DIY fishing rod toy

edd9d397-3fb7-4bf5-b392-f612e09c1914

Whip up our DIY fishing rod-style toy and keep your cat entertained indoors.

You will need

  • 50cm dowel
     
  • Thick elastic thread
     
  • Wool in three colours (we've used grey, mint and peach)
     
  • Felt in two colours (we've used grey and peach)
     
  • Thin cardboard
     
  • Needle
     
  • Embroidery thread (we've used ivory)
     
  • Scissors
     
  • Dried catnip/stuffing
     
  • Ribbon (around 2m)
     
  • PVA craft glue
Content continues after advertisements

Method

1. Start by making the pom poms for your fishing rod-style toy. Cut two cardboard circles and then cut a small hole in the middle of each, creating a 'donut' shape. Lay the circles together, without any overlap. Remember, the bigger your cardboard circles, the bigger your pom pom will be.

2. Tie the ends of two colours of wool together and loosely wind around the circles, until they are covered completely without any gaps. Now, put the scissors between the two circles of cardboard and cut the wool around the outer edge.

3. Draw a long piece of wool between the two cardboard circles and knot it firmly around the wool in the centre hole. Remove the cardboard circles. Using your scissors, clip the outside of the pom pom to neaten its shape. Repeat steps 1-3 to make another pom pom using the third wool.

4. Next, we need to make the catnip fish toy. Cut a simple fish shape out of each colour of felt, ensuring they are exactly the same.

5. Put the two felt fish together and blanket stitch around the outside, leaving it open at one end. Now, fill your fish toy with a mixture of dried catnip and stuffing, before securely stitching the opening.

6. Now you have your three toys, it's time to put together the fishing rod part. Tie two lengths of elastic to one end of your dowel, ensuring one is slightly longer than the other. Cover the dowel in PVA wrap with ribbon to finish.

7. Taking your needle and using the end of the shorter length of elastic as thread, attach the catnip fi sh toy by the tail, ensuring it is as secure as possible.

8. Tie one pom pom around halfway down the longer piece of elastic, and tie the other to the bottom, knotting to secure. Embellish the elastic with felt bows.

9. Ensure each part is attached as securely as possible before playing with your cat - and then let the fun begin!

Safety first

Never leave your cat unattended with a fishing rod-style toy, and check for any loose parts before every play session.