neglus
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posted on February 14, 2008 04:02:42 PM new
I know lots of you are cat owners. My cats are bored to death this winter. It's too cold to go out. The highlight of the day is when I feed them a bit of wet cat food in the morning. They follow me around everywhere. I've started calling them "Thing One" and "Thing Two" - they are just itching to cause some trouble. They pick on each other. Lucy has gained a lot of weight and when she lays down, her white tummy spreads all over the place (can really sympathize with that!). She sits on top of my postcard boxes when I ship or on top of the envelopes I have sealed just to be ornery. She parks herself on my scanner. Little Kitty hides around corners and attacks when I come by. How do you exercise your inside kitties? Any toy recommendations? I have spent a fortune on toys and most are ignored (they do like the catnip mice though). When things get really bad I put fresh catnip if this scratching cardboard box I got them - takes about a minute for them to pull the box apart and then they wallow in the catnip (can that harm them?) Suggestions appreciated!
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http://stores.ebay.com/Moody-Mommys-Marvelous-Postcards?refid=store
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zippy2dah
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posted on February 14, 2008 04:04:48 PM new
I get mine high on fresh catnip and then I break out the laser pointer.
I am an enabler.
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zippy2dah
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posted on February 14, 2008 04:09:00 PM new
I have heard that catnip is 100% safe and they will stop when they are satiated but I once saw a cat at an adoption fair who was drooling and glassy eyed with his tongue half hanging out. They told us that he had ingested too much nip that day.
I do limit their intake. Even if it is not harmful as a high, it can make their poop runny so that's reason enough.
[ edited by zippy2dah on Feb 14, 2008 04:09 PM ]
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neglus
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posted on February 14, 2008 04:20:43 PM new
I have to keep my catnip under lock and key. Lucy somehow got my spice cupboard open and chewed through the plastic bag and got it all over everything. Maybe I will give it to them more often if it won't hurt them.
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pixiamom
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posted on February 14, 2008 04:26:34 PM new
This is from a postcard I just shipped. Jan steen's Cat Dancing Lesson:
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neglus
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posted on February 14, 2008 04:27:59 PM new
LOL Dancing lessons! Why didn't I think of that? Think they have them at Petsmart?
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zippy2dah
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posted on February 14, 2008 04:39:23 PM new
Arthur Furry Studios?
Lucy is an addict! Watch your pocketbook.
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sthoemke
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posted on February 14, 2008 04:58:18 PM new
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rhpepsi
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posted on February 14, 2008 06:24:44 PM new
crickets.....
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fluffythewondercat
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posted on February 14, 2008 06:58:43 PM new
Kibble Hockey.
Wait until they're hungry, then take a small handful of dry kibble. Toss one at a time, as far and fast as you can throw it. Cats love chasing them down. If your floor is all carpet, you can bounce a kibble off a hard object so the cat hears it. Two cats will bounce off each other or one will take a swipe at the nugget to put it back into play.
My mother-in-law's spoiled beauty queen of a feline will not deign to chase kibble but every other cat I've tried this on loves it.
fLufF
--
Who are those batty old women and why are they wearing silly hats?.
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mcjane
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posted on February 14, 2008 07:02:45 PM new
What's a "Cat Dancing Lesson" doesn't look like the cat is enjoying it.
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pixiamom
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posted on February 14, 2008 07:27:55 PM new
I agree, McJane - Don't try this at home! BTW, further OT - did anyone watch the dog show this week? So happy the beagle won!
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toasted36
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posted on February 14, 2008 07:46:25 PM new
Cheap toys
I've got one that is addicted to the bouncy rubber balls you can get out the gum ball machines. He can smell it in the bottom of my purse if I forget to give it to him.I've caught him butt up in the air trying to dig it out a couple of times.
Can't go wrong with a laser pointer,always a favorite in this house.
9 lives makes a orange rattle ball ,Kinda looks like a ping pong ball that makes a sound they like. I made the mistake once of giving them this close to bedtime .Man is it loud. 6 are like 3.00
A ping pong ball in a empty bath tub is a good energy burner. They will chase it till they can't run anymore or they bounce it out the tub.
Also a empty balled up cigarette pack...the sound it makes drives them crazy.
You know those clear plastic bubbles from a gum ball machine ,put some rice in one then put a line of tape around the seal to keep it closed they snap together but better safe than sorry (no one wants to clean up rice) or put some catnip in one and poke some holes in it.
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ewora
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posted on February 14, 2008 07:58:28 PM new
I had a cat that loved a scrunched up pipe cleaner.
He'd ignore store bought toys....but always loved the pipe cleaners. I'd find them everywhere when they'd finally get away from him...under the fridge, the furniture, etc.
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zippy2dah
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posted on February 14, 2008 08:04:19 PM new
Speaking of things you probably don't want to clean up, I have a friend who takes a roll of cheap toilet paper and re-rolls it onto a second, empty TP roll. While rolling the paper onto the new roll, she inserts little bits of catnip and some fairly flat cat toys at various intervals. She ties the new roll loosely with a piece of twine. Then she presents it to her little fur monkey.
It makes a huge mess but it keeps the little bugger busy for about an hour.
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profe51
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posted on February 14, 2008 08:09:57 PM new
Live mice at a pet store are cheaper and a whole lot more fun for the cat.
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mcjane
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posted on February 14, 2008 08:24:37 PM new
profe, No No No, shame on you.
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tomwiii
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posted on February 14, 2008 08:36:42 PM new
Ralphie is a firm proponent of exercising cats...
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mcjane
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posted on February 14, 2008 09:13:01 PM new
I have a 12 foot wide bow window with a window seat, overlooks a deck. I scatter about 4 scoops of sunflower seed & peanuts everyday. All my cats spend lots of time watching birds, squirrels, chipmonks & an occasional groundhog. Keeps them busy & they all make those chirping sounds specially when a flock of doves are out there.
Catnip goes over big too sometimes I scatter it & I also store cloth cat toys in the catnip jug & then toss a few out every day. They like that & it doesn't make a mess.
That's about the only time you'll see three of my cats together at the same time, one other will not come out of my bedroom except to use the litter box. A sweet little calico that eats & sleeps on my bed. She's afraid of the other three.
I have one that loves to sleep on the heat register, the hotter the better. I turn the heat down at night so I decided to buy her a heated bed, special treat. When I took it out of the box & plugged it in she jumped right in & slept for two hours. That was two weeks ago, ever since she has slept in the box it came in. The bed sits empty. I'm wondering if maybe she can feel the electric current through the wires & doesn't like it.
I also have a 7 foot cat tree that sits empty except for magazines, junk, etc that I stick in there. They don't like that either.
The Empty Bed & Empty Tree
[img]http://img.inkfrog.com/pix/mcjane/11076.JPG
[/img]
[img]http://img.inkfrog.com/pix/mcjane/11077.JPG
[/img]
Sorry, can't get my pictures to show.
[ edited by mcjane on Feb 14, 2008 09:17 PM ]
[ edited by mcjane on Feb 14, 2008 09:26 PM ]
[ edited by mcjane on Feb 14, 2008 09:29 PM ]
[ edited by mcjane on Feb 14, 2008 09:31 PM ]
[ edited by mcjane on Feb 14, 2008 09:34 PM ]
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roadsmith
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posted on February 14, 2008 09:48:24 PM new
Our family relied on the ping pong ball in the empty tub, the laser pointer, pipe cleaners (bend them a bit so they're more interesting), and little wads of paper crumpled up and tossed around.
Yes, I saw the dog show winner. How sweet that it was a beagle for a change. I'm sure Ralphie was rooting for someone else, though.
Did I hear correctly that Patty Hearst was the owner of the beagle? (I'll be there are folks here, but not too many, who don't know her story, right?!)
_____________________
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zippy2dah
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posted on February 14, 2008 10:36:38 PM new
Patty Hearst is the owner of Diva, a French bulldog.
Diva was awarded Best of Opposite Sex for her breed.
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pixiamom
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posted on February 14, 2008 10:40:36 PM new
Here you go McJane, you had a space before [/img]
[ edited by pixiamom on Feb 14, 2008 10:41 PM ]
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mcjane
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posted on February 14, 2008 10:47:04 PM new
Thanks so much pixia, it was driving me crazy, don't know why I didn't notice that.
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toasted36
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posted on February 15, 2008 04:20:00 AM new
Mcjane, I have something like your 7 foot cat tree that my cats wouldn't even come near. I moved it in front of the window where the bird feeder is and now I'm gonna soon have to throw it away cause the bouncy ball chaser has scratched it to death.Its his and no one else can sit on his tree. So its just location on yours. Find a spot they love to park their butts and put it there. Can't help ya with the bed but I almost spit coffee on shes sleeping on the box now dang cats !
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neglus
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posted on February 15, 2008 06:00:10 AM new
Great ideas! I just ordered some ping pong balls. I think I will plant some catnip this summer. I guess the cats and I are all ready for Spring.
Last winter was so mild and snowless they spent a lot of time outside. I let them out in the garage now and open the door a little so they could go out if they wanted but they see all that white and just stay inside and look out wistfully. They are ready to come inside a few minutes later.
They are really bored when I am the only one around. AM I BORING?? LOL! Well they have two more weeks of just me to look forward to ... ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!! (DH is in Switzerland skiing with a biz trip to Morocco sandwiched in)
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MAH645
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posted on February 15, 2008 10:16:02 AM new
I have two in the house that spend their time chasing each other. But I did spend an hour with Trouble last night playing catch with his pink mouse. But he is still into to everything, he likes to steal something from the E-Bay room and run with it so you have to chase him down. He grabs the damnest stuff.
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dejapooh
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posted on February 15, 2008 12:28:32 PM new
Maybe it's just me, but why not let them out. They have fur...
My wife and I are heading up to my Aunt's mountain cabin, and she asked us to bring 2 of our cats up with us for some Mouse chasing fun. Seems the basement has mice, and if you bring up a cat every once in a while, they evacuate and stay gone.
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