The Cats Will Play

Our cat has her own bowl of toys (yes, I am one of those geeks who talks about their cat as if it was their child).  Most of the toys belonged to her predecessors, Otis & Stewart.  They each had their favorite toys.  Otis' favorite was a purple plush seal (at least that's what the Man says it is) that came to him in one of those cheapie net Christmas stockings you can buy at the pet shop or the drug store.  Otis immediately latched onto that toy, dispatched it's ears and tail, leaving only the tiny pom-pom nose and fought and kicked and played with it at length.

Stewart liked a little cloth toy that was sewed into a square shape and had printing on it which declared it irresistible to cats.  He preferred this toy above all others.  He would clutch it and lick it and rub his neck against it until his fur was slick and slimy.  It was quite disgusting, yet fun to watch.

Elsie (current cat) ignored those toys but has selected her own favorites.  We did not realize she even liked toys until we decided to clean up.  We placed all the toys in a beautiful hand thrown pottery bowl my sister-in-law had made for us (one for me, one for him) one Christmas.  The bowl was placed on a table in the living room, out of the way.  One day, soon after, the bowl was placed on the floor by the table for some reason and was forgotten there.

A few days later we were amused to see Elsie trot over to the bowl and begin pawing through it, looking not unlike a lady sorting through the items on the clearance table in Goldblatt's basement.

She pulled out a few toys and gave each a preliminary toss and lick.  Finally she found her favorite - a nasty little square of green cloth on one side and green fur on the other, stuffed fat and presumably loaded with catnip.  This is her toy.  She treats it much as Stewart treated his little cloth sack but thankfully does not rub against it until she resembles a drowned rat.  She is much too demure and lady like for such behavior.  But each time we put the toy back in her bowl, it is the one she always retrieves when she decides it's time to play on her own.

Of necessity, the bowl remains on the floor, in easy reach.

Quotable quotes; in the category Yes I Have Preferences But I'm Still Open Minded.

"Anything on the ground is a cat toy. Anything not there yet, will be."  Anonymous