Manna is our little troublemaker. There has got to be one in every crowd I think. One of Manna’s favorite tricks is to sneak up to Cinco when he is least expecting it and bite him on the scruff of his neck. I have a feeling that she was about to do just that when I snuck up on her with the camera (Cinco is the one that is sleeping). What do you think, is that a devious face?
What could be more fun than bubbles?! My homemade bubble wand and bubbles didn’t work out as well as I would have liked, but Cinco and Manna loved it. This week, rather than my usual trick of playing with the cats with one hand while simultaneously taking pictures of them with the other hand, Dave (my husband) took the pictures.
Manna could barely wait for the bubbles to leave the wand before she attacked them.
Get those bubbles Manna!
Cinco felt that the bubbles were a dirty nasty trick. He sniffed one and it popped, squirting him with soapy water. “These things are not to be trusted.” – Cinco
“Where did it go? It was here a second ago…”
“I will get you, you strange magical orb!” – Manna
Manna getting ready to pounce the bubbles.
“I wonder if I can catch it on my paw…” – Manna
Playful Kitty is moving to self-hosting! I’ve been very busy designing the new site at http://www.playfulkitty.net . It is coming along great and we should be ready to completely transfer over by next week. Playful Kitty’s Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+ accounts will not be changing. You will need to visit the new site to subscribe to the new Playful Kitty by WordPress reader, Bloglovin’, or email. All of those subscribe buttons are already functioning on the new site if you want to subscribe now (excuse my mess if you do visit).
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“Niptoon Noir”
Starring: Cinco and Manna
Make sure you stop by Blogpaws and nominate all of your favorite blogs today! Click this link to go to the nominations. There are lots of great categories and who wouldn’t want to win an award for their blog?! I will be finishing up a few last nominations today too 🙂
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Engaging with your cat doesn’t have to be an expensive task. Most of the time, cats even prefer less expensive toys over more expensive toys. There are a lot of things that you probably have in your home already that could put your cat on cloud 9. Try out a few of these ideas:
The plastic ring that comes attached to the lid of your milk jug can provide hours of entertainment for your cat. There is no extra cost for this toy! These are especially fun on uncarpeted flooring where they can easily slide around. Toss it or roll it to the kitty and let the fun begin. These can be used independently by the cat or as toys for interactive play.
Every time you purchase a fountain drink from a local fast food restaurant or party store you receive these. They can also be purchased inexpensively at most grocery stores. If it came with your favorite drink, simply give it a good wash and it’s ready to become a cat toy! Straws are best used as interactive toys. Wriggle the straw around in front of your cat as if it were a mouse’s tail. Move it around underneath a bed sheet or poke it out from under a pillow or couch cushion. Cats love to capture straws!
If you are a crafter, you probably have a few spools of ribbon sitting around. If you aren’t too picky about the color or brand, it is pretty easy to find cheap spools of ribbon at craft stores and in garage sales. I like to cut a piece of ribbon that is long enough to drag a few feet behind me if I hold it in my hand while I am walking. Just hold one end of the ribbon and walk slowly, letting the ribbon drag past your cat. It makes a great chase toy! You could also sit in one spot, have the ribbon stretched out across the floor in front of you, and pull the ribbon toward yourself in an uneven rhythm.
As a bonus, you can place a disposal plastic straw over one end of the ribbon and tie a knot in the ribbon so the straw doesn’t come off. Cats have an easier time grabbing and manipulating the straw than just the ribbon itself. Ribbons are an interactive toy only – don’t leave this out where your cat can get to it unsupervised.
Wad up any piece of paper and let ‘er rip! Junk mail works great! Just make sure that the ball is small enough and balled tightly enough for your cat to bat around easily. Cinco and Manna also like balls of aluminum foil. If you are lucky, you may even get a good game of fetch going with one of these awesome toys. You can lace them with catnip too if you don’t mind a little nip on your floor. If you have a paper licker/eater, you may want to stay away from using paper that has ink on it. Otherwise, balls of paper are good for independent or interactive play.
This doesn’t really need an explanation with all of the photos out there. Cats love to play with boxes. It doesn’t really matter how large or how small the box is. You can even put them together and cut holes between them to make “tunnels.” Boxes tend to be an independent toy, but there are ways to use them for interaction.To make this toy interactive, try using a disposable plastic straw to peek up over the edge of the box while the cat is inside.
Any paper bag will do; the ones that you carry groceries home in, the one from your favorite department store, the ones you use when you take a lunch to work, etc. Cats love the crinkle of paper bags. These can work in the same way boxes do, but they can allow for a little more interaction because you can actually poke the cat through the bag. As I’ve mentioned before, it is fun to put a cellphone on vibrate inside a paper bag and call it from another phone. Cats love to try and figure out what is inside the bag. Paper bags can be used for both independent or interactive play. Plastic bags are not recommended because of the potential for suffocation.
Okay, you may not have this at home already. However, if you don’t need anything fancy, you can find simple laser pointers for under $10. Here’s one at Walmart for $6.56 : Ethical Pet Single Dot Laser. Let that little Red Dot race around the room and your cat will follow. These simple lasers are interactive only by nature of the product. There are more expensive versions available that will turn on and play with the cat for you.
Feathers can be found inexpensively in craft stores and free in the homes of bird owners. I am not suggesting that you pluck someone’s bird, just that you ask them to save any long feathers that the bird plucks out on its own. Birds make feathery messes every day. I’m not suggesting the feathers of wild birds either because you don’t know what germs, diseases, or parasites might be on them. Feathers are used much in the same way that disposable plastic straws are used. Touching the feather to the cat’s nose or paws can be fun too. Feathers are much more fun as an interactive toy than a independent toy.
Once again I’m taking a little time to show off my creative side. Cinco and Manna inspire me in a lot of different ways. In my post Unforgettable Kitty Moments #recipeformoments (published this past Saturday), I describe just a few of the moments that have really impacted me. Today’s post is much lighter – some goofy little limericks about cats.
A cat owner really should know
Cats follow wherever you go
If you try to go pee
They all want to see
You might as well make it a show.
Manna and Cinco “the stare”
There once was a cat very tall
Who spotted a box very small
He knew he could fit
And determined to sit
He squeezed himself into a ball.
Cousin Cuddles in a little box
Cuddles went OTRB this past summer
In the night oft’ I do rouse
To find my cat running the house
She sings every morning
And without a warning
She brings me her favorite toy mouse
Manna enjoying a toy mouse
On a shelf sat knick-knacks galore
And not the kind easily to bore
The cat made a game
And down each one came
Saying “I’ve decorated the floor!”
Cinco knocking things off of his daddy’s dresser.
Do you have kitty cat limericks to share? I would LOVE to see them. 🙂
Anyone trespassing will be subject to Kitty Kung Fu.
Cinco and Manna have agreed to demonstrate their fierceness. A red ribbon (sometimes having a plastic straw on it) will be playing the part of the Trespasser. Mouse over the images for a description of the action.
So there!
* Yes, the white chair belongs to the cats.
*Never leave a long stringy toy with cats unsupervised.
Click here to go the nominations.
It is time to nominate your favorite pet blogs for BlogPaws’ Nose-to-Nose awards! Nominations are open until Wednesday, February 12, 2014 (that is next Wednesday). No voting will be necessary and you can nominate as many blogs for each category as you would like.
If you would like to nominate Playful Kitty, we would be thrilled 🙂 This is a really incredible opportunity for a new blog like this one. Here is the information you would need to nominate us:
Playful Kitty’s homepage link : https://playfulkitty.wordpress.com
Contact name for Playful Kitty: Robin Mudge
Email for Playful Kitty: robinsplayfulkitties@hotmail.com
Playful Kitty’s Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/robinsplayfulkitties
Playful Kitty’s Twitter Page: http://www.twitter.com/theplayfulkitty
Categories Playful Kitty is qualified for:
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This photo doesn’t need much of an explanation. Manna is a silly girl. What do you think made her laugh this hard?
Everyone knows that cats sleep for about 15 hours per day, but did you know that cats need at least 30 minutes of vigorous play everyday to stay physically and mentally healthy? There are some things that you should know about being a playful kitty. Manna gives a great demonstration of play at the end of the post.
Cinco and Manna (when she was a baby) playing together.
Cinco playing Catfishing by Friskies on my cell phone
Don’t know what to play with? Here are some really fun ideas:
Pet supply stores have aisles worth of toys you can choose from if none of the toys above suit your fancy. Keep in mind that cats often like the cheap (or free) toys that you already have at home as much or more than they like expensive toys from the store. Moving a toy mouse or a plastic straw around under a blanket can be the source of hours of entertainment. Cats tend to like playing “fetch” as well.
Manna’s favorite game – wrestling with her daddy.
*Cat behavior specialist do not recommend using your hands as toys.*
Cinco chasing the red dot
Manna wanted to put together a video demonstrating interactive play with a disposable plastic straw. How could I deny her? 😉
I was just sitting there in my apartment when all of the sudden that evil little devil known only as “The Red Dot” appeared and attacked me! He cackled and in his most evil of voices announced “Haha! Now Playful Kitty shall be mine! All will know the power of The Red Dot!”
“Oh no!” I cried. “You will never win Red Dot! You will never win! Somebody save me!”
*Cue Theme Music*
This is a job for :
“Look it’s Mighty Manna and Super Cinco!” I said. “The Playful Kitty Revengers!”
“You will never stop me Playful Kitty Revengers!” The Red Dot said and he laughed his evil laugh.
“Your days are numbered, Red Dot!” said Mighty Manna. She swooped in and chased him all over the carpet, moving with incredible ease from right to left. Finally she cornered the Red Dot between her paws.
Mighty Manna lifted her paw to strike the final blow when the Red Dot made his escape. He always was a crafty little critter.
“Ta-ta Mighty Manna!” Said the Red Dot as he climbed up onto the white chair.
“Oh no you don’t!” Said Super Cinco landing squarely on top of the Red Dot while he was still looking back at Mighty Manna. “Nobody messes with my Mommy!”
“Mouses!” The Red Dot exclaimed. “My evil plan has been foiled again by you pesky kitties!”
Super Cinco gave blew one of his Super Raspberries at the Red Dot to seal the defeat.
“Until we meet again Revengers!” The Red Dot said as he faded out of sight.
This is a Blog Hop!
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Cinco and Manna are my furkids; I consider them family even though we are not the same species. I love them very much. Typically I show them that I love them by caring for their needs, petting them, letting them sleep on me, giving them gifts (cat toys and treats mostly), playing games with them, and not going completely pscyho on them when they throw up a hairball on something really important (dry-clean-only clothing, tax documents, electronic devices, my lap, etc) . If someone says or does something I don’t like to or about my cats, you can bet I’ll come to my cats’ defense. Nobody messes with my kitties! 🙂
It’s pretty safe to say that most cat owners (and owners of other types of pets) can relate my feelings about my cats. Bonding with your pets is a perfectly normal thing to do. Who wouldn’t fall in love with such cute, affectionate animals? However, there are some people who have taken their expressions of love for their cats way above and beyond protocol.
Feel free to try any of these yourself!
Back in December, Reddit and the Huffington Post came together to give us this guy:
Photo courtesy of the Huffington Post
Yeah, sorry, you can’t unsee that. Hopefully his cat was proud. Love is always about giving a little of yourself….
Out of the 4, this is the least crazy, but it is still really funny. This slightly intoxicated man chose to show his love for his cat by singing him “Kiss From A Rose” by Seal. Then he posted his ballad of love on Youtube so the whole world would know.
One of Playful Kitty’s followers gave me this terrific link yesterday. To sum it up, a physicist (Jack Hetherington) was working on publishing an important paper for the scientific community and needed a co-author, so he named his cat (F.D.C. Willard).Who knew kitties knew so much about low temperature physics?! Later, Hetherington would go on to publish another scientific paper – listing his cat as the only author! Any discoveries that were proven to be true, would be credited to the cat.
You read it right – get married to your cat. There is a website based in the U.K. called Marry Your Pet, that will allow to marry your cat (or other pet) right then and there. A marriage certificate will cost you only 10 British Pounds. Other marriage packages are also available giving you a t-shirt and a lovely plaque. In How Crazy Is This? I Married My Cats!, an article on Catster, Barbarella Buchner sings the praises of her 10 year marriage to her cats. She even got a tattoo recognizing their partnership.
I have to admit that I do sing to the cats – and dance with them. What crazy ways have you heard of to show love to a cat (or other pet)? Do you do any crazy things yourself?
Manna and I a few Halloweens back 🙂
Playful Kitty 