Petfinder Blog

As a foster mom, rescue volunteer and proud mom to a number of four-legged family members, I'm always looking for ways to curb expenses without cutting quality or care. One way I do this is by getting a little creative about cat toys, often making them myself.

Judging by a recent poll we did on Petfinder's Facebook page, I'm not alone. We asked, "Does your pet have a favorite homemade pet toy?" and watched nearly 200 responses roll in, including a few great homemade cat toy suggestions. (Have a homemade dog toy suggestion? Leave it below.)

Here are the top five homemade cat toy ideas we got back (please remember to always supervise your cat with any toys and watch out for accidental ingestion):

Terry May and Susan Fritz founded Space Coast Kibble Kitchen in Brevard County, FL, to help families struggling with financial difficulties keep their pets. With help from Cynthia Koppler of the Bright Paws Pet Food Bank by Bright Star, they are working to make sure no local pets are surrendered due to economic hardship. Today they share some tips for starting a pet food bank in your community.

As cousins and longtime animal activists, we decided to come up with a way to help keep Brevard County families and pets together while reducing the burden on local shelters. Throughout our lives, we've been blessed with having countless animals join our families and enrich our lives beyond belief, and we can't imagine being placed in the unthinkable position of choosing between giving up our pets and making them go hungry. This was our motivation for starting Space Coast Kibble Kitchen.

If you'd like to start a pet food bank in your town, here's a 10-step guide to start you on this incredibly rewarding journey.

As many pet parents know, keeping cats entertained and out of trouble can be a full-time job. House cats don't spend their days doing what they'd do in the wild -- hunting for food, searching for mates and protecting their territory -- and often end up bored and looking for trouble.

A great way to keep your cat from getting bored is to have her work for her food. Instructables.com has a cheap and easy DIY cat-powered automatic cat feeder that does just that. Here's a condensed version of the simple instructions from contributor LabelReader (get the full version, with pictures, here):

Supplies:

An 8-oz. round plastic tub, a cat-food dispenser with a circular, flexible pop top that snaps down over the tub, about one day's worth of cat food and a pair of scissors.

Instructions:

1. Cut loopholes in the tub: Cut the bottom corner of the tub to create a slit. A second cut should be made about two cat food pellets' length away from the first one. Insert the point of the scissors and expand each slit until it's about four times as long as your cat food pellets. Each cut should be equally long on the bottom and side of the tub.

I've got some great tips on how to make your own pet toys, but first, a very exciting announcement: Rachael Ray's Nutrish has pledged one pound of dog food to homeless pets for each card received on Dogfessions, Dogvice, Pugfessions/ Pugvice, and Bullyvice/ Bullyfessions!

The goal is to give THREE TONS of food to both Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and Sabbath Memorial Dog Rescue -- we need 6,000 cards! Please send in your cards today!

Now for this week's topic: Toys!

You know the old cliche that kids would rather play with the cardboard box than the expensive toy that came in it? The same holds true for pets. There are plenty of fun things around the house that you can turn into easy pet entertainment.

For cats: Ball up some used (but clean) tin foil and toss it around - even more fun, put a pinch of catnip inside the ball and watch your cat go nuts. Tape up a cardboard box and cut a cat-sized hole into it - toss in some catnip and you've got a cat condo that's good for at least a few days of fun.

For dogs: Put a couple of old tennis balls into a old (but clean) sock that you don't want any more. Tie the sock at the top and you've got a brand new toy! To entice your dog to use it, put some kibble or another smelly treat at the bottom of the sock before you tie it.

Have your own money-saving pet tips? Share them here! 

Studies show expense is one of the top five reasons people give up their pets to shelters. And these days, with the economy in such a bad state, pets are being hit hard.

But there are lots of ways to fit Fido and Fluffy into the budget and still maintain their quality of life -- and yours. This weekly series will feature practical tips that every pet guardian can use while the purse strings are tight.

This week's topic? Treats!

It's fun and it feels good to offer a pet extra treats. Treat-giving shows that we love our pets and want the best for them, right? Sure, but treats are an added expense that the pet can live without. And guess what? If you offer your pet his regular food the same way you offer treats, he won't know the difference.