Make do and mend – reduce pet costs

As the cost of living continues to rise, we want to help our customers save money while keeping their pets happy and healthy. As part of this, we’re sharing some ideas to help you make your own pet toys at home for less.

Plastic bottle chew toy

This one’s super easy to make and could entertain your pooch for hours as long as you don’t mind the noise it makes! Take the cap and ring off a big plastic bottle, pop it in an old sock (but one without holes) and tie it off the end. It is light, cheap, easy to replace and makes crunching noises when a dog chews at it.

Top tip: you could put treats into the bottle to add a smelly element to the game.

DIY treat puzzles

There are a few different ways to create your own DIY treat puzzle for your cat or dog! If you have a muffin tin (or a Yorkshire pudding tray) simply turn it upside down and spread some kibble or treats between the bumps. Your pet will have to nudge the food around from all different angles!

Or you could keep the tin upright and divide the kibble up between the cups then cover each section with a tennis ball so that they have to figure out how to get past a slight obstacle before reaching their reward.

If you have some spare PVC piping lying around, just drill some random holes (large enough for the treats you’ll put in it), cap the ends and you’re done!

Make your own ball

Balls can be expensive, especially since they’re always getting lost while out on walks. If you have endless amounts of socks waiting to be reunited with their pairing, then we have just the project for you!

All you need to do is put a sock inside of another one and keep rolling and covering until you have a ball that’s big enough for your dog to catch!

Remember: it might be a good idea to wash these first so they’re more inclined to play fetch!

Repurpose an old t-shirt

If you have an old t-shirt, cut it into strips and knot them at the end. Then simply dangle or wiggle this near your cat for a quick and easy game of chase and pounce!

Catnip kick-toy

If you’re looking to make something that could keep your cat entertained when you can’t play with them, you could try making a catnip kick-toy. All you need to do is fill an old sock with fabric scraps (maybe some from the repurposed t-shirt), add a sprinkle of catnip and sew it closed at the top.

Wand toy

Cat wands are great for cats and are surprisingly easy to make! All you need is a stick, a piece of elastic and some fabric strips (may as well make use of the old t-shirt). Then just drill a small hole at the top of your stick, tie the elastic through this and then add the fabric strips to the end of the string to help make it fun for your cat to play with!

Remember: never to leave pets unattended with any toy.

Do you have any other DIY pet projects that might help other pet owners re-purpose things they have at home? Why not share them on our Facebook or Twitter page to spread the low-cost ways of keeping pets happy and healthy?