Pet owners know the frustration of buying an expensive toy for their lovable critters only to find they have zero interest when they bring it home. 

The scoop

One pet owner recently took to TikTok to offer an extremely innovative and helpful money-saving tip.

@renusdelph Easy cat ✨ enrichment ✨ #catsoftiktok #cat #kitten #orangecat #orangecatsoftiktok #viral ♬ original sound - Renus Delph

In his post, Renus Delph (@renusdelph) shows footage of his cats playing with a homemade toy. 

He explains, "Cats get bored really easily. Because of this it's really important to find new ways to keep them active." 

He then demonstrates how to keep cats busy by making a puzzle toy by cutting holes in the sides of an empty cardboard toilet paper tube and filling it with treats. In the video, his cats paw at it for a while trying to figure out how to get the treats out. 

How it's helping

Hacks like these are great for several reasons. 

First and foremost, they save you money. Pet owners don't have to waste money on expensive toys their furry creatures might not even be interested in or could potentially destroy quickly. And this is important, as Capital One estimates Americans will spend almost $200 billion on their pets yearly by 2030. 

The environmental benefits are also tremendous. Repurposing items that are already around the house keeps them out of our already overcrowded landfills or polluting our oceans. 

But some people are quite simply looking to get old things out of their homes. Luckily, there are still many options available beyond just the landfill. In fact, decluttering your house and recycling old items is also a great way to save money, as many companies now offer rewards for your old stuff.

And this is only one of many helpful hacks for your pets available on the internet. 

What do you usually do with your old electronics? Store them at home 📦 Donate them 🙏 Trade them for cash 🤝 Throw them away 🗑️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Another user showed how old cardboard boxes could be turned into homemade scratchers for your cats. Someone else made a toy for their cat using a sock and some of the cat's own fur. And yet another innovative user recycled their pet's stuff in the opposite direction by turning old litter buckets into perfect vehicles for storage. 

What everyone's saying

For the most part, commenters on the original post were appreciative of the fun tip. 

One said, "I'm gonna make one now, thank you!" 

"For the thousands of dollars worth of toys, trees and moving games, my blond kitty Abbey loves boxes and bags," wrote another.

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