Easily Create Wand Attachment Toys Your Cat Will Love
Updated: Feb 22
Rotating wand attachments is a great way to keep your cat excited about play time and be able to provide the exercise they need to remain healthy. Making your own is easy and fun.
My cats have toy fatigue when it comes to wand attachments. Although I’m lazy and would prefer to purchase already made attachments, my cats have tried them all, and there’s really nothing new or different enough out there to add to our collection.
They have their favorites like the Meek Mouse by Cat Fishin’ Critters and the all time favorite, Dragonflies, by Litterboys, but they don’t want to see those toys all the time. They want something NEW.
I had picked up supplies at my local craft store including a pack of random ribbons, medium sized beads, faux leather string, assorted colors of felt fabric, and clasps. With these, I went about creating my own wand attachments, and you can too!
Safety Warning - put toys away when not in use such as the yarn or ribbon which some cats may chew and swallow which can be dangerous. I always put my wand toys away once the play session is over which makes it exciting when you pull them out again.
Short on Time? I've got UNDER ONE MINUTE WAND ATTACHMENT IDEAS. These are great if you need a new toy quickly!
POST-IT TOY - Fold a 2 x 2 Post-It into thirds. Cut a hole through the sticky part to attach to your wand (I have a hole puncher so this is super easy for me, but if I didn’t, I would gently fold the sticky side down and cut a small hole). The last step is cutting stips on the ends. When you fly this toy through the air on the wand, it reminds me of a butterfly flutter. The cats love this one!
RIBBON OR YARN TOY - Cut a piece of thick ribbon or yarn, about 6 to 10 inches long. Tie a Slip knot (google this if you’re not sure) toward one end, and you have yourself a super fast wand toy. To make it more interesting, tie knots toward the bottom to give your cat something easy to grab. I sometimes add medium sized beads that I can knot onto the attachment for a little weight and sound on my wood floors. A red braided ribbon has been one of my cat’s favorites attachments recently.
TOYS THAT TAKE A LITTE MORE TIME, BUT NOT MUCH MORE
Feel like sewing something a bit more elaborate? Create BUGS using felt fabric and faux leather string.
I cut out two different pieces of color felt fabric and used the faux leather string as arms and legs passing through the fabric which I then sewed together. They did seem to enjoy the 2 sided toy. My husband says the bright green side was more popular than the dark red which is fun to experiment with.
I also sewed legs to a more hearty ribbon that came in the variety pack and made that into a shorter toy. The bugs were kind of on the larger side that I would typically recommend but the cats had fun with it.
It gave me great joy to see them pouncing after and attacking the toys I so lovingly sewed together for them. After an hour of sewing I started to feel grumpy, kind of like when I’m playing Monopoly with my kid. After an hour, it doesn’t feel like fun anymore. I packed away my sewing equipment and materials, and put the new toys in a storage bag for future use.
Instead of buying your next wand toy, see what you have around your home to make your own. I would leave to hear from you if you’ve got creative ideas for attachments. I’m always looking for that next exciting attachment for my cats whether I’m buying it or making it. Feel free to email me at info@cat-advocate.com to share your ideas.