Attention, all crafty cats: We have the perfect DIY project for you! Even if you don’t have a kitty at home, you can still make these cat toys and donate to them to your local shelter. (We’ll tell you more about that later. ?)

It’s really important to give your cat enough playtime and enrichment. They wait all day for you to come home from school so they can hang out and play with you! Cats can get WILD, and they love to jump around and chase things, so these are bound to be new favorite toys for kitties with lots of energy.

Pom Pom Wands

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Yarn (wool-free of course!)
• A fork (or you can use your fingers if you want a bigger pom pom)
• Scissors
• A wooden dowel
• A needle
• Glue

Here’s what to do:

1. Place a length of sting along the fork tines.
   
2. Wrap a long piece of yarn loosely around the fork (as shown in the picture) around 50 to 75 times. You can use your fingers instead if you want a bigger pom pom. 
3. Slide another piece of yarn or some embroidery floss between the fork (or fingers) and the wrapped yarn. Tie a knot around the wrapped yarn to hold the pom pom together.
   
4. Slide the tied yarn off the fork (or your fingers) and cut the through the loops on each side, on the opposite side where the knot is.
   
5. You can make it look neater by trimming any uneven ends.
   
6. Repeat these steps to make as many pom poms as you want to put on your toy.
7. Connect the pom poms by threading string with a needle through the middle of each. You can tie a knot in the string above and below each pom pom to keep them in place or leave it untied if you want to be able to slide them up and down.
8. Put a bit of glue on the end of the dowel, and wrap one end of the string around the glued end, holding it in place until the glue has dried.
9. Test it out. You cat will have so much fun chasing those pom poms as you drag them along the ground or jumping for them in the air as you dangle them.

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Cat Nip Bundles

Here’s an easy-to-make toy that your cat will go crazy for—just follow these steps:

1. Cut a square of fabric that’s about as wide as your hand.
2. Place a spoonful of catnip in the center.

3. Bring the edges of the fabric together to make a bundle.

4. Tie a piece of string around the bundle—make sure that it’s tight and won’t come untied. Ta da! You made a simple stuffed cat toy.

Let’s say that you don’t have a cat. There are thousands and thousands of fantastic, loving cats waiting for permanent homes in shelters. A shelter is a safe place for animals to stay until they’re adopted. These places often need help with donations and volunteers. Cats in your local shelter would LOVE these toys. They’d also enjoy having you volunteer to play with them, clean their litterboxes, and help with anything else that the shelter might need. And who knows—you might end up meeting the cat of your dreams and taking him or her home if you and your family are ready to care for an animal companion. If you are, always remember to adopt an animal and never buy one from a pet store or breeder. There are already so many kitties who need a home.

If you make any toys for cats in shelters, we want to see them. Send pictures of your DIY cat toys or of you dropping them off at the shelter to [email protected], and we’ll send you some PETA Kids stickers! (But remember: We can send stickers to addresses only in the U.S. and Canada.)