How to Make a Handmade Cat Toy Spider

Cats like pipe cleaners, because they have a lot of spring in them. If bent, they will cling, like a real critter. And they will also bounce around a little when your cat throws them.

Spiders are very popular among cats - live or as cat toys - and you can make a great hand made pipe cleaner spider in just a few minutes with four pipe cleaners.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Four Pipe Cleaners

1. Crimp ends for safety.
   
   Pipe cleaners have sharp ends, so the first step is to bend over a small bit of the tip on each end of each pipe cleaner. Press it tight against the body of the pipe cleaner.

2. 

   Fold four pipe cleaners in half.

3. 

   Take two folded pipe cleaners and hook one through the other. Give them each a double twist to connect them together. (Leave a long section of each hanging loose.) They will form a four legged hinged pair.
   
   Do the same for the other pair. We're going to call each of these hinged pairs a "Set" and from now on the word "pair" refers to the two legs sticking out in each directions.

4. 

   Lay the sets out on the counter so that they lay vertically. One pair of "legs" pointing toward you and one pair pointing away from you on each set.
   
   Separate the "legs" of each pair so each set make an X shape.

5. 

   Lay the Xs on top of each other, so that each leg matches up with one from the other set.

6. 

   Give each of these new pairs of legs a double twist (tight up against the "body" of the spider) to fasten the two sets together.

7. 

   Separate the new pairs into a V shape, and twist each leg together iwth its new neighbor.
   
   You can repeat this step to make a larger and more stable body, but this should be enough.

8. 
   Cat Toy Spider

   Even out the spacing of the legs and then bend them all up a little bit. Then bend the middle of each leg down to make it a spider leg. You can bend a little "foot" out at the end of each leg.

9. 
   Playtime!

   Wake up your cat, and show him the spider, then toss it lightly past him. Odds are it will bounce and skitter a little. Your cat will most likely adore the way the spider hooks on to things - which makes it feel like a real critter.

Tips & Warnings

• If your cat likes bells, you can add a jingle bell to one of the folded pipe cleaners in Step 3.
• If the spider gets crushed, you can bend it back into shape.
• Rub catnip on the pipe cleaners for even more excitement.

Resources

• How to Freshen Up a Catnip Toy
• Catnip Time

[momose]

on 6/14/2009 Handmade cat toy spider - so simple and inexpensive and a great idea! Thanks! *****

[franchesca]

on 6/8/2009 What a cute idea! I'll have to make one for my little ball of fur. Thanks!

[joni04]

on 6/8/2009 This is a great and inexpensive idea, thanks!

[kittycooks]

on 5/29/2009 What fun! I never thought of this in all my years of owning cats. They do seem to love twist ties, very similar to the pipecleaner toy spider! Thanks!

[cclofmead]

on 5/24/2009 What a neat idea! My kitties will love a Cat Toy Spider!! 5*