International Owl Center
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  • Home
  • Programs and Events
    • Raise the Roost Fundraising Party
    • International Owl Awareness Day
    • Owl Prowls
    • Special programs
    • Virtual Owl Expert Speaker Series
    • Virtual Programs
    • Festival of Owls
    • School and Group Programs
    • Ukrainian Art for Ukrainian Kids
  • DIY Activities
    • Owl Crafts
    • Cat Toys
    • Dissect Owl Pellets
    • Build a Nest Box
    • Coloring Pages
    • Puzzles
  • Future Plans
  • Our Research
    • Research Basics
    • Live Cam
    • Hear Individual Owls
    • Types of Great Horned Owl Vocalizations
    • Great Horned Owl Growth Chart
    • Background Info >
      • History of Rusty and Iris
      • What happened to Rusty and Iris's young?
      • Owl Glossary
      • Great Horned Owl Facts
    • Blog
  • I found an injured owl!
    • What do I do?
    • Find a Rehabber
  • Owls and You
    • Joggers and Owls
    • Live an Owl-Friendly Life
    • Respectful Owl Photography and Observation
    • Owls as Pets
    • Owls Attacking Pets
    • Owl Myths and FAQ
  • Visit Us / About Us
    • Visit
    • Our Owls
    • Staff and Board
    • History
  • Support Us
    • Memberships
    • Donate
    • Founder's Circle
    • Other Ways to Help
  • Educator Resources
    • Education Methods
    • Assessing Impact
    • Regulations
    • Workshop Summary
    • Resources
    • Links
  • Owl Conferences
    • Future Conferences
    • Past Conferences
    • Conference Planning
    • E-Newsletter
  • Kids' Art Contest
  • Store
International Owl Center

Toys can keep indoor kitties entertained!

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Domestic cats kill billions of birds every year in the United States alone. 

In the wild, cats have contributed to the extinction of 63 species of birds, reptiles and mammals--including an owl--and have put at least 367 more species at risk of extinction.

Protect birds and other wildlife (and your cat!) by keeping your cat indoors.

We periodically give out cat toys to visitors as a reward for keeping their cats indoors. A lot of our visitors have cats, and many of them already keep their cats inside! That means we go through cat toys pretty quickly.

Special thanks to Ellen Severson for starting this tradition of rewarding people who keep their cats indoors by sending us more than 600 catnip mice over the last few years!

If you are a crafter and would like to help us reward people who keep their cats indoors, knit or crochet some toys for us, and (optionally, but preferred) add a teaspoon of dried catnip wrapped in polyfil to make these toys irresistible! We've rustled up a bunch of patterns, but feel free to use other patterns if you already have a favorite.

Crocheted cat toys

  • ​Spin Balls by Abigail Gonzalez (Ravelry link)
  • Catnip Toys by To Craft A Home (Ravelry link)
  • Tri-Colored Cat Toy by Natalie Tooke (Ravelry link)
  • Kitty Tweets by Vicki Mikulak (Ravelry link)
  • Chito Catnip Cat Toy by Chrisette Designs (Ravelry link)
  • All in one KITTY CAT by Criss Wall (Ravelry link)
  • Here Fishy Fishy Fishy by Jennifer Reeve (Ravelry link)
  • No Sew Cat Toy by Tiffany Horton (Ravelry link)
  • No Sew Fish Cat Toy by Emily Ann (Ravelry link)
  • Sweet Heart Amigurumi Cat Toy by C Herrera (Ravelry link)
  • Catnip Ice Cream Cones by Bailee Steinmetz (Ravelry link)
  • Teeny Tiny Lobsters by Maggie Menzel (Ravelry link)
  • Easy Peasy Catnip Mouse Toy by Meelai (Ravelry link)
  • Toy Mouse by Daisy and Storm (Ravelry link)
  • Cat Toys (mouse, fish, jellyfish) by Celine Yemiandco (Ravelry link)
  • Magical Mushroom Cat Toy (several kinds of mushroom) by C Herrera (Ravelry link)
  • Mini Norwegian Nisse/Gnome by Ninja Cat Crafts (Ravelry link)
  • Kitty Catnip Toys by Jenni Catavu (Ravelry link)
  • Star Cat Toy by Pine Tree Crochet​ (Ravelry link)

Knitted cat toys

  • Catnip Bunny by Selina Kyle (Ravelry link)
  • Beans the Cat by Linda Dawkins (Ravelry link)
  • Kitty McNuggets by Libby Sharp (Ravelry link)
  • Jiaozi (dumplings) by Dale Hwang (Ravelry link)
  • Catnip Poofball by Crystal Malta (Ravelry link)
  • Catnip Squishypuffs by Jane Blake (Ravelry link)
  • Captain Cat-Battler the Catnip Mouse by Whodunnknit (Ravelry link)
  • Catnip Mousie by Amy Wunx (Ravelry link)
  • LaPrawnda the Shrimp by Ashley Dorian Medwig (Ravelry link)
  • Mini Traffic Cones by Sarah Jenkins (Ravelry link)
  • Catnip Candy Toys by Yarnspirations Design Studio (Ravelry link)
Cat toys can be mailed to our facility in Houston, Minnesota, or hand-delivered if you live nearby.
*Note: if you are outside of the United States, it is illegal to send plant or animal materials through the mail. Make sure your cat toys do not contain catnip or wool.

If using USPS:
International Owl Center
PO Box 536

Houston, MN 55943

If using UPS, FedEx or DHL:
International Owl Center
126 E Cedar St
​Houston, MN 55943



As a note, none of these patterns have been test-created by our staff, and the IOC is not responsible for any information in these links. Please check each pattern to see whether the author allows commercial distribution before selling anything you make.

International Owl Center
126 E Cedar St.
Houston, MN 55943

(507) 896-OWLS (6957)
[email protected]
​
501(c)(3) organization
​EIN #45-5503365
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