Steak Cat Toy

What is better than steak? Steak filled with catnip! For cats, not humans- guh. This felt cat toy shaped like a steak is super easy to make and in my opinion, pretty adorable. Inspired by this post on A Beautiful Mess, I made a taco and a pizza shaped cat toy. Nate said I should make one shaped like a steak and was kind enough to draw me a template. This was my favorite of the three, so it is honored in tutorial form.

This is a really simple template, and is based of this clip art steak image. If you want to play along and make one, I'd use that as a template or free hand one based on it. Or if you wish, blow up the next image and trace it! My finished steak toy is 5.75" long and 3.5" wide at the widest part. Aside from a template, you will need:

FELT STEAK TOY

1 8"x11" sheet white felt

1 8"x11" sheet red felt

Blanc embroidery thread

#815 embroidery thread

Poly fill

Dried catnip

This comes together much like a pillow. I cut out two of the same size pieces, one white and one red. You want to make sure to cut them about 1/4" bigger than you'd like your finished steak to be to account for seam allowance. I trimmed a smaller red piece to layer over the larger white piece, about 1/2" smaller all around. Then cut the T shape out of white felt, layering that on the red:

I wanted a slight contrast on the red area so I chose a darker thread. If you don't want contrast use #666 embroidery thread.

I sewed the T on first with simple stitches, using two of the six embroidery threads.*

Then used the red thread to stitch the smaller red piece onto the white backing piece.

And then you have this!

Now you proceed like you are making a pillow.** Face your nice sides together and sew around almost the whole outside, leaving an 1-1.5" opening to turn it right side out.

Once you have turned it so the nice sides are again on the outside, stuff with small wisps of polyfill (you only want it 3D, not round) and load it up with catnip. I used a couple teaspoons.

Expect lurkers at this stage.

Then sew it shut! I like to pin the seam to make it easier to sew, and use a ladder stitch.

Oh, and it's ok if you accidentally use Christmas snow for poly fill (bonus points for no memory of purchasing/obtaining said snow). It makes zero difference to your finished product!

Ta-Da! Lovely steak.

These do get pretty beat up and fuzzy from kitties biting and kicking them. I wouldn't guess they are washable since they have dry catnip in them. I found this quick enough to make that their shorter life span didn’t upset me. You can see how the pizza and taco have some wear and tear, but they still look good to me!

*If you are new to embroidery thread, it is made up of six smaller threads. Often these are separated to 1,2 or 3 threads together since the whole piece is much too wide for cross stitch or embroidery fabrics. It's also much easier to pull one long thread out of the bunch and fold it in half for two. Then you avoid a knot.

**No idea how to make pillow-like-things? Check out this other post I wrote with more detailed pictures and instructions. OR Google it. :)