Prissy, my older tuxedo cat, has been in need of some proper exercise, and I've been determined to help her get it.
Now I've tried rolling balls across the floor, but she's not interested. Catnip provides all of 3.5 seconds of frenzy before she passes out. Kitty wands just make me look silly as i try to cast the magical spell of entertainment on my uninterested kitty. Laser lights are useless, and the noises that remote controlled mice makes scares her away before she can even become interested.
My husband, being the big kid that he is, brought home a $30 RC helicopter. Afraid that the noise and motion would terrify Miss Priss, I made him take the tiny fragile thing outside to play with it. But the winds were too strong and after he landed it on the roof (twice) he came back in and flew it around the living room. Much to my surprise, Prissy came tearing around the corner of the couch in a deadly looking crouch, saring up at the flying invader in her territory.
For the next 45 minutes, my husband played divebomb with the cat, bringing the plastic and styrofoam "bird" nearly into Prissy's reach, and my arthritic cat forgot everything else and focused on killing the thing, regardless of how noisy it was. When the battery finally wore out and the chopper landed on it's side on the floor, prissy went over beside it and sat down. She took turns patting it with her paw and looking at my husband and i like she was asking "why won't it get up? Make it work!"
It was one of the cutest things I've ever seen her do, and it amuses my hubby to no end. It's a game he has yet to get tired of playing.
Now I've tried rolling balls across the floor, but she's not interested. Catnip provides all of 3.5 seconds of frenzy before she passes out. Kitty wands just make me look silly as i try to cast the magical spell of entertainment on my uninterested kitty. Laser lights are useless, and the noises that remote controlled mice makes scares her away before she can even become interested.
My husband, being the big kid that he is, brought home a $30 RC helicopter. Afraid that the noise and motion would terrify Miss Priss, I made him take the tiny fragile thing outside to play with it. But the winds were too strong and after he landed it on the roof (twice) he came back in and flew it around the living room. Much to my surprise, Prissy came tearing around the corner of the couch in a deadly looking crouch, saring up at the flying invader in her territory.
For the next 45 minutes, my husband played divebomb with the cat, bringing the plastic and styrofoam "bird" nearly into Prissy's reach, and my arthritic cat forgot everything else and focused on killing the thing, regardless of how noisy it was. When the battery finally wore out and the chopper landed on it's side on the floor, prissy went over beside it and sat down. She took turns patting it with her paw and looking at my husband and i like she was asking "why won't it get up? Make it work!"
It was one of the cutest things I've ever seen her do, and it amuses my hubby to no end. It's a game he has yet to get tired of playing.