Queen and Latifa

Remember Bob?

Bob is the cat toy that 'Tifa loves to give a good kicking.

I arrived home this evening to discover this:

The Diva Kitty is clearly proud of her achievement!

Poor Bob!

In the space of two weeks, 'Tifa has managed to disembowel poor old Bob. I'd use the term 'long suffering' to describe Bob, but realistically, he has been abused so constantly over the last couple of weeks, that 'frequently' is probably more apt that 'long'. At least he's been put out his misery now, right?

Actually, no.

After I threw away the stuffing, 'Tifa still loves to give the empty 'skin' of poor Bob a kicking, and continues to abuse him! It appears that his torture is far from over.

Poor Bob!

M x

Meet Bob:

Bob

I purchased Bob on a whim last weekend when I was in Wilkos for more cat litter, and I walked past the toys and treats. I named him Bob as a whim too. After I bought Bob, I scolded myself because 'Tifa isn't bothered by cat toys other than the fishing rod interactive type ones, and she'd ignore Bob. Or so I thought.

I presented 'Tifa with Bob (who has a chord that if you pull, he'll speed off along the floor). She eyed him up momentarily and then pounced on him! I looked on incredulously: since when did she like toys like this? Still, it at least meant that Bob wasn't a waste of 99p.

Over the last week, 'Tifa has decided that she really likes Bob. She thoroughly enjoys giving Bob a damned good kicking. Bob has been whacked and clawed and kicked and tossed across the whole flat. I keep finding Bob in different rooms: every time I stop paying attention or go out, he's been beaten up and chased into another room! It's very cute when 'Tifa gets Bob stuck in her claws and shakes him off like a comedy cartoon crab on someone's finger. When she does this and Bob finally comes unstuck, she wangs him incredibly far distances and this amuses me.

I wonder why 'Tifa likes Bob so much? Bob is larger than any other cat toy of a similar type that she's ever had, so that might be it? Maybe he has catnip inside him? Perhaps the shape of him, which lends itself to bouncing about when he is wanged, is what makes him appealing? Or is it simply because he has a cute, squished up face?

Whatever the reason for my kitty liking Bob, I'm pleased that 'Tifa has a new 'friend'. But poor old Bob!

M x

I really think that 'Tifa has a 6th sense for when I have some string.

The two times that I have been working with string since I got my kitty, she has, within seconds, arrived on the scene and disrupted me. I was making a fishing rod for a garden gnome outfit (long story - I have peculiar friends) in March and she was so into the string that I had to remove her from the room and shut the door. Then last week I was restringing a picture frame, and she was instantly there having a go at the string making it impossible to do what I was doing. Alas, kitty was once again removed and shut out.

On both occassions she'd been in the other room totally ignoring me until I got the string out. There was no way that she could visually know that I had string, yet she was there within seconds on both occassions. Seriously, the diva kitty has string radar: I'm convinced...

M x

Silly puss!

I have previously mentioned that 'Tifa doesn't like any cat toys other than string. I have subsequently invested in a fab interactive cat toy which is a cute little fishing rod with a cuddley fish at the end. She loves it, and I love to play with her. Hooray for the diva kitty being lovely!

So, yes, she's not really interested in any other cat toys. So why in the world does the crazy kitty give my specs such attention if I take them off to read, and put them down to the side of me on the sofa? She bounds up, and goes right for them attacking them with the gusto she only usually reserves for the cuddley fish! Of all the things to be interested in, why does she have to be interested in my specs? I'd be utterly lost without them, so it's not like I can be laid back about her playing with them. She's incensed when I take them off her too. I've had to resort to keeping them in a case in a drawer overnight to stop her attacking them! It's just bizarre that nothing else ever interests her to play with except my specs!

Mad cat!

M x

When I got 'Tifa, I wanted her to be happy. As such, I bought a load of toys for her.

I presented her with a ping pong ball: utter indifference.

I presented her with a plastic cage with a bell inside: utter indifference.

I presented her with feathery dangley thing: utter indifference.

I presented her with a brightly coloured cuddley mouse: minor interest, then utter indifference.

So I thought, 'fair enough, puss don't like toys and isn't a particularly playful kitty. That's fine, she's pretty and likes being stroked. As such, I stopped giving her things.

A few days later, I was working with some string, and 'Tifa enthusiastically bounded over and started to gleefully and enthusiastically attack the dangling string. I was elated! So I dangled the string in front of her, and she was loving it! Hooray! She spent a good 20 minutes being adorably cute chasing, attacking, and pouncing upon said string. So I'd cracked it! Purely by accident.

Just goes to show that you don't need to spend money on stuff to keep a kitty entertained.  In a similar vein to kids who love the cardboard box that the expensive present was is, my kitty is much more interested in a dangled piece of mundane string than any manufactured cat toy! Good for her! I loved cardboard boxes when I was a kid!

M x