Upcycling or repurpose for pets

For dogs and cats - they love this - wall scratcher/brusher from old (cleaned) under desk chair mat.
I had an old mat I didn't need anymore - the clear heavy vinyl type with the teeth on the underside.
I cut it into 6" X 2' strips ( any size you like would be fine) and carefully screwed into my drywall at the height of cat and of dog. They do both side of body and face, back and forth.
They were like a bear scratching  their back on a tree. HAPPY!
Unfortunately they're passed after a great almost 20 years of life each - I don't have a photo.
If anyone does this I'd love to see a photo.

Peace,
Jo

... I forgot to say (embarrassed maybe,) After seeing them so happy I took the remainder and cut a 2' X 3' piece and mounted it to the back of my home chair.  I love it. I wiggle around all the time and have the best back scratch. So funny.

Both our dogs have winter jackets made from a repurposed quilted jacket.

The younger dog is small enough to fit into the sleeves that I unpicked, used the pockets for belly flaps.

Have also made chew toys using strip of denim from old jeans and strips of cotton braided twice and knotted.

The chew toys have been well chewed.  Surprisingly, the denim braids unravelled quickly. The cotton fabric is holding well, the braids were braided and braided again, knotted both ends and in the middle.

Their crates have cushions made with cotton curtain fabric swatches and woolen insulation pads.

just yesterday we were on a walk when my dog found, of all things, a 2-liter pet bottle with an old knee sock tied around it and knotted. He is not a toy-playing dog, he is a destroy-everything-immediately dog (beef bones don't last more than a few hours around here), but he picked that dang thing up and carried it home.
it was probably something some kids had been kicking around over the New Year holiday (this is Brazil after all, anything is eventually a football), and I wouldn't let him chew it til he made any perforations, but as a nice-sized fetch-and-carry toy it was really, surprisingly good!

my dog's other favorite toy, the one i use for training motivation, is a bit of a heavy-duty truck tarp tiedown that we found on the road one day. He'd do anything to play tug with that.
I can spend a hundred smackers on a rubber kong toy or a police grade tug toy, or i can make a sock bottle or use some trash found on the road, go figure.

This is a timely thread. I normally get my dogs a special toy for Christmas, usually a suitable preloved child's toy from a charity shop (well they're are family). This year I didn't get a chance to go shopping and so made them toys out of some old socks, that I was going to throw away as not worth mending. They each had a cotton sock stuffed with thicker socks with the end tied in a knot, and "Mr Socky" and "Socky" have been big hits with them both. So far we have managed to avoid too many outside trips (soft toys never last very long outside!). Dyson can get both in his mouth at once, and they both like to present me with them on my arrival. Since the toys do not have fluffy stuffing to pull out like soft toys (plushies) normally do, I'm hoping they may last a little while without making as much mess as usual.

Old sturdy belts to dog collars - emphasis on strong sturdy and reliable - while also being hip.

Betty, the Chihuahua has a vest to keep warm from am arm from an old sweater.

I used to care for animals full time.  I made up-cycled, custom items for my extended family - for each dog that I rescued or fostered or babysat - according to the personality of each of them.

It is fun...

So cool to see other's ideas in this thread

Jo

Having cleared out my sock drawer I have made more socky toys for the neighbourhood dogs (three new puppies arrived locally recently). A modification involves sewing yarn through the socks outer and inner - my dogs made short work of pulling the socks out and I'm getting bored of stuffing them back in!

I am reminded of this meme:

Megan - those canine garments look incredible. You can sell those.
 For cold paws - infant socks with rubber on the bottom. Not all dogs can get used to that though. So many personalities.
Peace,
Jo