it though the loop from the first 2 stitches and then pull tight. I find this stitch to be quite effective even against my Shepherds!

Sew the entire piece except for about 1 - 2 inches. This is the opening you will use to turn the piece right side out and stuff.

Once the piece is turned right side out, you can stuff with as much or as little stuffing as you like. Finish the piece by sewing the opening shut by hand. Again, don't worry if it's not 'perfect'.

These toys are machine washable and dogs love them! Cats will love them too if you scale down the size of the toy and mix cat nip in with the stuffing!! (Watch for pictures coming soon.)

*Squeakers for inside the toys can be found at Jemar 1-800-458-6598.