Not a lot to say today beyond the rather evident fact that Watanuki can be very protective of his toys.
*
He is forgetful, however. A few minutes later, he wandered off to swipe some food from Lefty’s bowl and abandoned the catnip ball.
* A note for those of you who make a habit of looking at image Alt text: I usually change Word’s guess at image content to something that borders on accurate–or delete it altogether. Today’s, however, was so wildly off that I just had to leave it alone.
Maggie recently brought home a new feline torture device. Sort of the equivalent of a hair shirt. And if you don’t think a hair shirt over fur is a torture device, well, our crew invite you to give it a try.
Anyway, given Sachiko’s sometimes sharkly behavior…
…we decided she was the logical first victim.
She carried it off very well:
Very “searching for something to rend to bloody bits”.
Somehow, though, she seemed less than appreciative of the opportunity.
In fact, that was almost two weeks ago, and she’s still giving us suspicious looks when we come into the kitchen together.
For reasons she’s unable to explain coherently–“It seemed like a good idea at the time” figures prominently–Maggie recently purchased a cat bonnet.
No, not a bonnet made of cat-printed fabric. One of these. Yes, a bonnet for a cat.
‘Nuki is not amused.
Neither is Sachiko.
Perhaps it’s because we haven’t quite figured out how to put it on them. Clearly it doesn’t fit the same way as the one on the box fits the model.
Sachiko has her own ideas about the best way to make use of it.
But then, as we’ve noted in the past, everything is a cat toy. Including apparel.
Rufus is a simple cat. He likes simple pleasures: a bowl of gooshy fud, a warm lap on a cold night, a bit of catnip now and then.
And he likes his toys simple, too. We’ve given him several weatherproof cat toys, mostly variations on balls and tracks. He ignores ’em.
Ah, but wave a piece of straw in his direction…
He’ll study it carefully, wait for it to stop moving, even if only for an instant, then he transforms into a blur of motion, more often than not sinking his claws into the dangerous opponent before gumming it into soggy oblivion.
Sachiko, on the other paw, was raised in a geek household. She’s been surrounded by high-tech toys her entire life.
Straw is beneath her notice.
Her favorite toy?
Yup. Partially-cut up soda bottle rings. Now them’s good eats!
Meet Mr. Mousiefish.
Mr. Mousiefish was Sachiko’s first toy. Oh, not this Mr. Mousiefish. He’s had nearly as many incarnations as The Doctor. Our best guess is that this is the Paul McGann of mousiefish–though the coloration suggests he may actually be the Sylvester McCoy.
Why so many? Mousiefish have rough lives around here–and, in fairness to Sachiko, she’s carrying on a tradition started by her Big Brudder Nookles. Sachiko’s first two mousiefish wound up buried in her litter box. Several others, her and ‘Nuki’s, have been drowned in various water bowls.
Despite what their anatomy might suggest, mousiefish can’t swim.
But Mr. Mousiefish is loved. Sachiko often hides him away between play sessions to protect him from the other cats, just as ‘Nuki once did. So when he meets his fate, he magically regenerates.
Other toys aren’t quite so fortunate.
Consider the sushi toy.
It may have once looked like a piece of tuna on a ball of rice–it even had a piece of “seaweed” when it was new–but we really, really don’t want it eaten. It’s been forcibly retired. And, while it has been replaced, the new sushi is an entirely different design and is made of much less shreddable materials.
We’re not sure what this toy’s origin story is.
It’s one that Sachiko made herself. It’s clearly been torn off of something larger (note the groove on the right side), but what, we have no idea. It’s heavy foam, which really shouldn’t show toothmarks, but the little beast has gnawed it enough that the left end is starting to fray.
Yes, this one’s been forcibly retired too. And it won’t be replaced.
So, yeah. Sachiko plays rough. I’m sure you can understand then, why we immediately said “No” when she showed us what she wanted for Christmas.
Yes, that is actual cat armor, and the link will take you to the seller’s page.
Please. Buy it before Sachiko swipes enough coins out of our pockets to buy it herself!
Sachiko gets bored.
It’s not surprising. The older cats spend much more of the day sleeping than she does. They curl up on the bed, leaving her to wander around downstairs and amuse herself.
We expected that, so we made sure she’s got plenty of toys. Catnip mice (and other objects–she often steals ‘Nuki’s Magic Banana). Balls of several sizes and textures. Puzzle toys. Even a few “object on a string” toys, though she only gets to play with those with one of us–feathers don’t lend themselves to unsupervised play.
But no matter how many toys we buy her, she insists on finding and making her own. Pens. Folded bits of paper (credit card receipts are apparently especially fun). Her collar and her siblings’ collars when she can snag them.
Every time we think she’s exhausted the possibilities, she comes up with a new toy. Earlier this week, I was in the dining room and she came trotting in with her latest toy in her mouth.
Fortunately, those are frames awaiting lenses, not anyone’s current glasses. I say “fortunately” because this is how Sachiko plays with her toys:
Entertaining as the show was, I explained to her that the glasses were not actually a toy–even if they are cat’s eye frames–and took them away from her. She disappeared under the table to sulk. A few minutes later, she came charging out from under the table with a screwdriver in her mouth and disappeared into the living room to play. It’s a good thing none of the furniture in there has easily-accessible screws…
Koi Scribblings 