Here’s the thing nobody tells you about sex toys: They’re almost impossible to recycle. So when you get a new vibrator more suited to your sexual desires, your old one can either gather dust in your bedside table, be gifted to a very close friend, or most likely, wind up in a landfill.
I’ve tested sex toys professionally for years now and I hate throwing them away. I think I’ve only ever done it once. So, in an effort to find some use for all these old vibrators, I used my keen analytical mind to engineer a radical new way to upcycle your favorite old sex toy: Stick it in a sock and give it to your cat.
Okay, it’s a little more complicated than that, but that’s a pretty accurate elevator pitch for what we’re going to be doing here. Basically we’re encasing an old vibrator in a layer of cloth, a layer of stuffing, and another layer of cloth.
Step 1: Base layer
First we need to pick a suitable vibrator. Most vibrators will do for this method, but I find ones with buttons that you can easily feel through fabric to be the best picks. Bullet vibrators are also a solid choice. For this demonstration, I’ll be using a red silicone vibrator with raised buttons. Make sure it’s fully charged, and then stick it in a sock or any kind of small cloth bag. A Crown Royal bag works well, you could even sew one yourself easily enough. If it has a drawstring go ahead and cinch it around the toy, fully enclosing it.
Now we don’t want it to be sealed in there forever, we want to be able to access the toy if we need to (for recharging it), so don’t stitch it in there or tie a knot you can’t un-tie. If you’re doing the sock method like I am here, a hair tie will do beautifully to cinch the opening closed.
Step 2: Stuff n’ Fluff
Everyone has one pillow they don’t use anymore right? Or like, some old underwear or just socks with holes in them? Either one works. Basically what we’re doing is taking another sock (or another drawstring bag), stuffing it with polyfill from a pillow, old socks, or old underwear, and then repeating the same step we did above. You can also add some catnip or silvervine in there if you think your cat might like that. Now cinch the bag closed around the fluff—again, a hair tie will do great here.
Step 3: Observe
You might need to re-tool the toy a few times to make it into something that really appeals to your cat. I’d suggest sewing some ears onto it and maybe adding some eyes to give it some personality. But once you’re ready, take what you’ve made, squish the toy until you find the on button, pick a vibration pattern, and put it on the ground near your cat. My cat likes to chase it, so I’ll turn it on and lob it down the hallway, and she’ll grab it and give it a good claw and chomp.
That’s it! You’ve made yourself a janky-as-fuck cat toy out of old panties and an old vibrator. Just make sure you keep the charger handy, so you can open it up to recharge it and maybe swap in some fresh catnip while you’re at it. It might not solve the greater issue of sex toy recyclability, but at least your cat got a weird little toy out of it.
The post How to Turn an Old Vibrator Into a Cat Toy appeared first on VICE.
The post How to Turn an Old Vibrator Into a Cat Toy appeared first on VICE.