tropit

I'm thinking of making gifts for my kids' cats this year. We all have cats and cat gifts would be something unique and different and let's face it, the dogs can't always have the whole show. I'm looking at cat condos, cat tee pees, cat cozies, cat pillows, cat pop-up structures, cat cubes, cat scratching posts, cat toys, etc. I'd really like to make use of all of my (ok, some of my) scraps, so I think that whatever I do will be scrappy, colorful and fun. Here are some ideas that I've come across:
https://pattsme.com/cat-tent-patterns/
https://seekatesew.com/free-cat-bed-sewing-pattern/
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JRY0IG0/?tag=pattsmeco-20
https://www.planspin.com/cat-condo-plans.html

My DH might want to help me build a frame out of wood, but I would prefer to just sew something and not have to depend on him. He already has too much to do. I'm imagining a soft sculpture, "Gypsy Cat," Caravan Wagon, or something really offbeat, like a wale's mouth bed (for my DIL who is an artist.) New ideas are welcome!

~ C

juliasb

I am not a cat person at all. I believe any kitty would like a simple toy filled with catnip. You can make a quilted pillow with an appliqued kitty on it or even a quilt block. Stuff with some batting and then the rest with catnip. Every kitty will like this.

osewme

What great sites with all sorts of free patterns. Thanks for the links!
Here's a cute cat bed swing:
https://www.patemeadows.com/How-to-M...ch_ep_169.html

MawMaw B

I've made pet mats for our annual craft show. Use pet themed fabric and add sound word appliqued to them. Size is about size of a placemat for a cat and a little larger for a large dog. You can even put the pet's name on it instead of the words.

Trudii

I've made a number of cat toys over the years for friends and family as well as my crew. The ones that the cats like the best are the ones I've spent the absolute least amount of time on. Simple tube with just nip and fluff, oh yes, that's perfect. It is what I refer to as a "kicky toy". I've made ones with cute quilting fabric where the finished size is 6" x 1.5", and those were incredibly popular. I also used some old jeans from my father and cut them down to make randomly sized, but larger kicky toys - 6-8" x ~3", They grab and just bunny kick the heck out of all of the sizes. All of my other fancy efforts live at the bottom of toy boxes around the country, never to be seen again. Right now one of my cats is sleeping in a cardboard box instead of on the bed I made him, they're difficult creatures.

tropit

Thanks Osewme. That cat swing is down right, "sexy." My cat would love that! I may have to add one of those to our screened in porch. Question: how does the cat get on to it? Leap and hope for the best?

~ C

Notwendy

About the only time I've witnessed a cat actually using a pet bed is when they were stealing it from a dog. : ) They really seem to prefer boxes to just about any other type of bed.

The "kicky toy" mentioned by Trudii is a real fave in our house (6 cats). I use upholstery weight fabric for extra wear and tear as one of our cats likes to chew holes in fabric (no, I don't keep a quilt on my bed, why do you ask? Ha!).

All of mine do like the cat mats (basically place mats with a bit of cat nip in the batting).

cgsumter

I have seen a cat condo made from stacked cardboard boxes. You might try that and put cat beds or pillows inside. There are plenty of ideas and pictures you can find on the Internet.

osewme

Not sure how the cat gets in the swing but maybe it could be fairly low to the ground where he could just sort of leap into it from ground level. Otherwise, it seems like if he had to leap very far the swaying would scare him away from it.

SusieQOH

All I have to do is bring out a quilt and my cats think it's Christmas!