DIY toy guide

Loofah Dangle Bat Toy

A slice of natural loofah on a string — a light, rustly, textured toy to bat and wrestle

A natural loofah (the dried plant sponge, not a plastic shower puff) cut into a chunk and hung on a length of cord makes a feather-light toy with an odd fibrous texture and a faint rustle cats love to grab, kick and bunny-kick. Rub a little catnip in to seal the deal.

Difficulty
Easy
Time
10 minutes
Cost
Under £3

🧺 You will need

  • A natural loofah — the plain plant kind sold for skincare or dishwashing, with no soap, dye or plastic core
  • A length of sturdy cotton cord or garden twine
  • Scissors or a serrated knife to cut the loofah
  • Optional: a pinch of dried catnip

🔧 How to make it

  1. Cut the loofah into a chunk roughly the size of a golf ball or a short segment — big enough to grab with both front paws.
  2. Thread the cord through the middle of the loofah and tie it off firmly so the piece cannot slide free.
  3. Trim off any loose stray fibres from the cut edges.
  4. If you like, work a pinch of catnip into the open holes of the loofah.
  5. Dangle it for wand-style play, or tie it to a door handle at pouncing height for solo batting.

💡 Tips

Loofah is so light it flies and tumbles unpredictably, which is exactly what triggers the chase — flick it along the floor rather than just dangling it. Keep the cord short on any version left out unattended, and swap in a fresh piece when the old one gets soggy or shredded. A dry loofah also gives a satisfying scratchy resistance when a cat rakes it with the back feet.

Safety: This is a supervised bat-and-kick toy, not a chew — loofah fibres are plant material and a cat that settles in to eat lumps of it could swallow indigestible strands, so take it away if your cat chews rather than bats it, and put any string toy away between sessions so it cannot be swallowed or become a strangling hazard. Use only a plain, undyed, soap-free natural loofah; never a plastic bath pouf.

📝 Notes

An almost-free way to turn a bathroom sponge into a toy with a texture cats rarely meet elsewhere. Because it is cheap and disposable, it suits catnip-soaking and a bit of destructive kicking, then straight in the compost when it is worn out.

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