DIY cat dental chew toy

[period of obsession] 1.5 hours
[goal] effective and cheap cat dental cleaning aid
[item required]
- a natural vegetable sponge (loofah), $1 reject shop (preferably non-dyed)
- hot water
- steak knife for cutting
- scissor for trimming the edge

[idea] All natural loofah is safe for animals to chew on and is okay if loose fiber is accidentally ingested. (not chunks which might cause choking, so supervise the usage) According to websites, the tough loofah fiber cleans off cats' teeth while cats enjoy chewing on its unique texture.

[step 1] boil the loofah in pot for 20 min to soften the fiber and sterilize. I fail to find any non-dyed loofah, so I boiled mine for much longer in order to wash out the dye as much as I can.

[step 2] use the steak knife to slice off discs of loofah. I personally choose this shape because it seems to fit in cat's little mouth better. I imagine this can clean off the inner molars better. Also, any fiber which might come off is short. I am sure any shape works as long as it allows plenty of chewing surface area. Also, use a scissor to trim off obvious loose fiber along the edge.


[step 3] smudge a little treat on the loofah, stock treat crumbles in between the fiber, or even sprinkle catnip on it.... do whatever gets the interest of your cat to chew on it.


[step 4] I suggest supervision during the activity since swallowing a large chunk of loofah could cause choking/throat irritation. (same as no good to shallow anything too large) Also, after chewing is done, you can wash the loofah in warm water and dry it off easily . Or, even boil it again for further sanitation.