Your pet is an important member of the family, and they deserve to be treated as such — especially on National Pet Day!

Whether you have a dog, cat, hamster, or other furry (or not-so-furry) friend at home, you can easily make a special toy or tasty treat using household products and everyday ingredients.

Taking inspiration from our books for pet owners, we've pulled together three quick and easy crafts that are fun for the whole family. From homemade dog treats to a hamster obstacle course, our pet books include a multitude of creative ideas for ways to show your pet some love. 

Because really, every day is Pet Day.

 

For Dogs

Mutt Meatballs (makes 12 treat servings to a medium-sized dog)

What you’ll need:
1 lb ground beef or sirloin
⅔ cup grated cheddar cheese
2 carrots, finely chopped
1 cup breadcrumbs
6 tbsp tomato paste (low sodium)

 

How to make it:
1.     Preheat the oven to 350˚F (175˚C).
2.     Combine all the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.
3.     Scoop out by the spoonful and roll into mini-sized meatballs.
4.     Place the meatballs on a cookie sheet sprayed with non-fat cooking spray.
5.     Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
6.     Cool before serving and store the rest in the refrigerator in a container with a lid.

 

For Cats

Kitty Tetherball

What you’ll need:
Fabric
Cotton batting
22-gauge steel wire
Wire cutters
Heavy-duty thread
Needle
Large plastic clip
Needle-nose pliers

 

How to make it:
1.     Fashion a fabric ball about the size of a baseball and stuff it with cotton batting.
2.     Cut a 3 ft (1m) length of steel wire. Use the needle and heavy-duty thread to sew one end of the wire to the fabric ball. Slip the other end of the wire through the hold of the large plastic clip.
3.     Use the needle-nose pliers to fasten the wire securely and to tuck in the wire ends.
4.     Connect the clip with the wired ball attached to an opened door jamb or to the edge of a sturdy piece of furniture. Adjust the height to ensure the wired ball moves without touching the floor to motivate your cat to investigate and give it a swat.

 

For Hamsters

 

Obstacle Course

What you’ll need:
Popsicle sticks
Strong,nontoxic glue
Corrugated cardboard
Scissors
Ruler
Jumbo craft sticks
Woodendowel
Small craft saw
Pencil
Nontoxic markers or paint (optional)

 

How to make it:

Window Jump
1.     Cut out a rectangle of corrugated cardboard of approximately 3½ x 3 in. (9 x 7.5cm). At an inch or so from the bottom, cut out a circular hole that is large enough for your hamster to crawl through.
2.     Cut out two small triangles from the corrugated cardboard — the longest side should be at least 3 in. (7.5cm) long. These triangles will act as the base of the jump.
3.     Glue one triangle, longest side down, on either side of the window jump.

 

A-Frame Ladder
1.     Glue the ends of two Popsicle sticks together at an angle to create a bridge. Make the angle shallow enough for your hamster to run up one side and down the other side.
2.     Glue four alternating layers of sticks so that the bridge is wide enough to stand up on its own.
3.     Repeat Steps 1 and 2 to build a second bridge for the other side of the ladder.
4.     Stand the two bridges almost a Popsicle stick length apart and begin to glue sticks in place to act as rungs on a ladder. You will need about seven rungs on each side.

 

Bar Jump
1.     Lay out three Popsicle sticks in an “H” shape, placing the crossbar of the “H” on top of the two vertical sticks. Position this crossbar at the height that you think yourhammie can climb over. Glue the crossbar in place and add one more crossbar below to make the jump stronger.
2.     Glue one more vertical stick over the top of the crossbars at each side.
3.     To create the base, stand the jump up and glue two sticks horizontally at either side of the vertical leg.

 

Seesaw
1.     Place two jumbo craft sticks side-by-side. Cut two short pieces of Popsicle stick and glue them in place across the craft sticks to make the seesaw plank.
2.     Using a small craft saw, carefully cut a piece of wooden dowel that is slightly wider than the wooden plank.
3.     Mark the centre of the long edge of the plank with a pencil, and glue the dowel in place, just off this centre mark. This will ensure that one end of the plank will always be down for your hamster to climb on. 

 

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Get the books:

 Fit Cat

 Fit Dog

    Homemade for Hamsters