DIY Cat Nip Toy

We have two cats, both rescues.  We got Merlin, a soft gray tiger when he was four months old.  He is super social and high energy.  After not sleeping for 60 days, we realized he needed a four legged buddy.  So we adopted Mario.  Mario is closer to a year old and much more laid back.  While their personalities are very different, they balance each other. I've noticed that cat nip doesn't seem to affect Merlin.  However on his first night here, Mario quickly adopted all the filled cat nip toys as his own.  Realizing he was actually breaking them open and eating the cat nip, I worried about the quality of the product.  So what is an overprotective cat mom to do?  Make her own!  First I sourced some organic, American grown catnip from Studio Kelly on etsy.  I found a lovely damask felt and added three complimentary colors.  I also decided to add feathers, as Merlin is a huge fan of all things fowl.

I sketched out a basic owl shape on paper and cut out, along with circles for eyes, a triangle for the nose and a heart.   Using these pattern pieces, I cut out the felt.  Using brown embroidery floss, Stitch the body pieces first and then turned wrong sides out and began stitching the body.  Leave a whole large enough to fill with about a half ounce of cat nip.  I also added a rough paper napkin to give it body, as well as a bit of noise when squeezed (read attacked).  Make sure you use tight stitches as play can get rough. I added feathers to the back of the body.

The boys love their new toy and I can feel about knowing it is safe for them!