Where inspiration takes flight
Every handmade piece at Pritti Kitti Boutique begins with a love of cats and a love of creating.
Living with cats has taught me something that still guides every design I create today.
Cats don't care about trends. They care about movement, texture, curiosity and fun.
That understanding inspired me to begin designing toys that awaken a cat's natural instincts.
Every toy and collar is handcrafted by me in Moura, Queensland, using carefully chosen natural materials wherever possible and plenty of attention to detail.
Before anything reaches my shop, it's enthusiastically tested by my own feline assistants, who are always happy to inspect new creations.
What I use to create my cat toys and why
Why I use emu feathers
The emu feathers used in my designs are sustainably sourced from Australian emu farms. They are collected during natural moulting or obtained from birds raised for the meat industry, ensuring that these beautiful feathers are not needlessly wasted.
Emu feathers are among nature's most unusual creations. Each quill produces two soft plumes of approximately the same length, giving them their distinctive fullness and movement. Emus and their cassowary cousins are the only birds in the world to share this remarkable double-feather structure.
This means that when a teaser is described as containing 60 emu feather quills, it may actually feature close to twice that number of individual feather plumes. The result is a wonderfully full, fluttering toy that dances through the air and is irresistible to curious cats.
In their natural state, emu feathers are beautifully understated. Their soft, earthy tones range from dusty brown to silvery grey, often finished with distinctive black tips. While I love their natural beauty, I carefully dye many of the feathers into vibrant colours that make them even more delightful for both cats and their people, creating toys that are as eye-catching as they are engaging.
Emu feathers are unmistakably Australian. Their softness, graceful movement and unique appearance make them a special addition to my handmade designs and a memorable gift for cat lovers both here in Australia and around the world.
Why I use sheepskin
Sheepskin is one of nature's most wonderfully tactile materials. Soft, warm and full of character, it provides a completely different play experience from smooth fabrics or synthetic plush.
I use natural Australian and New Zealand sheepskins, favouring the beautifully soft, short, curly wool found in several traditional sheep breeds. The dense fleece gives each toy a luxurious feel while creating plenty of movement and texture for curious paws.
Cats are naturally attracted to the scent and texture of real wool. The dense fleece mimics the feel of small prey, encouraging cats to sniff, stalk, carry and bat their toys around. Many cats also enjoy simply curling up with sheepskin, making it a comforting material as well as an engaging one.
Rather than using sheepskin for large kicker toys, I prefer to create smaller designs such as fluffy mice, little snowballs, playful lambs and snuffle patties. Their compact size makes them perfect for carrying proudly around the house, tossing into the air or hiding away as treasured "prey."
I avoid making large kickers from curly sheepskin because enthusiastic claws can sometimes become caught in the dense wool. By designing smaller toys instead, cats can enjoy all the wonderful qualities of natural sheepskin while playing comfortably and safely.
For me, sheepskin is another beautiful Australian and New Zealand natural material that offers warmth, texture and an irresistible sensory experience, creating toys that many cats instinctively love.
No two sheepskins are ever exactly alike, so every toy has its own unique texture, colour and personality.
Why I Use Rabbit Fur
Rabbit fur features in many of my designs because it is naturally soft, beautiful and wonderfully practical.
When designing my smaller cat toys, I carefully cover any firmer components, such as pipe cleaners or other structural materials, with rabbit fur. This creates a soft protective layer, ensuring that if your cat bites down enthusiastically during play, there are no uncomfortable hard spots. It makes the toy gentler on little mouths while also giving it a beautifully natural finish.
Rabbit fur has an incredibly soft, luxurious feel. Its fine fibres trap tiny pockets of air, allowing it to move and flutter with even the slightest touch. This natural movement closely mimics the behaviour of small prey, helping to awaken your cat's instinct to stalk, chase and pounce.
Cats are naturally drawn to the scent and texture of real fur, making rabbit fur one of their favourite materials to play with. It provides a sensory experience that synthetic fabrics simply cannot replicate.
Wherever possible, I use reclaimed rabbit fur from vintage fur garments, giving this beautiful natural material a second life rather than allowing it to end up in landfill. It is a small way of reducing waste while creating handmade toys that are both beautiful and enriching for your cat.
For me, rabbit fur is more than just an attractive material. It provides softness, protection, natural movement and an authentic sensory experience that cats instinctively love, making it an important part of many Pritti Kitti Boutique creations.
Kangaroo Hides & Leather
Kangaroo leather and hides are uniquely Australian and have earned an international reputation for their remarkable combination of strength and lightness.
Kangaroo hides are incredibly durable and can withstand plenty of enthusiastic kicking, wrestling and pouncing from even the most energetic cats. At the same time, the natural scent of the hide provides an authentic sensory experience that many cats find irresistible.
I use two main types of kangaroo hide in my handmade toys.
Red Kangaroo Hide
Sourced from the Red Kangaroo (Macropus rufus), this hide generally features softer, finer fur. Male Red Kangaroos have rich reddish-brown coats, while females, often affectionately known as blue fliers, have beautiful bluish-grey fur.
Grey Kangaroo Hide
Sourced from the Eastern Grey and Western Grey Kangaroo species, these hides typically have slightly longer, coarser fur in natural shades of grey and brown. They create wonderfully rugged, natural-looking toys that many cats love.
Because kangaroos are wild animals and cannot be commercially farmed, the supply of kangaroo hides is carefully regulated under Australian government wildlife management programmes. Availability can vary throughout the year, and I often work with whichever hides are available rather than selecting specific colours. This means each toy is wonderfully unique, with its own natural markings and character.
For me, kangaroo hide is more than simply a hard-wearing material. It celebrates an iconic Australian animal while creating durable, engaging toys that cats instinctively enjoy. Every hide has its own colour, texture and personality, making each handmade toy just a little different from the last.