What games do you play with your pets?

[hepcat]

I think about this every morning with I make the bed. My older cat is 13 and it's hard to get her motivated to play like she used to. But one thing she's done since she was a wee kitten is play with me when I make the bed.

Here's the game: first I throw the sheet in the air, and when it is slowly sinking all the way down she stretches out her front legs, pushes with her back legs and skids half on her tummy all the way to the pillows (tucking the sheet in, by the by). Every time I pull it tight she skids across the bed to my fists, then I go to the other side and pull there so she will skid back. She loves it when you lift her a little off the bed, then let it drop and she swats the sheet down all around her. Eventually we move on to the quilt and do it all over again. It takes about 15 minutes - she gets so excited she is snorting and breathing hard. Afterwards she needs a minute or two of reassurance and cuddling then she curls up and is out like a light.


My other cat watches us sometimes but you can tell she thinks it's beneath her.

What games do you guys play with your pets?

[eldee]

That is such a cute story! I can see it as I read your post.

[Miss Filangi]

My cat is getting older too.... but he still can be playful if he's in the mood.

He likes to 'stalk' us from behind the couch. If we scratch the top of the couch, he likes to try to jump up and hit your hand. So the object is to pull your hand away before he jumps. He'll do this for hours.

Other than that, he likes to play "Personal Alarm Clock" which means he wakes us up hours before we have to.

[CashMoneySoviet]

My cat's game is he just comes from anywhere and mauls me

[John]

We only recently acquired a cat (the most gorgeous little stray calico in the world, in my unbiased opinion). She's a freak. I've never had a cat before.

She'll spend HOURS in front of the slider, jumping nearly to the top of it, trying to catch whatever bug is flitting around the outside of it. She'll do it over and over and over and over.

She also likes to play with any toy she finds herself. If you give her something, she'll just sniff and walk away, but if she finds it on her own, she's all over it.

[Miss Filangi]

My cat is like that too... not down with the store bought toys.

He finds a piece of tape or a crumpled piece of paper and he's in heaven.

[Amanda]

I've found that the only store-bought toy my cats have any interest in are the ones that somehow manage to incorporate catnip. There's this one little hollow ball that you can put catnip into, and all of a sudden these two slightly elderly cats turn into raging crack fiends. Outside of that, little pieces of balled-up paper are their favorites.

The best thing really isn't the games I play with either one of them, but the games I see them playing with each other. When they were babies (and I was a neophyte cat owner), I'd try to seperate them if they fought. I didn't realize that they were playing. Now my boyfriend and I egg them on, because watching them wrestle is hilarious. The Siamese has a technique down and everything. She's a lot smaller than the tabby, but she has this great smack-to-the-top-of-the-head-followed-by-a-quick-turn-ass-on-the-face move that gets the other one every time. The most classic is when she does it to the bunny, who isn't as quick as the cats, and ends up just sitting there with a cat on her head.

[cali]

My cat is blind and his favorite games all have noise... loves the store bought toys with bells on them, and he'll bat them around for a while (until he loses it and then we have to shake it a little so he can find it again.)

He also likes to attack you as you're walking by, but since he can't see all you have to do is stop a step before him and he jumps out and attacks nothing. It's kind of mean that we laugh at him for that, as he's really good about anticipating where we should be

I really need to get a photo of him when he sits in the corner. He has a spot (where the dog lays a lot) that he will just sit in, but he's facing the corner so it looks like he's being punished.

The dog is getting older and doesn't play so much anymore. He loves anything with the hose, running with the kids and if he's outside when you're playing soccer, forget it, he's a damn good full back

[CaliGirl]

I love cats! They are their "own people." I know that sounds nuts, but I have found that out through living with many of them.

For a long time, I actually believed dogs were superior. What was I thinking? As much as I love dogs, especially labs and retrievers, I learned to appreciate the subtle behavior patterns of felines.

My first cat was a calico that I named Rosie. It went on from there and with each cat, I discovered different personalities.

Their favorite passtimes included sleeping, chasing anything that moved, sitting on laps, and egging each other on. Store bought toys did not amuse them in the least. They sniffed once and that was out of disdain.

The best thing about cats is that you don't have to walk them or entertain them. They know how to take care of themselves as long as you give them love.

[G.G.]

Heh heh...I'm glad there are others as insane as I. I have two cats and a dog and we have lots of fun lil games!

My big cat, Po Kitty, is older and not very affectionate, so he just likes it when I rub his belly. This pisses him off, he clutches my arm with all four legs and I say, "Ooooooooo....does the kitty wanna play wuff??" When I stop, he stalks me then rolls over in front of me till I do it again.

Vincent Van Gogh, the no-earred wonder cat, likes to play fetch. He has little sponge balls that I'll throw and he'll retrieve. He's the most hilarious thing - he sits and waits and watches that ball, almost like a hunting dog...heh heh. He's mommy's lil "tweet cat".

Bailey the dog is more manly. He of course likes to play fetch, but has 3 or 4 "babies" that he's eatent the stuffing out of and likes to play tug of war with. Every night before bed, though, he gives me his "handsome boy" look and I take in a deep breath and hold it. He barks and I let it out and he jumps on me. We do this over and over and over.

On the subject of cats, and particularly calico cats, there is a website called www.randycam.com that has a beautiful calico cat on it. It's a great site, originally started by Randy the cat who passed away. The new cat is Cali and there are some GREAT webcam shots as well as still photos.