what the cats have been up to lately (originally posted 20 january 2007)

i made sam and max a foraging toy, at the recommendation of the experts in Cat Fancy magazine. i think people are inclined to think about pets as roommates, or something, but they are actually little hunters, and have natural predatory instincts. outdoor cats, like cats in the wild, are able to spend much of their time hunting, which keeps their brain occupied and their instincts active. indoor cats, on the other hand, get bored indoors, and restless. sometimes they feel the urge to hunt, but since most indoor cats have relatively few things to actually "hunt" indoors, this usually results in more time eating, thus many indoor cats are overweight. one way to encourage them to exercise, and to give them some other way to respond to this hunting impulse besides stuffing their faces, is to make foraging toys for them.

since sam is naturally very active and inquisitive, and since max is naturally very hungry and currently overweight, i thought i would try it. i took a paper towel roll and cut holes slightly larger than their food in it. i poured a bit of their normal food in the roll and stuffed little drinking cups in the ends. at first, sam and max were not really interested in it, but now they love it! when it is empty, they will push it around with their paws and/or sit by it, looking sideways up at me, waiting for me to fill it. i especially make sure it is full at night (they stay in the living room at night) so they have something to do (ben made so much fun of me when i told him i was going to post this, by the way. i know it's dorky, but anyone who reads this blog knows my cats are my babies). this is a link to an excerpt of the cat fancy story, and here is another intresting story relevant to the topic. below is a picture of max with her new "toy".



ben sent me an octopus before he moved to portland. i sleep with it at night, but wake up scared of it.he knows i am scared of them, but i think this was his way of trying to help me overcome. anyway, sam also likes it.



the dynamic duo:



charity :)