Conference misery::feline_v1

	Fyi, we did the same thing, and found that we needed to replace
	the fishing line with soft cord, since the line is very strong
	and could hurt a cat which had wrapped itself up in it ( C.C.
	does this all the time).  We later found a 'Kitty Tease' at a
	cat show, which is lighter for us to handle, and the cats love
	it even more :^}

	Sandy

    I just recently found another really good toy.  It's basically a 
    3 foot piece of piano wire with paper? or cardboard? twists on the
    end.  The wire is thick enough that they can't get cut, and they're
    fascinated by the motion.  I love it!  And more importantly, so do
    the cats!
    
    Karen, Tenzing and Ryan.

    
    RE: .2  It's called a CAT DANCER and it is great!  Most cats just
    love it.  I like it because you can hold the end and play with them 
    or stick the end in a drawer or under something heavy and they can play 
    by themselves. 
    
    

    My husband came up with this one - a home made job that all three of
    mine have flipped over.
    
    We've had a lot of pigons on our roof and quite a few feathers have
    been left behind (to the kid's delight) so Richard saved a few choice
    plumes, cleaned them up and strung string through the quil.
    
    I couldn't figure out what the comotion was all about and there were
    three of them taking off down the hall chasing this dumb thing - and
    when they pounce on it - well - god only knows what they think they've
    captured but they just don't want to give it up.  We have to hide it
    when we're through pulling it through the house.
    
    For the moment, this seems to have turned into their favorite toy!
    
    Giudi 

    We seem to have come up with a home made version also - although that
    was definitly NOT the intention.
    
    Over the holidays, I decided to pull out all the yarn I have collected
    over the years.  Only true knitters, etc. can imagine how much that
    might be.  Well, I am hoping to find a loom to start weaving at home
    soon, so I wanted to organize all this yarn in preparation.  The only
    thing I didn't take in to account was that 5 cats might think this was
    a fun exercise as well!!!
    
    I have ushered each cat out the door more times than I can count at
    this point for their efforts at "helping" Mom.  They sure think this is
    kitty heaven......
    
    Ellen

re: .5

yarn...yep, that would be fun...however, in a house with no knitters, Mandycat
(aka The Flash) has determined what is almost as much fun...my nylon drawer.
I have drawers on the floor of the closet in which I keep my undies, etc.
One drawer is devoted to nylons, both pantyhose and knee-hi socks.  I tie
my knee-hi socks together when I take them off so I can always find a pair
by simply reaching into the drawer and pulling out a sock...well, the flash
has decided that these make superior cat toys -- and the other cats are
beginning to agree with her.  The problem is the drawers have a little
whole in them to allow a grip for opening...a hole that is JUST kitty paw
sized.  I cannot keep her out of the socks.  I close the sliding doors of
the closet, but Nicholas, one of the big cats, has his bunk bed shelves in
the closet and HE knows how to open the closet.  All Mandy has to do is
bat her big blue eyes at him and he opens that closet door, she zips in and
fishes out several pairs of socks, and the cats all have fun all day.
My roommate and I come home to my stockings all over the house.

Who needs to spend money on cat toys?  I just have to keep replacing my
socks -- after Mandycat is through with them, the little teethmarks are
real easy to start runs, you see....in fact, two pair simply desintegrated
when I put them on.

    I think yarn can cause obstructions in the intestines....
    

    Another home-made toy -
    
         Put a marble or bell inside a L'eggs "egg" - electrical tape the
         egg closed so that your furface won't eat the marble/bell and away
         they go!  The "egg" rolls erratically because of it's shape and the
         furfaces think their prize is trying to get away from them.  The
         noise inside just keeps their attention a little longer.  
    
    I had the "eggs" in my crafts cabinet for Easter decorations, but Furfie
    found them and now he insists that they are his.  I just fixed them up
    a little and let him have them.  There's about 15 "eggs" in my kitchen so
    watch where you step.
    
    -g
        

    You know those "magic balls" - small - about the size of ping pong ball
    - made out of some sort of rubber that keeps them bouncing for ever -
    they bounce erratically in all different directions - it drives my
    kitties crazy.  When I first tried it out on them Gino wouldn't get
    near it because he couldn't figure it out - he just watched it bounce
    and bounce - head going up and down - Pippin trills to it and Stitch
    chases it all over the house - when it hits the stairs and starts to
    skip steps and bounce on it's own - the cat follows in kind.
    
    

    re: .9 - Yes, those are known, in my house, as "cat balls".  We have
    at least 100 hiding in various areas around the house.
    
    Mao is exceptionally good at catching them mid-air and batting them
    back to you.

    OH - if you have shower doors instead of shower curtains you can place
    your furface in the tub and start the catball bouncing.  It ricochets
    all over the place.  Mao will bat it around forever!

    
    Benjamin loves my yo-yo.  He informed last week, that it's not a 
    'mommy' toy.  It's a 'Benjamin' toy.  (Man can he wreck a great 
    'walk the dog').  
    
    Benjamin's FAVORITE toy though (even better than all his balls
    with bells inside, and all the strings and , and , and ,) is 
    mommy's nail polish bottles.  If I happen to leave on on a bureau
    or table, Ben knocks it off and chases it around the apartment 
    (hardwood floors, those bottles slide good, especially the cylinder
    shaped ones!).  
    
    dm

    Mocha doesn't play often but put a ping pong ball in the bath
    tub and he too will play there for hours. If it goes outside
    of the shower curtain he will put it in his mouth, jump back into
    the tub and start again. (I let him do this as each day we are
    subjected to the little boy next door playing with his boats
    and stuff in his bath for a good hour at least.) The two himmies
    run and hide when Mocha does this as the noise scares them so 
    much.
    
    Mr. Miyagi has his mouses and cat nip pillow (Hadeligh House
    and industructable). One mouse came with him when he came to
    live with us and it has a long sneaker shoe lace tied around it's
    neck and this goes everywhere with him. When he brings it downstairs
    at night when I am watching TV I hear this funny noise and sure
    enough down he comes with the mouse in his mouth talking all the
    time and he places the mouse at my feet and just continues talking
    without skipping a beat.  (Can you tell this is propaganda for any
    one thinking of taking in an older cat?) He is the most outstanding
    of all my three. No amount of money or precious jewels could make
    me part with Mr. Miyagi.
    
    Ming doesn't play with a toy most of the time just runs around
    with the "crazies" and amuses herself.
    
    Barbara and her 3M's