Queen and Latifa

I'm not very good at it.

I've been told that some people flick their kitty's nose when s/he does something naughty as a form of discipline so that the cat know that it was bad and associates it with badness happening to them. Thing is, I'm really not sure personally that I agree with this practice. Smacking a child does no permanent physical damage, but it's still not a nice thing to do to a defenceless person whom the parent is clearly stronger than. Is this all that different from flicking a cat's nose? It's not a nice thing to do to a defenceless animal that the owner is clearly stronger than.

'Tifa is oftentimes naughty, but rarely to the point where I might consider it needs physical behavioural treatment. However, the other day she was sat in my lap, and totally randomly leapt up, grabbed my arm with both paws, and dug her claws in scratching a couple of three inch long lacerations down my arm. With hindsight, it was probably playful and I misconstrued it as aggressive, because on inspection after the event, the cuts weren't very deep at all. However, the shock and initial pain made me quite upset, and the idea of flicking her nose came into my head.

So I hovered my hand in front of her as I contemplated whether or not I actually agree with this practice. I decided that I didn't, and was mildly ashamed at even thinking about it. However, I was punished for my bad thoughts by the diva kitty: she swiped at me and took a chunk out of my palm. And to be honest, I think I deserved it: flicking my Princess's nose is not my style, and after this incident, I sincerely doubt that even the thought of it will enter my head again.

M x

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'm posting another vid because people have said to me how much they enjoyed the last one.

A few weeks after adopting her (and before I realised that the only cat toy she was interested in was the interactive fishing rod thing), I was sat in my front room with 'Tifa. I wanted to play and thought that she might like to chase a ping pong ball. 'Tifa had other ideas.

I like this video: it's pretty indicative of our relationship as a whole...

M x