DIY toy guide
Paper-Straw Weave Ball
A light, rattly batting ball woven from paper straws
A few paper drinking straws bent and threaded into an open sphere make a feather-light, skittery ball that is easy for a cat to hook, carry and send flying across the floor.
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Time
- 20 min
- Cost
- £1 or less
🧺 You will need
- 6–8 paper drinking straws (paper, not plastic)
- A small piece of string or a pipe cleaner
- Scissors
- A small bell or a scrunch of foil for sound (optional)
🔧 How to make it
- Gently bend each paper straw into a loose loop and thread the loops through one another to begin forming an open, ball-shaped cage.
- Keep adding loops, tucking each new straw through the last, until you have a light hollow sphere roughly the size of a satsuma.
- Thread a short piece of string or a pipe cleaner through the middle and twist it to lock all the straws together at the centre.
- If you would like some noise, trap a small bell or a loose ball of foil inside before you close it up.
- Trim any long ends flush and roll the finished ball across the floor to test that it skitters and holds together.
💡 Tips
- Paper straws are ideal because they are light and crushable rather than hard and sharp.
- Make a couple at once — light balls are easily batted under sofas.
- Crimp the straws slightly for extra crinkle and grip.
Safety: Use paper straws rather than plastic, and check the ball regularly, retiring it as soon as it is crushed or starts shedding pieces a cat could swallow. If you add a bell, fix it firmly inside so it cannot come loose, and supervise cats that like to chew and swallow their toys.
📝 Notes
The open, lightweight cage is easy for a cat to hook a claw into, pick up and toss, so it triggers plenty of pouncing, dribbling and carrying. Being so light, it moves unpredictably at the faintest tap, which keeps solo play lively.