Cats love toys, so if you’re a cat parent, you’ll find yourself collecting a lot of them. The problem? Cat toys can be pricey (especially considering your favorite feline may only play with a toy once or twice before ignoring it forever). So, rather than purchasing cat toys, why not make them?
Our feline friends have a tendency to love everyday items they find lying around the house more than any toy you could buy them. That means you just need to grab some things you already have at home to make a cat toy they’ll love. One thing you might not have considered using for cat toys is corks. You can make several small toys your cat will love from corks (and most are super simple to create!).
Take a look at the plans below to make DIY cork cat toys today!
The 8 DIY Cork Cat Toys
1. Cork and Yarn Toys
| Materials: | Corks, yarn, large nail |
| Tools: | Large darning needle, hammer, pliers |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
This cork toy by The Links Site is incredibly easy to assemble, and you only need a few items to create it. You start by making a hole through the cork with the nail (but be careful so you don’t split the cork!). Then, just pull some yarn through that hole with the darning needle. That’s pretty much it!
You can keep this toy as just a cork with tassels on either end, or you can have tassels on one end while the other is a longer piece of yarn that allows you to dangle the toy for the kitty. Whichever way you decide to go, it’s a simple, fun toy for your pet. Just make sure they don’t swallow the yarn!
2. Cork Ball
| Materials: | Cork |
| Tools: | Knife, cheese grater |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
Want a toy that’s even easier to make than the one above? Then, this cork ball is exactly what you need. All you need to do to make this cork ball is cut a wine cork in half, trim the edges of one half with the knife, then use a cheese grater to smooth it down. Voila! You now have a cork ball that your cat will love.
In fact, the person who posted this video says this is the only toy their cat will play with. The best thing about this toy? It only takes 5 minutes or less to do!
3. Cork and Feather Toys
| Materials: | Corks, feathers |
| Tools: | Scissors, glue |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
Does your feline pal prefer feathers to string? Then, this is the cork toy you want to make them. It’s somewhat similar to the first cork toy on this list (and just as simple to pull together). You want to start by soaking your corks in hot water to make them softer for this toy. Once soft enough, use the scissors to make a hole on either end (rather than one that goes all the way through). Next, take your feathers and glue them to the holes in the ends.
Once they’ve dried, toss the toy to the cat and enjoy the fun because your pet will surely have a blast! Just ensure they don’t swallow the feathers!
4. Crochet Cork Toys w/Catnip
| Materials: | Corks, double-fold bias tape, cotton twine, catnip |
| Tools: | Size 2 crochet hook |
| Difficulty Level: | Moderate |
This cute cork toy by Pam will probably be a breeze if you know how to crochet, but it might be a bit more complicated if you don’t know how or are just beginning to learn. This toy is quick to make, though, so you should have no issue making a batch of them for your favorite feline (or felines). You’ll find the detailed instructions with how many chains, stitches, etc., on the site, but essentially, you’re making a little sweater for the cork, then filling some double-fold bias tape with catnip and tying that around the crocheted cork.
Overall, it’s a cute kitty toy that should bring your pet hours of fun!
5. Cork and Bead Toys
| Materials: | Corks, wooden beads, twine, embellishments (feathers, string, etc.) |
| Tools: | Scissors, piece of wire, drill with ¼” bit |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
These cork and bead toys from Life Beyond the Kitchen are great for cats and birds, so if you have both in your home, you’re set! And, though they require more materials than some others on this list, they’re still a breeze to create. If desired, you can boil the corks to disinfect them and make them softer. Next, grab a few corks and put holes through them. After that, it’s just a matter of threading corks and beads on twine in whatever design you want.
You can definitely get creative with this toy when it comes to how long it should be or exactly what type of toy your cat will like best (dangly, kicker, or small enough to bat around).
6. Korkfisshe
| Materials: | Corks, yarn |
| Tools: | US 4 double-pointed needle |
| Difficulty Level: | Moderate |
This is another cork toy where the difficulty level depends on your skill level with the medium. For the korkfisshe, you have to do some knitting, so if you’re great at that, you’ll likely find this one to be on the easier side. If you’re a first-time knitter, it might be more challenging.
For this adorably cute toy, you’ll be knitting around the cork in the shape of a fish. That’s it! This site has detailed instructions on forming the fish body, so you can find everything you need there. Once you’ve finished knitting, toss it to the kitty and see how much they love it!
7. Catnip Cork Mouse
| Materials: | Cork, brown paper bag, catnip |
| Tools: | Glue, mini-screwdriver |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
If your feline pal prefers mice to fish, try this catnip cork mouse by the Cat Toy Lady. Both corks and paper bags are excellent at absorbing smells, so stick both in a plastic bag with some catnip before you do anything else. That way, your pet gets the catnip scent with this toy, but you don’t have to add any catnip to it.
Once that’s done, use the mini-screwdriver to make a hole at the end where the bottle opener was used. Next, cut a piece of the paper bag out and twist it up to make a mouse tail; that tail is going to be glued into the hole you just made. Finally, cut out more of the paper bag to make the face of the mouse and glue it to the other side of the cork.
That’s it! This one is very basic, but it’s a toy your cat should enjoy.
8. Twine’n’Cork Toy
| Materials: | Cork, soft twine |
| Tools: | Scissors, crochet hook, darning needle, eyelet screw, measuring tape (optional) |
| Difficulty Level: | Moderate |
Once again, we have a cork toy that involves crocheting (so how difficult it is to make will depend on your skill level). There’s a video for this one with all the instructions you need, though, and the person making this says it’s beginner-friendly, so it should be reasonably easy to create. Essentially, all you do for this toy is make a long chain out of the twine and attach it to the cork with the eyelet screw. Congrats, you now have a dangly toy for your kitty to play with!
As basic as it is, the toy looks really good. Plus, when the cork gets clawed or chewed up beyond belief, you can simply replace it with another easily!
Final Thoughts
There may not be many cork cat toys you can make, but the ones you can create can all be tweaked in design and function. So, one of these cork cat toy plans should be perfect for your kitty. As long as a cork has something like string, feathers, bells, or other embellishments, though, your cat should have tons of fun with it. Plus, you can always add catnip to make things more exciting!
Featured Image Credit: mariesacha, Shutterstock
The 8 DIY Cork Cat Toys
