My youngest cat, the adolescent Peanut, has one bizarrely amusing habit which I have not yet, alas, been able to capture by camera – though I’m trying.
He will sit up like a rabbit, straight up, front paws hanging at chest level, to get a better look at something above him or just because. So far, so normal.
He then stretches his paws over his head, looking up in their general direction, and briefly flaps them (often stretch-toed) as if he were batting at something just a bit beyond his nose.
Except there’s NOTHING THERE.
He does this pretty much every day. It’s like he has a piece of invisible string floating overhead and randomly enticing him to go for it.
Ooh! I know that one! It’s Jazz Hands! Barbara does it every day, in high speed. He prefers to pop up over furniture while doing it, and finish by falling sideways and backwards. Sometimes he has time to wiggle his digits. I have never seen him do it slowly.
He just does look like a little peanut, too, doesn’t he?
If it’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that cats are incredibly resourceful when it comes to entertaining themselves. If you have to spend more than $5 on a cat toy, it’s not worth it. When I first got my cat I showered him with expensive gifts, including one of those giant cat towers (which he used only to get onto the windowsill and which I eventually sold.) His favorite toy is a little ring of wavy plastic I paid $1.99 for in a pack of four as an afterthought on the day that I bought him. He still carries it around in his mouth and keeps it in his food bowl for easy access…over a year later.
Peanut apparently doesn’t even need cheap plastic rings to stay entertained. Sometimes I do envy cats.
This is one of the most significant drawbacks of P&S cameras. Invest in a DSLR.
DSLRs take the picture when the shutter button is pressed. Not some arbitrary moment afterwards.
(P&S = Point & Shoot. Most small rectangular cameras are this type. DSLR = Digital Single Lens Reflex. Pro and semi-pro cameras are this type. Most have the traditional camera shape)
ETA: And DSLRS have a burst mode, which means they can take a series of pictures constantly at 3 or 5 ‘frames per second’… Like a paparazi - ‘click click click click click’
You know, I’ve seen that video and other videos of that kitten. Is it just me or is that one of the fattest kittens ever? I know it is a Scottish Fold, but are they supposed to be so chubby? It looks so young.
I have found an exception. it is a toy called “Da Bird” and I paid about $7 for it. It is a typical feather on a wand toy, but the feathers make it fly like a real bird. My cats love it.
This time of year, there are lots and lots of cats available in shelters and Humane Societies, as they are somewhat easier to catch in the winter, and all the idiots who bought pets for their SOs/spouses/kids without realising that you actually have to take care of them after are bringing them back to the shelters.
I don’t know about the Toronto Humane Society, but if you are on the Hamilton/Burlington side of the city, I highly recommend the Hamilton-Burlington SPCA . That’s where we got our first kitty, and the price was great, and included first vaccinations, spay/neuter, deworming, microchip and city license. They have an agreement with many of the vets in Hamilton/Burlington, so you can get the spay/neuter at the vet of your choice. The vet then contacts the SPCA to prove that it was done - they won’t let you adopt an animal and not get that done.
