Question of the Day, Sunday, April 9, 2017

[micknsnicks2mom]

Good morning! 

A few days ago, I discovered my cats cat toy stash, or more like the Bermuda Triangle for cat toys — under the stove in the kitchen. Since then, I’ve ‘rescued’ these same cat toys at least three times. Now I’m wondering if there are more stashes elsewhere in our home……

For today’s Question of the Day……

Do your cat(s) have any cat toy stashes? And, What have you found in their stashes?     (Can be cat toys, or items that kitty has decided are cat toys)

I’ll start!

My three cats have several cat toy stashes that I know of, and I’m sure other stashes that are as yet unknown to me. 

Included in their ‘under the stove’ stash were:  about a dozen (or more) toy mice — mostly the multicolored fur mice but also some that are suede and cloth, one red ball with bell, a multicolored and textured cube made of a reed-like material, one yellow play dice (Jackson Galaxy), a ‘catnip infused’ bow-shaped plastic toy, and a blue ‘Christmas tree light’ cat toy (one of our DeeDee’s favorites). The amount of toys in this stash seems to be getting smaller, as kitties run off with them to play.

There’s also the carpeted cat lounger in the kitchen, which all three cats love to bat toys under, then lay on their sides and reach under it to ‘fish out’ the toys. Checking under the lounger this morning, I found two toy mice — one pink, and one dark blue colored.

And then there’s the toy stash under one of my computer desks, way back under it near the wall. this morning, we have two hard foam balls, a squishy foam ball, and one pink puffy ball there.

Okay, now it’s your turn!

 

[Freedom]

Under the stove is not a 'stash,' so much as toys that got out of reach!  I used to have quite the collection of cat toys under my stove in the old home as well.  Here (moved in 2015) they don't seem to get toys under the stove.  And when I moved, I had to get a new sofa and a new TV stand.  My requirement:  MUST be up on legs, so the cats can retrieve their OWN toys!  LOL

 

[sivyaleah]

Under the stove here too.  Who knows if it's on purpose or not.

Under the dining room hutch is another.  That seems to be where most of the little balls and mice wind up.  

Last is under the dining room radiator. The floor has a slight slope so I think that's how things get back there.

Right now, we're missing Cocoa's favorite talking ball.  I'm sure it will show up under one of those 3 spots eventually.

 

[margd]

Chula and Paul hide catnip toys under the couch and under my bed.  There are also some plastic balls with bells inside somewhere but I have yet to find them.   It will probably take moving to find those.

 

[foxxycat]

  This is funny!! Honeybee bats her fuzzy rattle mice under the refrigerator. I bought a thin yard stick to fish them out. You should see her come hang out next to me when she hears the rattle of the ruler sliding under the refrigerator...she's sitting there ready to bat those puppies right back where they came from

 

Pumps put them in her wet food dish or water dish-not sure if she's trying to feed them/water them or telling me it's yucky!

Also find stuff under the sofa. We put my sofa up on wood blocks to make a cave for the girls=they like to put toys under there and sleep under there now that the couch is up an extra 6 inches. It's their own private apartment! Dark and cool and quiet.

Floey and pumps at my rental 12 years ago used to take turns batting stuff down the long hallway. Then I had a hutch where the rug would be all wound up in a mess from them riding it and hitting the hutch..and there's just a little area where the toy balls/mice can get in..which they would spend time trying to fish things out.

 

[neely]

Different stash hideaways for different cats but Neely was a true expert at hiding her beloved toys.  She also liked the strangest things, e.g. bathtub strainer.  She would jump in the bathtub and steal the strainer.  I actually bought extras at the hardware store since she loved to play with them but I rarely found where she stashed them. 

 Gizmo would sit on his toys like a bird on their nest.

 Sylvester hid everything under one of our daughter's beds.  Carleton likes the more common hiding places, e.g. under my husband's dresser, the family room sofa and the refrigerator.  We don't have to look too far for his stash since he sits in front of the dresser, sofa or fridge and meows. 

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Hekitty keeps most of her toys near her toybox, under the coffee table...I think.  I occasionally find one or two in odd places, but not an entire stash.

Now, BERRY,  the cat just prior to Hekitty, Berry would stash dead mice behind the sofa.  I had to check every day for them.

 

[Docs Mom]

The dishwasher ! Stormy plays and plays til they disappear.... I still can't find Zoey's little skinneez skunk, she's had it since she was a kitten. Or he will just carry them around and drop them random places.
We round things up and put them in the cubby of the cat tree. Then he can start the whole process over again...

20170123_185645.png

• Docs Mom
• Apr 9, 2017

 

[Norachan]

Every time I vacuum and move the sofa I find a pile of stuff. Usually pine cones, their crinkly silver balls and pencils.

Mia used to have a thing about my hair scrunchies. I used to find them buried in the flower pots out on the deck. She hasn't done that for a while. Maybe I'm just better at hiding my scrunchies these days.

 

[Kat0121]

Under my bed is where I find a lot of their toys.

Lilith has also been known to take things other than toys and stash them there. She used to be obsessed with DD's shower pouf. She'd take it from the bathroom and put it under my bed. Every time I put it back, she'd take it again. So finally I said, "OK. You want one? Here's one of your own." I took a new one, removed the tag and gave it to her. She took it, stashed it under the bed and then proceeded to go take DD's and put it beside the one I just gave her. 

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

 
Under the stove is not a 'stash,' so much as toys that got out of reach!  I used to have quite the collection of cat toys under my stove in the old home as well.  Here (moved in 2015) they don't seem to get toys under the stove.  And when I moved, I had to get a new sofa and a new TV stand.  My requirement:  MUST be up on legs, so the cats can retrieve their OWN toys!  LOL

very true!!! 

   i see our petite DeeDee laying on her side and reaching under the stove quite often, unable to retrieve the toy she batted under it.

 ahhh, that's smart -- new sofa and tv stand up on legs and kitties able to retrieve their own toys! 

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

 
Under the stove here too.  Who knows if it's on purpose or not.

Under the dining room hutch is another.  That seems to be where most of the little balls and mice wind up.  

Last is under the dining room radiator. The floor has a slight slope so I think that's how things get back there.

Right now, we're missing Cocoa's favorite talking ball.  I'm sure it will show up under one of those 3 spots eventually.

three very good cat toy stashes!!! 

poor Cocoa!! i hope you find her talking ball soon. with our Punky, it's her 'baby', a purple hedgehog-like cat toy. if i haven't seen her with it in a few days, i go looking for it. Punky is always overjoyed to see her baby again, playing enthusiastically with it for quite some time.

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

 
Chula and Paul hide catnip toys under the couch and under my bed.  There are also some plastic balls with bells inside somewhere but I have yet to find them.   It will probably take moving to find those.

under the couch and under your bed! great toy stash locations!!! 

   maybe your Chula and Paul have a secret toy stash......

 

[Freedom]

For those who find it a nuisance, there is a guard you can purchase to block the gap under the range, and keep the toys out.  Here is just one example:

http://www.harrietcarter.com/index....oductID/33b553d6-d709-4b32-88f4-e41f34cc73d7/

 

[Winchester]

Probably under the stove in the kitchen, under the hutch in the kitchen, or under Rick's bureau in the bedroom. 

When BooBoo was little I was forever fishing out his sparkly balls from under the kitchen stove. Usually right around 2:00 in the morning. He'd wake up, jump off the bed, and go find something to do. And we'd hear him playing with a ball out in the kitchen. And then we'd hear a forlorn MERRRROWWWWW! The ball went under the stove. That was my cue to get out of bed and come out to the kitchen, grab the yardstick from on top of the fridge, and swish it under the stove. I'd be lying flat on my belly and BooBoo would lie down on the kitchen floor right next to me so that he could watch. As soon as the ball came rolling back out from under the stove, he'd give a huge holler and go after it. And it wasn't just once or twice a night either. Sometimes several times. 

Remember Snoopy and his COWABUNGA! yell? Well, I always thought that's what Boo was yelling when the ball came shooting back out from under the stove. 

And when we'd move the stove out to clean behind it, there were balls galore under that thing. And meeces, too. The cats have always loved their Foster and Smith meeces. I would buy them in quantities of 50 and they used to come in a big cheese-shaped cardboard box. I haven't bought any in a while. And since Boo passed away, the last time we moved the stove out, there was nothing under it. That broke my heart. 

When we got my grandmother's hutch, the balls and the meeces used to go under that, too. But it's raised higher off the floor and, most of the time, they can get under themselves to get their toys.

Mollipop still plays with her favorite large pink mousie. She's had that pink mousie since she was a wee kitten and she still loves that thing. Sometimes it will go under Rick's bureau and then she'll start meowing until I get it out.

And it doesn't matter what time of the night it is. It is expected that I will get out of bed to find their toys. And yeah, it's a hassle. But deep down? I don't really mind it all that much.  

 Part of my cat-mom responsibilities.

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

 

  This is funny!! Honeybee bats her fuzzy rattle mice under the refrigerator. I bought a thin yard stick to fish them out. You should see her come hang out next to me when she hears the rattle of the ruler sliding under the refrigerator...she's sitting there ready to bat those puppies right back where they came from

 

Pumps put them in her wet food dish or water dish-not sure if she's trying to feed them/water them or telling me it's yucky!

Also find stuff under the sofa. We put my sofa up on wood blocks to make a cave for the girls=they like to put toys under there and sleep under there now that the couch is up an extra 6 inches. It's their own private apartment! Dark and cool and quiet.

Floey and pumps at my rental 12 years ago used to take turns batting stuff down the long hallway. Then I had a hutch where the rug would be all wound up in a mess from them riding it and hitting the hutch..and there's just a little area where the toy balls/mice can get in..which they would spend time trying to fish things out.

your Honeybee sounds like a very smart girl!!! 

   nice, using a thin yard stick to fish out the cat toys under your fridge! i use a long (about 2 1/2 to 3 feet) plastic rod -- was left over from something else here, to retrieve cat toys from under the stove......it hauls them all out in one swipe, as i imagine your yard stick does.

silly Pumps!!! 

    my Snick used to drop her toy mice into her water dish sometimes......

very cool!! 

   i like that idea, putting your sofa up on wood blocks. and made a great cave for your girls too!

that sounds like it was great fun for your Floey and Pumps! 

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

Different stash hideaways for different cats but Neely was a true expert at hiding her beloved toys. She also liked the strangest things, e.g. bathtub strainer. She would jump in the bathtub and steal the strainer. I actually bought extras at the hardware store since she loved to play with them but I rarely found where she stashed them.

Gizmo would sit on his toys like a bird on their nest.

Sylvester hid everything under one of our daughter's beds. Carleton likes the more common hiding places, e.g. under my husband's dresser, the family room sofa and the refrigerator. We don't have to look too far for his stash since he sits in front of the dresser, sofa or fridge and meows.

all sorts of interesting cat toy stashes!!! the bathtub strainer! that's a very unusual 'toy'!

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

Hekitty keeps most of her toys near her toybox, under the coffee table...I think. I occasionally find one or two in odd places, but not an entire stash.

Now, BERRY, the cat just prior to Hekitty, Berry would stash dead mice behind the sofa. I had to check every day for them.

very considerate of your Hekitty, to keep most of her toys near her toy box!!

uh oh! dead mice stashed behind the sofa! i've often wondered what our DeeDee and Punky would do if they ever caught a mouse. they're truly intrepid hunters, will catch, play with, then eat all bugs that get into our home. i'm pretty sure the girls would do the same with a mouse.

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

The dishwasher ! Stormy plays and plays til they disappear.... I still can't find Zoey's little skinneez skunk, she's had it since she was a kitten. Or he will just carry them around and drop them random places.
We round things up and put them in the cubby of the cat tree. Then he can start the whole process over again...

20170123_185645.png

• Docs Mom
• Apr 9, 2017

the dishwasher!!! a most excellent cat toy stash location! this reminds me that i haven't checked for cat toys under the dishwasher recently...

our Punky has a purple colored hedgehog-like cat toy that she's loved since she was a kitten. i keep an eye on her 'baby', to make sure it hasn't gotten misplaced. we're lucky that i have a spare, a pink colored one, because i haven't been able to find them anywhere -- i worry that eventually Punky will wear it out, and she absolutely adores that toy.

great idea there!!!