Of Cats and . . . Cat Toys

First of all, I talked with the vet yesterday and Panda’s coming home today on a weekend pass. They’re still having to force-feed her but they’re hoping that she’ll eat on her own at home. She’ll have to go back on Monday to have another blood test, but as long as we can get her to eat she should be able to stay home.

Meanwhile, her boys are driving me crazy. Normally they’re pretty much spread all over the house but the last couple of days they seem to be congregating in my office. I don’t know if they’re just feeling a little needier or if they’re just taking advantage of the fact I have the windows open finally, but all four of them have been hanging out in here.

Yesterday I’m in here, quietly working away, and Taz, the oldest, starts digging under the long bookcase. After a few minutes I break down and fetch my long ruler so I can fish out whatever it was he lost under there. I thought it was the cat nip ball they had in here, but it turned out to be a spring, which is his favorite toy.

A few minutes later, he’s at it again. So back I go with the ruler and this time I fish out another spring, only this one is a different colour. I also found a small purple mouse and a mink mouse.

The mink mouse is made of real mink and is filled with cat nip. They’re hard to find so last time I found them I bought two of them and they promptly ripped apart one (they still play with the remains) and lost the other. It’s been so long that I’d forgotten about it.

This all took place before school. After school I came in here and they were at it again. I managed to dig out a spring and a ball, but they were sure there was something else in there that I was missing.

There was only one solution. I got a pair of tongs and a flashlight from the kitchen and laid flat on the floor so I could see under the bookcase (it’s only about two inches up off the floor). Sure enough, the mink mouse was under there too, so I used the tongs to rescue it.

I gave the boys a lecture about taking better care of their toys and they appeared to be listening.

But this morning I come into my office to check my e-mail and type this post before school and they’re all milling around the bookcase again. So I grab my trusty ruler and start fishing again. I found two springs, a mouse (not the cat nip one) and a ball.

I have got to find something to block access to under that bookcase!

I think it’s interesting that while they’ll all play with pretty much anything, they each have a favorite toy as well, and just like their personalities, they’re all different.

I’ve spoken before about Panda’s attachment to pink and red, she also really loves string. Especially red string. I have a piece of red cord I bought at the dollar store - best dollar I ever spent as far as she’s concerned.

Taz is all about the springs. In fact, his nick name is Lord of the Springs. These aren’t easy to find any more, especially the large ones. They’re basically a coloured, plastic spring with a pom pom glued on each end. Simple, yet ingenious. He can bat it around or carry it around in his mouth whilst yowling for someone to throw it for him.

Romi is all about the cat nip. If there’s cat nip involved in a toy, he’s all over it. Dante, on the other hand, loves balls, cat nip or otherwise. He really loves the pom poms on the end of the springs, especially the larger ones.

Julius is a little weird when it comes to toys. He has a foam fetish. You know those foam forms you get in pedicure kits that go between your toes? That’s how it started. He would steal them and have them chewed up before I could figure out where he’d hidden them. Now he’s graduated to a foam stamp I’d bought with the idea of painting a border on the kitchen cupboards. The stamp was a little large for what I wanted, but Julius thinks it’s perfect for him.

Ah, cats. A constant source of amusement.