Larissa and I are teaming up to make sure our rescue pets have a fabulous Valentine’s Day, and really feel the love that they already felt when adopted. I have 4 at home – 2 dogs and 2 cats, and Larissa has a revolving door of foster cuties, so we’ve come together to create fun toys and treats for our furry kids. Larissa will be making the treats, and I’ll be making a kitty toy and pup toy to let them feel the love! Here is how to get started.
Braided Chew Toy
You Will Need:
- Fabric Scissors
- Red fleece (1 yard)
- White fleece (1 yard)
- Pink fleece (1 yard) – or desired colors
How-To:
1. Cut three long strips out- one from each color of fleece.
2. Tie all three together, leaving about 2 inches of fabric hanging.
3. With the three loose strips, start braiding loosely. Create about a 2 foot braid and tie off the ends with the same amount of loose strips at the bottom.
Tips:
1. Avoid using satin or silk.
2. Width of strips should be smaller for smaller dogs, and wider for bigger dogs.
Catnip Kicker Cat Toy
You Will Need:
- Valentine fleece fabric (1 yard) Or any fabric of your choosing
- Polyfill (1 bag)
- Velcro self-adhesive strips or squares
- Fabric Scissors
- Catnip
How-To:
1. Cut your fleece in a rectangle shape, about 30” long by 8” wide.
2. Lay your fleece out with the colored side facing down.
3. Grab your polyfill and create a cylinder-like shape about 12” long by 3” wide.
4. Wrap your fleece over the polyfill and being to wrap like a present.
5. When you have 3 sides done, add catnip to the entire length of the polyfill inside the fleece.
6. For the final wrapped piece, add your Velcro strips and Velcro the remaining side to the toy. Make sure it is nice and secure.
7. Give it to your kitty and watch them enjoy (and kick) for hours!
Tips:
1. When making kitty and puppy toys, make sure not to use any glues or adhesives that are not safe for children. I’m using Velcro instead of fashion glue because the glue can be VERY harmful to animals (and humans).
2. Because you are using Velcro on the kitty toy, when your kitty needs a little more catnip, you can just pull back the fabric and add some more!
Cranberry Hearts Dog Treats
You Will Need:
- 2 Free Range Eggs
- 1 and 1/2 Cups Flour
- 1 Tablespoon Coconut Oil
- 3-4 Tablespoons of additional Flour
- 1/2 Cup Dried Cranberries
How-To:
1. Preheat oven to 165°C.
2. Beat 2 eggs and set aside.
3. Combine your flour, coconut oil and dried cranberries together in a bowl.
4. Once combined, pour in the eggs and mix together with your hands. The dough will be very wet.
5. Begin adding in your additional flour one TBSP at a time, mixing in each one after added. You want to achieve a consistency that is easy to roll and not super sticky. This will require between 3-4 TBSP depending on your brand of flour and size of your eggs. The dough should easily form a ball.
6. Rollout your dough and cut out the treats using bite sized cookie cutters. Hearts are perfect for Valentine’s Day!
7. Place your treats on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
8. Bake in the oven for 15-18 minutes or until crisp.
9. Makes approx. 20 treats (dependent on size of cutter). Let cool before giving to your pooch – Enjoy!
Do you have a great pet DIY? Let us know what you want to see more of in the comments below OR hit me up on Instagram and Twitter @paigehemmis
If you missed the episode check it out by heading over to Home & Family!
XOXO,
Paige