Cattastic Crafts: DIY Project for Cats and Cat People

My cat crazy tween loved this book! We now have cat houses for all the cats :-/

Three stars is a bit generous for my rating, but I can imagine that there is a target audience that might appreciate this book. Unfortunately, I am not one of them. I think that there are enough simple sewing and paper crafts here that someone who teaches crafts to children (or a parent who wants to make an item with a child) would find it worth a look. There are 34 projects in all, and they range from wood construction to Tshirt decoration, placements, a tissue cover, cat clothing, and cat toys. There are no knitting or crochet projects. The photography is cute, and the 2 cat models are sweet. There are templates at the back for the designs, and the instructions are simple--in some cases a bit too simple, I thought. That's why I think an experienced adult needs to be handy if a young child is doing one of the projects.Other reviewers have noted a problem with some of materials in the cat toys that may not be safe (such as tin foil). I agree, and would add that using buttons on a cat toy is not a good idea either. Some of the small sewn-on pieces also could easily be chewed off and swallowed by an enthusiastic cat. Most cat owners already know this (I hope) and could adapt the patterns, but really they shouldn't have to do that in a book like this. The author should take more care, or at least warn readers.I tried the "Snuggle Cat" pattern, which is a stuffed cat made from a pair of gloves. It's a cute idea, I think, although I found the directions inadequate. I am an experienced sewer, so for me that wasn't a huge issue. I also changed a number of things about the toy, but it was the inspiration and picture that were useful to me. The clothing for cats--hats, scarf, and Tshirt were, I thought, pretty useless. Even the cute models in the photos didn't look happy wearing them. There were 9 of these projects out of 34, which seemed excessive to me. Some of the paper craft projects were cute for children--a simple scrapbook, stationery, and picture frames. There is also a felt pendant with a photo in it, which is hand-sewn and could be done by a child of 6-8 years as a first sewing project.I don't think the author or the publisher identified the audience for this book very well, so I hope my description helps. I always recommend looking through a craft book before purchase if possible, because one really needs to see whether the projects are useful and appealing. In my case, there was only one project that appealed enough for me to make it, so I won't be buying the book.

Too cute this book! I made the "catnip" mouse toy for my old kitty who is less playful these days and she was all over it . Can't wait to try the Cat Chateau - a kitty condo - A bunch of easy handicraft projects for me and my kitty. The pictures are cute - the cat models in the book are named Chai and Latte... the book was originally published in Japan and the author apparently has 7 cats... Wonderful inspiration for crafty cat people like me.

Some of the crafts in this nook are cute but some of them are downright dangerous! Cats like to chew and there are too many hazardous parts to many of these crafts. Rubber bands, googly eyes, aluminum foil and pipe cleaners to name a few.Glad I didn't spend money on this book but checked it out of the library instead.

I've only seen the preview of the book so this isn't a review; it's just that I knew a cat who became critically ill after eating some aluminum foil, so that project raises an alarm for me. Just wanted to put the information out there. Be cautious, please.

This book is stupid and downright dangerous. Make tinfoil balls, paint them with markers and string them up for a cat toy....REALLY?!? Cut the fingers off some gloves and glue googley eyes on them....why?!? The cats will choke on the eyes when they come off. Dumpling hat..? What the heck! There are tons of ideas online that are actually appealing to cats.Terrible books, thrown together to make a quick buck.

Nice projects

Made a nice gift.