We recently discovered our rescue GSD is positively obsessed with cat laser pointers. She will chase the light around the floor ceaselessly. I mean she never grows bored with it. We can play Light for 10 minutes straight running at full bore speed and she’ll be gasping for air and drink a whole bowl of water afterwards, but she would never never stop chasing the light of her own volition.
Is our doggo a traitor to her species by being obsessed with a cat toy? Any of you have unusual games or activities your pets are obsessed by?
My Yorkie plays with them. Conversely my cats just look bored when the laser is out. Another point, my Yorkie is quite dumb. I mean, I think she has a real intellectual deficit. But she’s sweet, and I lurves her.
When my cat wants yo play, he will grab the laser pointer off the bar where I keep it, and then plop it down on my lap. Which is crazy to my mind. I’ve always assumed that the cat is only interested in chasing the dot, because they are under the false impression that they can actually CATCH the dot!
Not my cat. He KNOWS it’s a farce, yet, he still wants to play.
I had a rabbit who died in '02; one of his toys was a plastic spool about the size of a grapefruit. He would grab the upper flange in his teeth and, in one motion, stand on his hind legs, put his front paws on the lower flange and throw that spool–almost always backwards over his head. Wish I had video.
My long time dog, a rat terrier could climb trees. We have a tree that is two trees growing from one stump. The tree veers off in 2 directions. The trunks are not vertical. But not horizontal. That dog could get a running start and up that tree she would go. The problem was coming down. I rescued her many times. I was afraid if she started down head first a broken neck would be the outcome. She was a singular pet in all respects. Not one of which she was 20+ when she died.
1.) My cat is another one who grabs the laser pointer from the table when she wants to play. Then she bats it to the floor. If she can’t locate the laser pointer on the table, she’ll bat off everything else until I come and find it for her.
2.) Instead of presenting her dead gifts to me so I can fulsomely praise her, she hides them under my bed. Meaning I may find it months later. Stoopid cat.
My sister’s dog also chases the laser pointer. He is not intellectually blessed, so we can also get him to chase the dot by pointing a pencil at the floor. It keeps him busy.
I got a puppy two days ago. She is trying to win over other family pets by bringing them her toys. So far it isn’t working.
The oldest cat is obsessed with being allowed to look in the freezer(full size freezer in the living room). If I even appear to be going that way, she runs to the door and cries to be allowed to look.
If I try to close the door before she’s ready, she sticks her paw in the door and stares me in the face.
We got a brother/sister kitten duo about a year and a half ago. Amongst the 47 million toys we bought for them was a package of super-bouncy-balls, as we have all hardwood floors. The boy sometimes picks up a ball, jumps up on our bed, and drops it off the edge, so he can immediately chase after it. It’s terribly cute - though not so much when he does it in the middle of the night.
My cats come running when they hear water run in in the kitchen sink. They also like the dryer to run they have beds on top of the dryer. My male has figured out which button turns it on, he hasn’t decided he’s just not strong enough to pull it out. So he keeps trying. If they had opposable thumbs I’d really be in a pickle.
Oh, another one. Our older cat goes absolutely bonkers over dvd/blu-ray discs being ejected, whether it’s a player, computer, xBox, or whatever. When he hears the sound he’ll come running from across the house. We have to open and close the tray several times for him so he can try to get it.
Our GSD knows it’s a laser pointer producing the light, and will bring me the pointer if I ignore her too long. Our previous GSD’s idea of fun was counter cruising when no one was looking
I spend a lot of time with our dogs and parrot, since I take them to work with me and hang out at home with them a good bit. When I was away for a weekend, attending my son’s nuptials, my gf learned a few things about them.
I’d barely arrived in Florida when she texted, concerned about our African Grey. She described Rocco flying from his cage to the living room. When she went to get him he flew into the kitchen, then the dining room. He seemed agitated and my gf was worried.
I laughed and told her he wanted water. She countered that his water dish was full. No, he wants his special water. I told her where in my mancave to find a copper mug. Then I had her fill it from the polar water dispenser. Then she had to take a sip of it in front of Rocco and say, “delicious!” Then she had to offer it to him, and he’d take three or four big gulps and he’d be satisfied for a few days.
She did this and all was well. Until dinner time when I got a text that Ella did not eat and must be sick. I told her to add another half cup of water to her food, then swirl everything around for a minute. I predicted she’d eat then, and she did.
One afternoon, the sun was coming in the front window at just the right angle and my daughter was standing in just the right spot for her fitbit to send a beam against the wall. Her pug went bat-shit crazy trying to get it! She had to cut the game short, tho - Cozmo would have damaged the wall.
Two of the boxers we had/have been obsessed with a stuffed monkey toy. When you throw it or drop it, it makes a monkey noise. It seems to me that they think it’s alive and it’s crying. Both were/are neutered males and have never been around newborn puppies or anything like that. When Mr. Monkey makes the noise they pick it up very gently and carry it around and whine the whole time. They’ve never tried to destroy it like other stuffed toys. They’re very gentle and concerned almost like they feel they have to take care of it. Dino was the first boxer that had Mr. Monkey. He actually had another similar toy - a stuffed guitar that played a song when it was jostled around. He did the same thing with that. Dino died 5 years ago and I couldn’t bear to get rid Mr. Monkey so I put him in a closet. The other day, I walked into the room and there was Romeo with Mr. Monkey in his mouth! Mr. Monkey’s monkey sounds are barely audible now and very garbled, but Romeo has been concerned since the moment he found it. Whining and carrying it around. I’ll find him sleeping with it under his chin. It’s baffling to me - I want to know what he’s thinking.
Our younger cat hasn’t learned to fetch the laser pointer, but he definitely knows what it is; he comes running whenever anyone gets it out. He will chase it until he is tired and panting, but instead of just stopping, he starts hissing at the red dot. Unlike a dog we had when I was in high school. She loved to chase a ball, but when she was done, she would go get the ball and then just keep going with it. She would come back a few minutes later without the ball, and take a nap.
My brother had a cat called Toby who would get on the back of the sofa or chair in which you were sitting and, if you rubbed your hands on your head and said “wash my hair, Toby”, he’d start kneading your head and licking your forehead and temples. I loved that cat.
I had a cat that didn’t like to walk up or down the stairs by herself. She’d stand at the stairs and yell (Siamese) until someone would come and walk beside her. She’s also say “water” when she wanted a drink. She had to have fresh water every time, from a special small bowl in the bathroom. We’d have to fill it, let her drink, then empty it. The same cat could jump up and grab the doorknobs (geometric glass ones) and open closed doors. And if she was outside and wanted in, she’d ring the doorbell. Especially if she had something live in her mouth that she wanted to bring into the house to play with.
