We have three cats – all different but all Ragdolls. The smallest is a kitten we call Mitsy. She is rather mischievous and she and the other kitten James spend many hours playing together. Now playing in this context means running at full pelt after one another through the house, wrestling with one another or jumping out and jumping on the other. They had a few favourite toys one of which was a short piece of wire with a few tiny pieces of cardboard attached. More often than not Mitsy would have one end and with head high would be proudly marching off with it in her mouth. That left the other end waving in the wind with James in hot pursuit.
They both loved cardboard boxes and would often be on opposite sides of the cardboard wall teasing each other. The box that our new toaster was delivered in had thin walls but it served as a hidey-hole and another an empty packing box standing upright was a target for James jumping from midway across the room. There would be a LOUD bang as he hit the top and crashed to the bottom. I would look over the top and his white and grey face would be looking at me in surprise. No worries he could always scramble out.
The best toys were the smallest – bottle tops and my used needle from my insulin injections. Don’t panic there was no danger – the needles were housed in their own screw top cover that was shaped like a top. Both were great for cat soccer and both could be found on our dining table at some time or another. Both kittens would source the bottle tops but it was Mitsy who always tracked down the needles. I watched her the other night as she jumped on the table and nosed around the various items still left on the table. She knew the associated items and zoned in on them, the container with sugar testing strips, meter, used tissues all screwed up and the tiny tube that had protected the needle before use. I didn’t realise that there was still a used needle on the table as I had wrapped it in tissue ready for the bin . she was pushing the paper with her nose and then headed for the other side of the table. I knew she had one – her head was high with pride – I didn’t need to be able to see it. I heard it drop on the floor and then rattle as she started to chase it. It didn’t take James long to wake up and join in the chase but he wasn’t as quick as little Mitsy.
We have a cloth cradle that is suspended under one of the chairs but the ties on one side are difficult to tie so its like a sloping hammock. Mitsy kept bringing the needle back to the hammock and dropping it so it would roll down and hit the floor and she could catch it again. It was a pleasure to watch them play as it is a joy to watch all young beings learning to expand their skills with simple toys and games.
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