Posts tagged "cat toy"

"Cat."
"Hi!"
"Cat, I'm trying to sweep."
"I know! I love when you sweep! It's my favorite."
"Cat, the broom is not a toy."
"Ha ha, what! You could've fooled me. It's so fuuuuunnnnn!"
"How come everything that you find fun is something that interferes with me accomplishing important tasks?"
"Coincidence!"
"Cat, I need to do this so the floors will be clean."
"Why can't you clean and I play at the same time?"
"Because! The reason I have to clean is because your hair and dander is everywhere, and that's what I'm trying to clean up, because my mother-in-law is coming over tomorrow, and she's allergic to cats, and she's not the most pleasant woman in the world at the best of times."
"Ha ha, what's dander?"
"Do you see the irony in this situation?"
"Nope! Wheeeeeeeeee!"

That feline lightsaber duel from earlier really got me in the mood to see more cats playing with lasers, so here's another great video from Big Cat Rescue. The last time we checked in with BCR, they showed us how the big cats (ie. tigers, lions, leopards and jaguars) are really just like the domesticated cats we have at home. A tiger doesn't look so scary when he's chasing around a giant plastic ball. (Except they really can rip your throat out or eat you alive, so don't get cocky around one.) What other toys that our cats love work just as well on big cats? If you said "laser pointers," you are right! But it's not like you're some kind of genius. It says it right there in the title. Seriously, you are being really cocky today! Settle down.

Big cats. Lions, tigers, jaguars and leopards. The kings of the jungle and whatnot. Think about one. What do you see? Probably something pretty majestic. The magnificent beast sits regally upon some rock or something, the master of all he surveys. He is relaxed, but could strike at any moment. He is fierce and proud. If he could speak, his voice would probably be deep and resonant and demanding of your attention and respect. Like Dennis Haysbert's.

Or maybe your imagination conjures a lion on the hunt. Tearing across the plains in pursuit of some antelope, he snarls, bearing his fangs and his shiny claws. He takes down his prey in a flurry of blood and dust, standing over the kill and roaring his triumph as his pride draws near to feast.

Or alternatively, perhaps the cat you see in your mind is rolling around with a giant plastic doughnut like a big doofus, scuttling the image of the noble beast that those other cats we talked about work so hard to create.

Sometimes the public finds a use for a product other than the one intended. Kleenex tissues, for example, were originally meant for ladies to use in makeup removal, but they became widely popular as disposable nose-blowers. When that happens, it may behoove a company to adjust the marketing of their product to reflect the popular usage.

Let's reconsider the hamster ball. It's not that hamster owners don't use them, but maybe there's a lot more to them than the obvious. These kittens seems to have some fresh ideas. They're putting a fun new spin on a cat's love of hiding inside a container. More than one kitten in the mix, and there's a really playful party going on. Maybe the hamster-ball company should think about a re-branding of their product.

While you might want to make something like a cat tree when you've got an afternoon to kill and an overactive kitty at home, constructing a cat scratcher -- just a simple, upholstered post, instead of a whole series of steps and levels -- can quickly solve the problem of clawed-up furniture. Here's the simplest way to build your own cat scratcher.

- Your post should be tall enough so that the cat has to reach the length of its body to touch the top (depending on the cat, maybe three to four feet).

- Use a square-shaped post instead of a round one -- it'll be much easier to attach the carpet. You can have wood cut at a home-improvement store or perhaps find some at a furniture recycling location.

- Use hammer and nails to affix a properly sized carpet sample to your square post, but for now, leave a few inches of wood bare at the top of the post.

- Do the same for your flat, rectangular wooden base, which can even be made out of an old cabinet door, if you don't want to purchase the wood.

- Now upholster that bare section at the top of the post in a colorful, contrasting fabric. It doesn't have to be carpet; any old cloth will do. This will help attract your cat to the post. Some people also glue or nail a little cat toy on top.

- To secure the post to the base, first cut a small hole, an inch or two wide, into the base's carpet covering. Inside that now bare section of wood, use a power drill to make four holes. Center the bottom of the post to this hole and use those four holes to screw the post to the base.

What's more fun than a box of kittens? Not much, but the Petsmart Basket we're giving away this week on Paw Nation comes close!

The Petsmart Basket is chock full of goodies that you and your cat will love. It includes: Feline GREENIES® Dental Treat; Blue Buffalo Spa Select Indoor Sensitive Skin Formula; KONG® Refillable Catnip Toys; KONG Wubba Cat Toy; Scratchers Welcome Scratch Mat; The Ultimate Cat Lover; Whisker City® Paisley Breakaway Cat Collar; and the Whisker City® Reflective Cat Leash.

And, entering couldn't be easier!

• To enter, leave a confirmed comment below telling us what something your cat just loves to play with.
• The comment must be left before 5pm ET on Tuesday, September 29, 2009.
• You may enter only once.
• One winner will be selected in a random drawing.
• One winner will receive one Petsmart Basket (contents listed above; valued at $68.88).
• Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.
• Click here for complete Official Rules. Winner will be notified by email, so be sure to provide a valid address!