Postcards from the Furkids

Catnip Party and Bird Catching

Rich and I flipped over the pad in our giant "super scratcher" (horizontal cardboard scratchy pad for larger cats :-) then dusted it with fresh catnip. Everyone has green flakes in their fur now.

Then Squirrel wanted to play, so we went down the hall and got out the feather bird. To me, this is part of a feather duster, tied by a string to the end of a wand. To Squirrel, it's a well loved toybird. After a little while, Bebop and Raven joined the game as well, chasing and pouncing, and leaping (Raven did most of the leaping).

The bird has gotten a bit too well-loved over time and during our game it lost a few more feathers. Since it was now down to about 6, I got out some new feathers, hid in the guest room, and retied the Bird. When I came out, I was greeted by all the cats. Squirrel especially was thrilled to the pads of his fuzzy feet with the new incarnation.

I learned two useful things:

1. Only a cat, or perhaps an alpha canine, can make "meaningful eye contact" with more than one other animal simultaneously.

2. It's difficult to hath when you've got a mouth full of feathers.

After I got the bird away from the jealously growling jungle tiger, we played some more. This time even Squirrel leaped. (It's rather interesting these days watching Squirrel leap. Squirrel is not what you might call svelte :-) Blooing! Blooing! Spa-bloing!

The joys of catnip and feather birds. Would that my life were as simple.

Catnip Party and Bird Catching - posted by Vicki at Fri, 25 Feb, 22:23 Pacific | «e»