How to make a kicker toy (for cats)

1. Materials & tools

Materials (one toy)

• Main fabric (denim, canvas or heavy cotton — something tough) — about 40 × 30 cm (16 × 12 in)
• Toy stuffing — about 100 g (3½ oz)
• Optional: catnip (powdered), a bell, or crinkle material

Tools

• Sewing machine (or needle and thread)
• Fabric marker or pencil
• Ruler and scissors
• Iron
• Pins or clips

2. Make the pattern (auto-generated in Katagami)

With the Katagami pattern tool, you just enter the finished size and it drafts a seam-allowance-included pattern, tiled to print at actual size on Letter or A4.

1. Open the tool
   Open the pattern tool and choose “Pets” → “Kicker toy (for cats)” from the tabs at the top.
2. Enter the size
   Enter the total length, thickness and end radius. Presets cover small, standard and large.
3. Set the seam allowance
   Use the slider at the bottom (beginners: 1.0–1.5 cm / about 3/8–5/8 in).
4. Print
   Press “Print (actual size)”, then in the print dialog set Scale = 100% and turn “Fit to page” OFF. Check the 50 mm calibration box on the first guide sheet with a ruler.

3. Cutting the fabric

1. Trace the pattern
   Trace the body including the rounded ends.
2. Cut
   Cut two pieces. Different fabrics on each side make it easier to see in play.
3. Finish the edges
   Not needed — everything is enclosed.

4. Sewing

4-1. Sew the two pieces

1. Place them right sides together and sew around, leaving an 8 cm (3 in) gap.
2. Set the stitch length shorter than usual, about 2 mm, so a cat cannot burst the seam.
3. Sewing a second line just inside the first is worth the extra minute.
4. Clip the curved ends every 5 mm.

4-2. Turn

1. Turn through the gap. It is long and narrow, so work a chopstick in and ease it through gradually.
2. Push the ends out from inside with the handle of a point turner.

4-3. Stuff

1. Add stuffing in small pieces, starting at the ends and pushing it down with a chopstick.
2. For catnip, wrap it in a small fabric pouch or a tea bag and add it once the toy is half full — loose catnip migrates to one end.
3. Stuff it so it gives slightly when squeezed. Packed solid, a cat cannot grip it.

4-4. Close the gap

1. Fold the allowance in and close with ladder stitch.
2. Use doubled thread with small stitches and go around twice. This is the first seam that fails.

✏️ A cat's back-leg kick is much stronger than it looks. Thin fabric or a long stitch length and the toy splits open within days. Denim or canvas, a 2 mm stitch length, and ideally a second line of stitching.

5. Tips & variations

• Catnip changes everything: powdered catnip in a tea bag inside the toy transforms how much it gets used.
• Add a crinkle: a scrap of laminate mixed into the stuffing makes the crackle cats respond to.
• Length matters: about the length of the cat's own body is what it can hold and kick most easily.