Playing with cats can be very entertaining. Here are some instructions for a cheap and simple cat toy that most felines seem to like.

You Will Need:

• A longish bit of string, not less than the length of your arm.

• A small piece of paper or crinkly plastic item such as the cellophane from a cigarette pack, a sticky message note, a small piece of wrapping paper or something similar. It should be no larger than a postcard and ideally should make a noise when crumpled up.

Construction

1. First take the paper/cellophane/whatever and roll it into a tube.

2. Tie one end of the string tightly around the middle. It should pinch in the centre of the tube and be knotted tightly so that it doesn't slide off easily.

3. Bend the tube in half, so that it takes on a V-shaped appearance.

4. Now tie a loop at the other end of the string, so that you can put your fingers through. You can vary this by: Instead of holding the end of the string in your finger try attaching it to a flexible stick of some sort, to give a fishing rod kind of arrangment. (A plastic rod or ruler is ideal.)

Application

Try dragging it along the floor, making it twitch as you do so: think of the way moths move when they fly. Or pull it slowly along the floor and then around a corner. Cats can't resist chasing something that might escape. Twitching the toy up into the air or up the wall also has a good effect.

Have fun!