How to Make Your Own Cat Evacuation Bags
Step 1: Collect Material
You will need:
- 1 Pillowcase per cat
- 5 feet of 3/16" braided nylon rope per bag (I used the Blue Hawk brand from Lowes)
The first step toward making your DIY cat evacuation bags is collecting the materials. Old pillowcases that are not too worn out work great, but avoid easily ripped fabrics, such as satin (think - cats claws will be near this!). If you do not have old pillowcases of your own to use, thrift stores such as Goodwill or garage sales are a great place to get cheap pillowcases. Make sure that the pillowcases you get have a seam sewn around the entire opening of the pillowcase, so that a rope can be easily thread into it later. The image to the right shows a pillowcase with a seam.
Step 2: Cut and Sew Pillowcases
You will need:
-Scissors
-Sewing machine
This step requires you to cut a small hole in each bag in the area where the seam overlaps into a sort of pocket near the opening (again, see photo above for clarification). Once you make this cut, sew a small line below it so that the area does not rip (see photo to left). None of this needs to be exact, just large enough that the rope fits through the hole.
Step 3: Prepare the Rope (only if not already in 5 foot sections)
You will need:
-Sharpie
-Yardstick
-Scissors
-Flame (I used a Bunsen burner, but a simple lighter will also get the job done)
If the rope is not already cut, this will be a necessary step to create the proper lengths. First, stretch out your length of rope next to a meterstick/yardstick. Mark the rope in 5-foot increments with the sharpie.
Next, have your flame nearby and cut one section of the rope on the marked measurement. Burn the end quickly so that it does not fray. You should keep the end in the flame until it is black and melted thoroughly at the tip. See photo for an example. Repeat until both ends of all rope sections are cut and capped.
Step 5: Thread Rope Through Pillowcases
You will need:
- Safety Pin
Really, this step can be done however you feel best to thread the string through the hole created in the previous step. The way I went about it was by putting a safety pin on one end of the rope and using that to slowly shift the rope through the seam. In the end, you should have two ends of the string sticking out, similar to a drawstring bag. When you pull the stings, the bag should cinch up.
Step 6: Knot the Rope (Part 1 - Bowline)
You will need:
-Patience!
-Practice!
The basic steps are as follows, however searching on YouTube for how to tie a bowline knot may be easier to follow.
Lay out the rope and choose one strand to start (it does not matter which)
Make a loop in the strand with the end of the rope going over the other part
Take the end of the rope behind and into the loop created in the previous step
Take the end of the rope under the section of rope that comes out of the pillowcase seam
Take the end of the rope back into the small loop you just created in step 4
Pull to barely tighten the knot, but not so much that it is hard to manipulate
Take the other rope and put it into the big loop in the knot
Pull everything as tight as possible
Step 7: Knot the Rope (Part 2 - Double Knot)
You will need:
-Patience!
This is a basic double knot, but a similar resilient knot can work.
Using the sting without the bowline knot (the one that the knot slides on), form a loop in the strand with the end of the rope going over the other part
Wrap end of rope around and through the loop once, do NOT pull tight yet
Wrap end of rope around and through the loop a second time
Pull as tight as possible