Making a Catnip Cat Distraction

I love my cats dearly, but the last thing I need is for them to be trying to eat my tomato seedlings as I’m trying to transplant them.

Two cats, one looking over the edge of a desk, the other chomping on what was the author's photo props.
Other crimes committed by the felines include eating photo props, laying on essential project supplies, taking a nibble out of drying herbs…

Since I generally don’t feel like constantly removing cat faces from my planting trays, out the catnip comes!

My greedy little gremlins can and will eat every single leaf placed in front of them in record time, so in this house, extra measures have to be taken to prevent tooth marks in the cabbage leaves. In this case, it’s shoving a sprig of catnip inside a tied cloth doll. No sewing required!

You Will Need

A sprig of catnip sitting atop a folded red bandanna.
  • Catnip, fresh or dried
  • Bandanna
A red bandana, spread flat.

Step 1 – Start by spreading out your bandanna on a flat surface. The author recommends anywhere that allows you to fully spread out your cloth of choice, unlike the unfortunate image above where a few inches of fabric were dangling over the side of the desk and subjected to curious cat claws.

A red bandanna, ends rolled.

Step 2 – Roll both sides of the bandanna up, leaving several inches in the middle untouched.

A cat laying on a scrunched-up red bandanna.

(Optional) Step 2.5 – Remove the cat that decided to jump up and roll all over exactly where you were working, instantly ruining your attempt to move on from step 2. Redo everything.

A sprig of catnip lying in the center of a red bandanna with rolled up sides.

Step 3 – After everything’s rolled, place your catnip in the middle of the unrolled section of fabric.

A red bandanna, the top half folded over the lower half. The top half is in the rough shape of a trapezoid.

Step 4 – Fold the top of your bandanna down, covering the catnip, gently pulling on the rolled sections so you end up with a rough trapezoid shape.

A red bandanna, folded in a simple way that's somehow impossibly hard to describe in text.

Step 5 – Repeat step 4 with the bottom of the bandanna, making sure to leave rolled ends from previous step protruding from the bottom. Don’t bring it all the way up- leave a bit of fabric clear up top.

Hand holding folded red bandanna.

Step 6- Pick up the whole thing, and…

Hand holding the rolled ends of a folded red bandanna.

… grab the top rolled-up ends, bringing them together to…

Knotted red bandanna, held by a hand.

… tie into a knot!

A doll tied from a red bandanna.

Step 7 – Flip back over and tug on ends to adjust. The doll has been created!

A cat biting and kicking at a catnip-stuffed doll made from a red bandanna.

Final step- Throw it to a cat!

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