Conference misery::feline_v1

    Re .0:
    
    >Is this unusual for a cat,I mean with them being independent,and
    >having a short attention span, and all to act as if they were traind
    >to fetch like a dog?
     
    Cats _are_ independent, though they don't have a short attention
    span when it comes to something that interests them (a cat staring
    at the door [to get through it] can maintain that stare for _hours_
    if need be).  My Merlin, and Nianinne before him, were natural (self-
    trained) "fetchers."
    
    But they train _you_; that's the difference.
    
    Steve Kallis, Jr.

    Argus J. Pussycat, Esq. has trained me to  play fetch with a write
    ring. Unfortunatly, he doesn't want to play when we have company
    (I guess he doesn't want to be a "show-off").
    
    Deb

    
    Cat? Short attention span?  You have GOT to be kidding! ;-) Have you
    ever watched your cat stalk a mouse, insect, or other creature
    (imaginary or real)?  Have you ever watched your cat's eyes trained on
    the food dish... or on the can of cat food as it is removed from the
    cupboard, carried to the can opener, opened, spooned into the dish and
    carried to the floor?  How about eyes trained on you while you're
    eating ice cream or some other delicacy?  Once my cats get an idea in
    their head, they are STUBBORN and don't lose interest easily at all! 
    
    It's all an illusion...  and I agree with Steve.  He has YOU trained,
    don't doubt it for a minute! :-)
    
    Amy.
    

Our kitties prefer the sponge golf balls.  They are easy to hold in the paws 
and in the mouth.  This encourages them to carry the balls, but you have to 
play with them *alot*.  And, of course, they fetch when they feel like it and 
love to make you frustrated by sitting next to the ball, looking back at
you with a cocked head and blinking eyes, and watching you go into hysterics ...
apparantly saying "what are you doing?".

We had a plastic "O" ring for a while (it is now buried treasure).  It was 
really funny to watch Addison try to figure out how to carry it back to us 
without stepping on it.  He finnally triumphed and would parade around the 
house with it in his mouth ... until he buried it (sigh).

    My Luther is an absolute nut about plastic. He loves to hear it
    crackle, often at 3AM. However above just plain plastic he love
    plastic bags knotted into a ball. He brings it to me to throw into
    the air so he can leap up to get it. He has been known, on his more
    energetic times, to touch the ceiling. 
    
    Another trick he has is to wake me up in the middle of the night 
    crinkling his "ball" in my ear letting me know he want to play.
    I of course have attempted to hide the "balls". Last spring I hid
    one in the drawer of my night table. About 2 weeks ago after much noise,
    while I was trying to get to sleep of course, I all of a sudden
    hear the plastic crinkle. Luther had figured out how to open the
    drawer and get to the "ball". 
    
    nancy

    The matriarch of my household, Mrs. Beal, taught me how to play
    fetch with her when she was a baby.  Her favorite toy has always
    been a plastic straw.  The kind that bends (it's easier to pick
    up).  She decided that the best time to play with it was about 1
    hour before I need to wake up (ARGGG!).  Naturally the best place
    is on my bed....  I started throwing it off the bed, and she started
    bringing it back - over and over again.  She will now "fetch" from
    any location, at any time.  It's not too awful to wake up early
    when there's a furry purring thing hopping around.....
    
    Molly

    
    
    	T.K. fetches too!!  Only he is a real cool dude and he likes
    	to fetch beer caps!  Mich Light caps to be specific.  Whenever
    	he hears a beer open he comes running to the person who opened
    	it up and wants it to be thrown for him.  One day we were having
    	a party and T.K. was sitting next to my friend on the couch
    	when he opened a beer.  I was in the process of opening my mouth
    	to warn him not to throw the beer cap across the coffee table
    	but was too late.  He threw it and T.K. flew after it scattering
    	potato chips and pretzels everywhere!!  Cleaning up the next
    	day we found at least 20 beer caps on the floor.  
    
    	When he wants to play all he does is find a beer cap somewhere
    	and brings it to me to throw.  He's a real character.  He likes
    	it best if you sit at the top of the stairs and throw it down.
    	
        T.K. has also been known to fetch the sponge golf balls and
    	tin foil balls, but only if he can't find a beer cap.
    
    	Wonder if he could be in a Michelob Light commercial - kinda
    	like Spuds??
    
    	Karen Luby
    	
    	

    Nippa loves to fetch socks, espicially red ones.  She also has her
    (or was it mine) stuffed bunny she loves to play with.  Someone
    can throw it down the stairs, and she brings it right back.  
    
    How many kitties have discovered the springy door stops on the base
    boards.  Nippa loves to make them go "spprrooooiiinnngggggg" espicially
    at odd hours of the night...

    Aja fetches the little round thingies from plastic milk containers.
    All I have to do is drop one on the floor in order to summon her
    out of the fourth dimension. After I toss it, she kills her 'prey'
    by sitting on it for a couple of seconds. Then she brings it to
    me, proudly announcing the kill with a little trill....
    
    BTW - Aja no longer lives with me. She has moved into a paper bag
    condo of her own. It's a cute little place, situated on the couch
    with a breath-taking view of the coffe-table. Since she's quite
    the homebody, I only see her now when she's "out on the town" in
    search of gourmet cuisine.
    
    Edd

    Another vote for the 'little round thingies' from plastic milk
    or water gallons.  My cat plays 'hockey' with them first, then brings 
    them back to me for the 'face-off'!  She'll also fetch her toy
    mouse that's stuffed with catnip - but she only brings it back
    after she's mutilated it with some 'rabbit kicks' and a few 
    chews on the nose.
    
    I had another cat who would fetch sticks - I would play with him 
    on the front lawn, and throw small twigs or sticks for him to 'kill' 
    and bring back to me.  He tried it with small pine cones, but I don't
    think he really liked the taste since he usually dropped them
    before he reached me.
    

    Carrington is a Himalayan "paw-hockey" player. He loves the plastic
    rings from milk bottles, which he also fetches. Sometimes, this
    gets reversed and I end up doing the fetching...typical.
    
    Colby, however, seldom moves from his window ledge...as a matter
    of fact, he almost never moves at all...also typical!
    
    Chris
    (mother of Carrington and Colby)
    
    

    And here I thought I had the only one who fetched.  :-)
    
    D.P. is my first experience of a cat that actually fetches; he loves
    the plastic balls with a bell in them.  Usually you get 3 in a pack;
    he's so far lost 2 someplace in the house.  He begs for that ball
    especially in the morning when I'm having my coffee.  He's leaped
    into the air to try to catch it with his large double paws.  Brings
    it right back to me, drops it at my feet and wraps his two paws
    around my leg to say, "Well, don't just sit there, throw it for
    me!"
    
    Another of his favorite toys is the cap from a pepsi bottle.  I
    can't leave the cap on the counter (even hidden) as he somehow knows
    it's there and soon gets hold of it.  Since I'm afraid of his mouth
    getting cut on these caps, I try to discourage him from playing
    with this toy and do discard it.  Then he decides to "play tag"
    with Holly (my spayed female cat).  :-)
    
    Pat, D.P., Holly, & Buffy
    

    re: .12
    
    At last, someone can get some use out of those balls with bells.
    Trouble refuses to play with them.  I have tried everything I can
    think of.  I tied one to the end of a ribbon, but she looked at
    me like I was crazy.  I have tried throwing them for her.  I even
    put one in a tissue box, but she just ignored it.  If you want them,
    let me know your mail stop and I will send them to you.  
    
    Speaking of playing, is it normal for a 6 year old cat to not play?
    I can't even get her interested in a kitty tease.  All she seems
    to want to do is sleep, sit on the sofa and look out, and go in
    the basement.  Is my cat weird or what?  
    
    Bernice

    Both Witch and her daughter Banshee are soccer players.  They love
    the wiffle golf balls and will play soccer with me.  Sometimes they
    will start the game, sometimes I do.  They will bat the ball right
    back  to my foot and wait for me to kick it across the room to start
    all over.
    
    Re: .13
    Bernice,
    When was the last time trouble was checked or did she never play
    since you got her?  None of the dozen or so that live with me are
    completely sedentary.
    
    Frank

    re: .13
    
    My Pip is about 6 and she is just as playfull as a kitten. On the
    other hand Argus (5 years old) doesn't like to be *seen* playing;
    I guess it just isn't dignified. I think it somewhat depends on
    the cat........
    
    deb

    re: .14   Frank,
    
    Trouble has not really played since I've had her (about 6 mos. now).
    She was taken to the vet in June or July for her yearly exam, and
    the vet said she was fine.  
    This whole topic should probably go in a note of its own, but I 
    thought I would ask.  
    
    Bernice