Panic mouse

I saw the Panic Mouse just sitting there and decided to see what the
kittens would think of it. I found the wand and a fresh "mouse" and put it
together. They went crazy for it! None of the adults had a chance to play,
Fez and Rufous would not let go of the thing. Unfortunately, they quickly
discovered that if they chew on the string, the mouse comes off and they
can play with it at their leisure. The string has been severed 4 times in
less than 45 minutes. They still like chasing the wand by itself, and
that's how it's going to stay because I can't seem to find the mouse
itself!
Crazy kittens...

Victor M. Martinez

http://www.che.utexas.edu/~martiv

On Sun, 21 Sep 2003 11:12:18 -0500, "Victor M. Martinez"
wrote:

I saw the Panic Mouse just sitting there and decided to see what the
kittens would think of it. I found the wand and a fresh "mouse" and put it
together. They went crazy for it! None of the adults had a chance to play,
Fez and Rufous would not let go of the thing. Unfortunately, they quickly
discovered that if they chew on the string, the mouse comes off and they
can play with it at their leisure. The string has been severed 4 times in
less than 45 minutes. They still like chasing the wand by itself, and
that's how it's going to stay because I can't seem to find the mouse
itself!
Crazy kittens...

Victor M. Martinez

http://www.che.utexas.edu/~martiv

But aren't they fun to watch?

"Victor M. Martinez" wrote in message
...
JHBennett wrote:
and give the lightest SL they have a try. If your kittens sever that,
warn
your neighbors and evacuate the area immediately. In the alternative,
you

Hehe... is it flexible like regular string?

Matter of fact, it is. Two types are generally available, solid stainless
steel wire and braided, both usually plastic coated. I believe the minimum
diameter is around 10 pound test. I know they have it up to 50 lb test and
probably greater, considering the monsters that lurk in deep waters. You
think cats have teeth? Northerns, Walleyes, and Muskies, are the predators
at the top of the food chain... and thank heaven they don't walk upon the
land. BTW, I hope you realize I was pulling your leg about the steel
leader, while not expensive for fishing, they certainly run a lot more than
string. --JB

can attempt recycling the string by employing an expedient contrivence
called a *knot.* If unfamiliar with the inner workings of knot
preparation,

I did indeed use knots to re-attach the mouse to the wand, but I'm running
out of string to make knots with!

You know, there is a diabolical side of me that would put a rubber band
somewhere in that rig ;-) Give it a try and report back on what happens.
Cheers,
Jack

I'd be worried that fishing line would be dangerous if wrapped around a
kitty... could cut right through? But if it isn't dangerous, it's a good
idea!!!!

Stacey

"JHBennett" wrote in message
...
Quite obviously you've never fished in Minnesota, where Walleye, Muskies,
and Nothern Pike delight in removing your fancy $5.00 plug from the end of
your line. The solution there is a steel leader. Check Bass Pro, on
line,
and give the lightest SL they have a try. If your kittens sever that,
warn
your neighbors and evacuate the area immediately. In the alternative, you
can attempt recycling the string by employing an expedient contrivence
called a *knot.* If unfamiliar with the inner workings of knot
preparation,
you may seek the assistance of any available Boy Scout. Failing these
prudent measures, you may need to budget additional funds for string
acquisition. You might be able to seek Federal grant money for a study of
the string and cat problem.
Cheers,
Jack
"Victor M. Martinez" wrote in message
texas.edu...
I saw the Panic Mouse just sitting there and decided to see what the
kittens would think of it. I found the wand and a fresh "mouse" and put
it
together. They went crazy for it! None of the adults had a chance to
play,
Fez and Rufous would not let go of the thing. Unfortunately, they
quickly
discovered that if they chew on the string, the mouse comes off and they
can play with it at their leisure. The string has been severed 4 times
in
less than 45 minutes. They still like chasing the wand by itself, and
that's how it's going to stay because I can't seem to find the mouse
itself!
Crazy kittens...

Victor M. Martinez

http://www.che.utexas.edu/~martiv

"Jo Firey" wrote in message
...
"JHBennett" wrote in message
...

"Victor M. Martinez" wrote in message
...
JHBennett wrote:
and give the lightest SL they have a try. If your kittens sever
that,
warn
your neighbors and evacuate the area immediately. In the
alternative,
you

Hehe... is it flexible like regular string?

Matter of fact, it is. Two types are generally available, solid
stainless
steel wire and braided, both usually plastic coated. I believe the
minimum
diameter is around 10 pound test. I know they have it up to 50 lb test
and
probably greater, considering the monsters that lurk in deep waters.
You
think cats have teeth? Northerns, Walleyes, and Muskies, are the
predators
at the top of the food chain... and thank heaven they don't walk upon
the
land. BTW, I hope you realize I was pulling your leg about the steel
leader, while not expensive for fishing, they certainly run a lot more
than
string. --JB

can attempt recycling the string by employing an expedient
contrivence
called a *knot.* If unfamiliar with the inner workings of knot
preparation,

I did indeed use knots to re-attach the mouse to the wand, but I'm
running
out of string to make knots with!

You know, there is a diabolical side of me that would put a rubber band
somewhere in that rig ;-) Give it a try and report back on what
happens.
Cheers,
Jack

I'm having a lot of luck with buying very thin elastic cord in the sewing
dept at
WalMart. Works great for the cat toys.

At least I was till the teens discovered that it works in the sleeves of
the football
shirts so they don't just hang. I think they found all the elastic in the
house,
including dismantleing a few cat toys.

Jo

Way to go, Jo. Some elastic and a little immagination, I bet you could
really have some fun times with them. It wouldn't be at all difficult to
set something up with a trigger which, when touched by a cat, would shoot a
fake mouse across the room. I'd almost pay money to see the results. Also,
toys that would rebound the moment a cat let go of it, ought to be a
delight.
So, what have you done and would you care to describe the
results/reactions?
Cheers,
Jack

"Jo Firey" wrote in message
...
"JHBennett" wrote in message
...


I'm having a lot of luck with buying very thin elastic cord in the
sewing
dept at
WalMart. Works great for the cat toys.

At least I was till the teens discovered that it works in the sleeves
of
the football
shirts so they don't just hang. I think they found all the elastic in
the
house,
including dismantleing a few cat toys.

Jo

Way to go, Jo. Some elastic and a little immagination, I bet you could
really have some fun times with them. It wouldn't be at all difficult
to
set something up with a trigger which, when touched by a cat, would
shoot a
fake mouse across the room. I'd almost pay money to see the results.
Also,
toys that would rebound the moment a cat let go of it, ought to be a
delight.
So, what have you done and would you care to describe the
results/reactions?
Cheers,
Jack


I also buy the wooden dowels that are in the crafts department to use as
"fishing
rods" I'm a bit lazy and a lot gimped up with arthritis so need to give
the kits a
good workout without giving myself one. You can tie anything on the end.
Scrunched
up paper works great. Those little foam balls they sell for cats are
good. My
spouse figured out how to put the string thru one. Feathers are good.

My big cat is no fun. He catches the lure and lies down on it. Game
over.

The kitten goes berserk. He even has bits of the string around the house
he will get
out to play with. You do have to be careful not to leave a piece they
can tie
themselves up with lying around.

Jo

Jo, I'm sorry to hear you are contending with arthritis. Mother is also
affected by it, but mostly in her back and knees.
I can offer you a way to deal with your big cat, ask your roomie to stop
by a bait or tackle shop and get a couple of practice plugs. They are
usually hard plastic and shaped like a traffic cone, with a hemisphere at
the bottom, i.e., widest part of the cone shape. They are made that way so
they won't snag on anything, when would-be fishermen practice casting a
lure. The hard plastic would mean your cat's claws couldn't gain purchase
on one, and the sleek shape would allow you to pull it right out from under
Mr. Big. They might be more agile, but you are craftier ;-) If I really
wanted to even the score, and drive your cats absolutely ballistic, I'd get
a bait casting lure made by Headon called the *Meadow Mouse.* The treble
hooks can be removed very easily, as well as the gizmo under the mouse's
chin, which causes the lure to wiggle in the water. Hang that thing on the
end of your pole, and I'd think you could darn near cause a cat apoplexy.
Shucks, I'm feeling sorry for'em already.
Hope you have fun.
Cheers,
Jack

On Mon, 22 Sep 2003 21:09:38 -0500, "JHBennett"
wrote:

I also buy the wooden dowels that are in the crafts department to use as
"fishing
rods" I'm a bit lazy and a lot gimped up with arthritis so need to give
the kits a
good workout without giving myself one. You can tie anything on the end.
Scrunched
up paper works great. Those little foam balls they sell for cats are
good. My
spouse figured out how to put the string thru one. Feathers are good.

My big cat is no fun. He catches the lure and lies down on it. Game
over.

The kitten goes berserk. He even has bits of the string around the house
he will get
out to play with. You do have to be careful not to leave a piece they
can tie
themselves up with lying around.

Jo

Jo, I'm sorry to hear you are contending with arthritis. Mother is also
affected by it, but mostly in her back and knees.
I can offer you a way to deal with your big cat, ask your roomie to stop
by a bait or tackle shop and get a couple of practice plugs. They are
usually hard plastic and shaped like a traffic cone, with a hemisphere at
the bottom, i.e., widest part of the cone shape. They are made that way so
they won't snag on anything, when would-be fishermen practice casting a
lure. The hard plastic would mean your cat's claws couldn't gain purchase
on one, and the sleek shape would allow you to pull it right out from under
Mr. Big. They might be more agile, but you are craftier ;-) If I really
wanted to even the score, and drive your cats absolutely ballistic, I'd get
a bait casting lure made by Headon called the *Meadow Mouse.* The treble
hooks can be removed very easily, as well as the gizmo under the mouse's
chin, which causes the lure to wiggle in the water. Hang that thing on the
end of your pole, and I'd think you could darn near cause a cat apoplexy.
Shucks, I'm feeling sorry for'em already.
Hope you have fun.
Cheers,
Jack


You know, Jack, I've never thought of raiding the tackel box for cat
toys, but you've got me thinking now. There's all kinds of neat things
in there, including some noise makers that the cats may just go crazy
over (after removing the hooks of course). I'm going to give it a try
next weekend when I have time. Not too sure how they'll react to the
hard surfaces, though. I have a feeling that by combining an old some
of that elastic cord, an old plug that makes rattling noises, maybe
some feathers, and the flexible part of an old rod I can probably come
up with a very inexpensive toy. Hey, maybe even get out an old fly
rod/reel, put some of that elastic on, and pratice casts - outside of
course ;-)

"Steve Touchstone" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 22 Sep 2003 21:09:38 -0500, "JHBennett"
wrote:

I also buy the wooden dowels that are in the crafts department to use
as
"fishing
rods" I'm a bit lazy and a lot gimped up with arthritis so need to
give
the kits a
good workout without giving myself one. You can tie anything on the
end.
Scrunched
up paper works great. Those little foam balls they sell for cats are
good. My
spouse figured out how to put the string thru one. Feathers are good.

My big cat is no fun. He catches the lure and lies down on it. Game
over.

The kitten goes berserk. He even has bits of the string around the
house
he will get
out to play with. You do have to be careful not to leave a piece they
can tie
themselves up with lying around.

Jo

Jo, I'm sorry to hear you are contending with arthritis. Mother is also
affected by it, but mostly in her back and knees.
I can offer you a way to deal with your big cat, ask your roomie to
stop
by a bait or tackle shop and get a couple of practice plugs. They are
usually hard plastic and shaped like a traffic cone, with a hemisphere at
the bottom, i.e., widest part of the cone shape. They are made that way
so
they won't snag on anything, when would-be fishermen practice casting a
lure. The hard plastic would mean your cat's claws couldn't gain
purchase
on one, and the sleek shape would allow you to pull it right out from
under
Mr. Big. They might be more agile, but you are craftier ;-) If I really
wanted to even the score, and drive your cats absolutely ballistic, I'd
get
a bait casting lure made by Headon called the *Meadow Mouse.* The treble
hooks can be removed very easily, as well as the gizmo under the mouse's
chin, which causes the lure to wiggle in the water. Hang that thing on
the
end of your pole, and I'd think you could darn near cause a cat apoplexy.
Shucks, I'm feeling sorry for'em already.
Hope you have fun.
Cheers,
Jack


You know, Jack, I've never thought of raiding the tackel box for cat
toys, but you've got me thinking now. There's all kinds of neat things
in there, including some noise makers that the cats may just go crazy
over (after removing the hooks of course). I'm going to give it a try
next weekend when I have time. Not too sure how they'll react to the
hard surfaces, though. I have a feeling that by combining an old some
of that elastic cord, an old plug that makes rattling noises, maybe
some feathers, and the flexible part of an old rod I can probably come
up with a very inexpensive toy. Hey, maybe even get out an old fly
rod/reel, put some of that elastic on, and pratice casts - outside of
course ;-)

I'd say so, Steve ;-) That Panic Mouse Victor spoke of sounds like it has a
soft body for the crafty critters to grab, then chew through the string.
I'd say a high tech touch of the automatic rewind on a fly reel could do
much to frustrate even a fast cat. Actually, I suggested the fishing lures
because they do have a hard body, so you could keep the target *in play* as
it were, instead of having to drag a furry critter along with it. My gosh,
when I think of the array of trinkets available in my tackle boxes, the
action you can get with any decent rod, the high speed retreve of a
reel--some will draw a bait a couple of feet with one crank--I should think
one could have an absolute blast keeping the cats on their toes. Of course,
if you actually make a cast and tell'em *go fetch* you might never see your
cats again. Be interesting what taking the hooks of a Rattle Trap could
produce. And, for night games, some of the lures are illuminated. Got a
muskie bait, well actually several, that are bright and shiny, with trailing
feathers--likely the first time a cat would run up against a world class
Olympian bird.
Ah, while I think it would be a lot of fun to fool around with, and I
don't want to dampen your ardor, I might remind you of the price of fly
line, before you let the cats at it. Might want to hang about 7 foot of
leader on that, if you do decide to use it.
Incidentally, that Meadow Mouse has a fake fur/flocked surface on top of
a hard plastic body. Of course, if you have one that your late Father used,
it will be made of wood and quite a valuable antique.
Be interested to hear how it works out, so look forward to your posting
the results.
Cheers,
Jack

(Note to self. When fishing for cats, do not leave bare feet and ankles exposed.)

--
"Dogs may have kept us company on the hunt, but it was the cats who
insisted we invent houses and discover fire." -- Khiem Tran
"JHBennett" wrote in message
...

"Steve Touchstone" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 22 Sep 2003 21:09:38 -0500, "JHBennett"
wrote:

I also buy the wooden dowels that are in the crafts department to use
as
"fishing
rods" I'm a bit lazy and a lot gimped up with arthritis so need to
give
the kits a
good workout without giving myself one. You can tie anything on the
end.
Scrunched
up paper works great. Those little foam balls they sell for cats are
good. My
spouse figured out how to put the string thru one. Feathers are good.

My big cat is no fun. He catches the lure and lies down on it. Game
over.

The kitten goes berserk. He even has bits of the string around the
house
he will get
out to play with. You do have to be careful not to leave a piece they
can tie
themselves up with lying around.

Jo

Jo, I'm sorry to hear you are contending with arthritis. Mother is also
affected by it, but mostly in her back and knees.
I can offer you a way to deal with your big cat, ask your roomie to
stop
by a bait or tackle shop and get a couple of practice plugs. They are
usually hard plastic and shaped like a traffic cone, with a hemisphere at
the bottom, i.e., widest part of the cone shape. They are made that way
so
they won't snag on anything, when would-be fishermen practice casting a
lure. The hard plastic would mean your cat's claws couldn't gain
purchase
on one, and the sleek shape would allow you to pull it right out from
under
Mr. Big. They might be more agile, but you are craftier ;-) If I really
wanted to even the score, and drive your cats absolutely ballistic, I'd
get
a bait casting lure made by Headon called the *Meadow Mouse.* The treble
hooks can be removed very easily, as well as the gizmo under the mouse's
chin, which causes the lure to wiggle in the water. Hang that thing on
the
end of your pole, and I'd think you could darn near cause a cat apoplexy.
Shucks, I'm feeling sorry for'em already.
Hope you have fun.
Cheers,
Jack


You know, Jack, I've never thought of raiding the tackel box for cat
toys, but you've got me thinking now. There's all kinds of neat things
in there, including some noise makers that the cats may just go crazy
over (after removing the hooks of course). I'm going to give it a try
next weekend when I have time. Not too sure how they'll react to the
hard surfaces, though. I have a feeling that by combining an old some
of that elastic cord, an old plug that makes rattling noises, maybe
some feathers, and the flexible part of an old rod I can probably come
up with a very inexpensive toy. Hey, maybe even get out an old fly
rod/reel, put some of that elastic on, and pratice casts - outside of
course ;-)

I'd say so, Steve ;-) That Panic Mouse Victor spoke of sounds like it has a
soft body for the crafty critters to grab, then chew through the string.
I'd say a high tech touch of the automatic rewind on a fly reel could do
much to frustrate even a fast cat. Actually, I suggested the fishing lures
because they do have a hard body, so you could keep the target *in play* as
it were, instead of having to drag a furry critter along with it. My gosh,
when I think of the array of trinkets available in my tackle boxes, the
action you can get with any decent rod, the high speed retreve of a
reel--some will draw a bait a couple of feet with one crank--I should think
one could have an absolute blast keeping the cats on their toes. Of course,
if you actually make a cast and tell'em *go fetch* you might never see your
cats again. Be interesting what taking the hooks of a Rattle Trap could
produce. And, for night games, some of the lures are illuminated. Got a
muskie bait, well actually several, that are bright and shiny, with trailing
feathers--likely the first time a cat would run up against a world class
Olympian bird.
Ah, while I think it would be a lot of fun to fool around with, and I
don't want to dampen your ardor, I might remind you of the price of fly
line, before you let the cats at it. Might want to hang about 7 foot of
leader on that, if you do decide to use it.
Incidentally, that Meadow Mouse has a fake fur/flocked surface on top of
a hard plastic body. Of course, if you have one that your late Father used,
it will be made of wood and quite a valuable antique.
Be interested to hear how it works out, so look forward to your posting
the results.
Cheers,
Jack

Decided to foregoe the fly rod and went with an ultra-light spinning
rig, figured it would be better for flipping underhand inside and
still useful outdoors. (Can you tell this is a bachelor talking?) Only
tried a couple tosses tonight, and both my girls showed interest.
Didn't want to get them too excited with the new toy, though, as I
haven't found the elastic cord. I know I had some in the tent repair
kit (for use with repairing the tent poles) but forgot to bring the
repair kit home from the shop.

I'll post the results when I get it rigged up the way I want - don't
want to use mono fishing line as it tangles pretty easily and don't
want any cats tangled up in the line, Also probably best to have a six
foot or so leader of elastic cord to avoid the thin line being caught
by a cat, as it might deliver a paper-like cut a cat tries to hold the
mono.

On Mon, 22 Sep 2003 23:50:04 -0500, "JHBennett"
wrote:


"Steve Touchstone" wrote in message
You know, Jack, I've never thought of raiding the tackel box for cat
toys, but you've got me thinking now. There's all kinds of neat things
in there, including some noise makers that the cats may just go crazy
over (after removing the hooks of course). I'm going to give it a try
next weekend when I have time. Not too sure how they'll react to the
hard surfaces, though. I have a feeling that by combining an old some
of that elastic cord, an old plug that makes rattling noises, maybe
some feathers, and the flexible part of an old rod I can probably come
up with a very inexpensive toy. Hey, maybe even get out an old fly
rod/reel, put some of that elastic on, and pratice casts - outside of
course ;-)

I'd say so, Steve ;-) That Panic Mouse Victor spoke of sounds like it has a
soft body for the crafty critters to grab, then chew through the string.
I'd say a high tech touch of the automatic rewind on a fly reel could do
much to frustrate even a fast cat. Actually, I suggested the fishing lures
because they do have a hard body, so you could keep the target *in play* as
it were, instead of having to drag a furry critter along with it. My gosh,
when I think of the array of trinkets available in my tackle boxes, the
action you can get with any decent rod, the high speed retreve of a
reel--some will draw a bait a couple of feet with one crank--I should think
one could have an absolute blast keeping the cats on their toes. Of course,
if you actually make a cast and tell'em *go fetch* you might never see your
cats again. Be interesting what taking the hooks of a Rattle Trap could
produce. And, for night games, some of the lures are illuminated. Got a
muskie bait, well actually several, that are bright and shiny, with trailing
feathers--likely the first time a cat would run up against a world class
Olympian bird.
Ah, while I think it would be a lot of fun to fool around with, and I
don't want to dampen your ardor, I might remind you of the price of fly
line, before you let the cats at it. Might want to hang about 7 foot of
leader on that, if you do decide to use it.
Incidentally, that Meadow Mouse has a fake fur/flocked surface on top of
a hard plastic body. Of course, if you have one that your late Father used,
it will be made of wood and quite a valuable antique.
Be interested to hear how it works out, so look forward to your posting
the results.
Cheers,
Jack