Archive for the 'Cat Toys' Category
My best friend and her boyfriend of two years recently moved in together. They have a blended family of sorts; she brought her cat Fluffy and he brought his cat Snowball. At first, the two cats didn’t seem to like each other. They had each been used to being the center of attention that it was hard for them to tolerate one another.
To bring Fluffy and Snowball closer together, my friend bought them new cat toys. She put all of the toys in the center of the room and the cats came running. They sniffed around for a while and then began enthusiastically playing together. Now they are all one big happy, half furry, family.
Cat lovers from 112 countries, in droves over 90,000, have had the chance to play with the kittens at the Oregon Humane Society, all with the simple click of a mouse. Real-time technology developed by iPetCompanion allows cat lovers to play with the kittens by using computers to manipulate the kittens’ toys. Human playmates can watch via cat-cam as the furry felines play with the toys.
Apriori Control, the company behind the cat toy, first developed the technology in their home state of Idaho. The iPetCompanion was first tried out at the Idaho Humane Society in Boise. Cat adoptions have increased at both locations, with Oregon reporting an increase in adoption of 16 percent. There are benefits for humans too, as playing with the kittens, even remotely, can have soothing effects.
My close friend Claire does publicity for nonprofit organizations, and she’s often called to cities around the country on short notice. A few months ago, she had to go to San Diego in preparation for a cancer walk-a-thon, so I volunteered to look after her cat Mitzy. My own feline, Frank, was less than pleased by this prospect. Introducing cats can be a bit of a crapshoot, especially when they’ve never had to share territory before.
I looked up some cat behavior facts online just before the introduction so that I’d know what to do in case of trouble. As it turned out, neither cat was especially territorial. Frank started hissing when Mitzy invaded his personal space, but eventually they were sniffing each other and getting along fine. I’ve set up separate food dishes and purchased discrete cat bed for each of them so that they don’t infringe on each other’s turf, and we’re making it work.
Anyone who knows and loves cats can appreciate that they’re just a little bit more finicky than dogs. While dogs will come when you call them, cats will often be aloof and standoffish. But rather than viewing cats as the less friendly species, animal lovers will recognize that cats are just a bit more selective in who they bestow their affection upon. With that in mind, cat toys are also a bit more complex than dog toys.
Dogs will play for hours on end with an old, slobbery tennis ball and be amused and delighted. Cats, however, would simply turn up their noses at the prospect of being made to play with such a filthy object. Cats prefer items with bright feathers and tinkling bells. In play, they love to replicate natural instincts. For that reason, they will love to chase and pounce on anything that resembles a small vermin or a bird. Realize this about your kitty, and you’ll have greater success with your choice of cat toys.