likes 'toy' way too much?
 

We have a year old calico, and about a half year ago I got one of
these "wavy" toys. It looks like an actual squirrel tail or raccon
tail, tied to the end of the stick. The cat loved chasing it around.

Actually, it really just loved 'catching' the thing, then trying to
trot off someplace with it in its mouth. Plainly, it would absolutely
love to chance to just settle in and gnaw and gnaw on it.

I'm okay with that. It looks like it is an actual piece of a dead
animal, and this is a cat, of course.

* * * * *

The problem is that for the last two or three weeks, the cat is
pathetically active in asking to play with it, much more than before.
I do try to take it out and play with her at least five times a week
or so, but now if I even walk over near the closet where we keep it
(on the top shelf), she comes over and whines and cries and cries to
play with it. It's just too reminiscent of the way junkies feel about
heroin.

(It's on the top shelf because the cat has even done the acrobatics of
pulling the door open, then doing whatever it had to to climb up to
the toy and get it. I was there when the toy came falling down and
the cat appeared dragging it out of the closet.)

I wonder if there is some substance on the thing that the cat is
physically addicted to. She's worn out the old one, but I am
concerned about buying a new one if there's something like that on it.

Any ideas or comments? Why act 'strung out' now, after six months?

Tom

likes 'toy' way too much?
 

On Sat, 21 Apr 2007 12:42:23 -0400, Tom+Gracie+Jenny wrote:

We have a year old calico, and about a half year ago I got one of
these "wavy" toys. It looks like an actual squirrel tail or raccon
tail, tied to the end of the stick. The cat loved chasing it around.

Actually, it really just loved 'catching' the thing, then trying to
trot off someplace with it in its mouth. Plainly, it would absolutely
love to chance to just settle in and gnaw and gnaw on it.

I'm okay with that. It looks like it is an actual piece of a dead
animal, and this is a cat, of course.

* * * * *

The problem is that for the last two or three weeks, the cat is
pathetically active in asking to play with it, much more than before.
I do try to take it out and play with her at least five times a week
or so, but now if I even walk over near the closet where we keep it
(on the top shelf), she comes over and whines and cries and cries to
play with it. It's just too reminiscent of the way junkies feel about
heroin.

(It's on the top shelf because the cat has even done the acrobatics of
pulling the door open, then doing whatever it had to to climb up to
the toy and get it. I was there when the toy came falling down and
the cat appeared dragging it out of the closet.)

I wonder if there is some substance on the thing that the cat is
physically addicted to. She's worn out the old one, but I am
concerned about buying a new one if there's something like that on it.

Any ideas or comments? Why act 'strung out' now, after six months?

Tom


Ketzl has a similar "mouse on string attached to stick" toy and he's wild
about it. I leave it out all the time. He carries it to bed, or to his bowl
or to where he's sleeping on the couch. Why not just leave it out?

--
Joey DoWop Dee
Remember: It is To Laugh

likes 'toy' way too much?
 

On 21 Apr 2007 09:42:23 -0700, Tom+Gracie+Jenny
wrote:

We have a year old calico, and about a half year ago I got one of
these "wavy" toys. It looks like an actual squirrel tail or raccon
tail, tied to the end of the stick. The cat loved chasing it around.

Actually, it really just loved 'catching' the thing, then trying to
trot off someplace with it in its mouth. Plainly, it would absolutely
love to chance to just settle in and gnaw and gnaw on it.

I'm okay with that. It looks like it is an actual piece of a dead
animal, and this is a cat, of course.

* * * * *

The problem is that for the last two or three weeks, the cat is
pathetically active in asking to play with it, much more than before.
I do try to take it out and play with her at least five times a week
or so, but now if I even walk over near the closet where we keep it
(on the top shelf), she comes over and whines and cries and cries to
play with it. It's just too reminiscent of the way junkies feel about
heroin.

(It's on the top shelf because the cat has even done the acrobatics of
pulling the door open, then doing whatever it had to to climb up to
the toy and get it. I was there when the toy came falling down and
the cat appeared dragging it out of the closet.)

I wonder if there is some substance on the thing that the cat is
physically addicted to. She's worn out the old one, but I am
concerned about buying a new one if there's something like that on it.

Any ideas or comments? Why act 'strung out' now, after six months?


Your cat desperately wants to hunt and the toy is as close to a mouse
as she can find. I have seen cats treat a rabbit's foot like that,
though since my hunters can go out and actually hunt, they never got
as bad about it as your's did. She's probably also bored - get her a
companion.

--
T.E.D. ) Remove "gearbox.maem" to get real address - that one is dead

likes 'toy' way too much?
 

Tom wrote:
....
The problem is that for the last two or three weeks, the cat is
pathetically active in asking to play with it, much more than before.
I do try to take it out and play with her at least five times a week
or so, but now if I even walk over near the closet where we keep it
(on the top shelf), she comes over and whines and cries and cries to
play with it. It's just too reminiscent of the way junkies feel about
heroin.
....

Mine does that if I approach the shelf where Spot (the laser pointer)
lives when not in my hand. And he goes wild when he hears the keychain
parts rattle against each other.

Someone else said get your kittie a companion. Second!

--Karen D.

likes 'toy' way too much?
 

Veloise wrote:

Tom wrote:
...


The problem is that for the last two or three weeks, the cat is
pathetically active in asking to play with it, much more than before.
I do try to take it out and play with her at least five times a week
or so, but now if I even walk over near the closet where we keep it
(on the top shelf), she comes over and whines and cries and cries to
play with it. It's just too reminiscent of the way junkies feel about
heroin.


...

Mine does that if I approach the shelf where Spot (the laser pointer)
lives when not in my hand. And he goes wild when he hears the keychain
parts rattle against each other.

Someone else said get your kittie a companion. Second!

--Karen D.



Second...or/and acquire a wider variety of cat toys.

likes 'toy' way too much?
 

Thanks to all for the interesting feedback.

"Jenny" is the one who -craves- the squirrel tail thing. Her sister
"Gracie" wasn't mentioned because, strange to say, she doesn't care a
bit about all the exercise stuff we have. Gracie just sits there and
watches Jenny do her chasing and craving.

The idea of just going with the flow, and letting Jenny sit and gnaw
on the thing all she wants -- thanks for that one, I am thinking about
it.

They've got lots of toys, but we are always ready to go out and buy
more if we hear of a good one. I may go shopping in a minute.

And thanks for the info on your cat whining about the Laser Spot --
it's good to know that cats don't have to have some sort of substance
abuse problem to act that way.

To update you on the situation Jenny is still acting wierd. Usually
she's aristocratic and standoffish, today she's coming up to me on the
couch and rubbing rubbing rubbing me like there's something she
wants. ... The two of them were neutered, but maybe there's still
something in the spring air that is disturbing her, making her a
little crazy.

Thanks again to everyone.

tom tac

likes 'toy' way too much?
 

On Sun, 22 Apr 2007 16:03:09 -0400, Tom+Gracie+Jenny wrote:

The idea of just going with the flow, and letting Jenny sit and gnaw
on the thing all she wants -- thanks for that one, I am thinking about
it.

They've got lots of toys, but we are always ready to go out and buy
more if we hear of a good one. I may go shopping in a minute.

I should add that I'm on the third mouse-on-string for Ketzl, but three in
five years isn't so bad! He's worth it.

--
Joey DoWop Dee
Remember: It is To Laugh