by Marilla Mulwane

Created on: December 23, 2011   Last Updated: December 26, 2011

Keeping a cat entertained does not require purchasing expensive cat toys from a pet store. No matter how much you spend, the cat will destroy the toy with little effort, or they will ignore it completely. Cats love simple toys, and that makes things easier for you, as a cat owner, to make them toys they will always love. These toys require little effort and use objects that most homes have on hand on a regular basis. These are tried and regularly used cat toys in a multiple cat household.

Paper and String

Take a piece of paper and cut it in half horizontally. Turn the paper so it is vertical and fold it into an accordion shape. Tie a piece of string or yarn around the middle of the accordion and cut the string so it is a few feet long. Open up the sides of the accordion so the folds flare out a little. Now, go fishing with the cat. Toss the paper so it lands near the cat and then pull the string, bringing the paper back to you. For some odd reason, cats can't resist that folded piece of paper as it hops across the floor. The best thing is that when they scratch and tear the paper to shreds, it takes two minutes to make another toy.

Paper Bag Tunnel

Everyone knows cats love paper bags, and if you are a shopper who forgets to use canvas shopping bags, then you have a fun cat toy already. Make the paper bag even more fun for the cat by using several bags and turning them into a tunnel. Cut the bottom off a paper bag and slip the opening of a second bag over the cut bottom. Tape the two bags together, placing tape all around the bags. Add as many bags to the tunnel as desired and let the cats race through them, wrestle in them and sleep inside once exhausted from play.

Noisy Cat Toy

Cats enjoy the sound of jingly toys, but it's not the jingle of bells so much as the sound in general. Any toy that makes a sound, as long it's not the sound of a vacuum cleaner, will amuse a cat. Take an empty toilet paper roll and cover one end with paper, taping the paper to the roll. Fill the roll with rice, beans or pebbles and cover the other end with paper and tape. Toss the roll on the floor and let the cats have at it.

Milk Caps and Tabs

You know the small plastic tabs you pull off milk jugs? Just toss one on the floor when you open the milk and the cats will be entertained for hours, or until they lose it under the refrigerator. Once the milk is finished, give them the milk cap, too. Those little plastic pieces fly across tiled kitchen floors with speed, and cats love chasing them down.

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