Tonight's episode was too funny for scolding, and arouses our interest in climbing toys. Do you have any unusual and good ones? We have the ordinary cat tree made of wood and carpet, as well as storage bins that provide access to a high shelf, but something different would be great.

Tonight's camera fare: When elderly Topo is outside, the twin 2 yr old coon girls are allowed into the back room (they frighten the frail tabby), with only our sleeping loft being off limits due to Topo's special food. Access to the loft is via a special wooden ladder, in the rungs of which we balance a large pillow, laid to fall gently onto the head of any girl who tries to go up.

Tonight I left the door open and finished washing dishes, then went to check on the girls. Sokie, well-fed but loving to eat, would surely not get past the pillow. However! There she hung, swinging down the SIDE of the ladder, backpaws dangling, looking for all the world like a raccoon backing down a tree. And no mistake that she'd been there - the bowl was munched clean.

She cracked me up. Do you think some rope boat rigging would be fun?

Thanks, Linda

-- Anonymous, July 05, 2000

Answers

Will follow up on my own post by describing a new toy - a wooden ladder and rope idea worked well. An old A-frame wooden ladder (no splinters), snugly wrapped in various places with new , thick rope from the boat store. The roped area provides a hammock, a place to grasp for climbing, and an area for paws to dip thru to catch a feather toy. The rope is expensive for making a rigging, at about 60 cents a foot,but ok for small areas. It's a nylon blend, soft like cotton, and about 3/4 inch thick. Will look for cheaper sources, and create more play areas on this ladder and perhaps a second for the other cat.

Linda

-- Anonymous, July 08, 2000

Well, looks like no one else is interested in such toys, but I'll post again, having found two that they like extremely.

The smaller girl, Circe, continues to delight in the ladder, and leaps up there expectantly to play. For the bigger girl, Sokie, we found at the craft store a scarecrow made of burlap and stuffed with dried grass. The grass is a long stemmed kind, maybe a type of bamboo leaves. She loves it, and considers it her property. It's on the living room floor, in the midst of company. Both girls enjoy the "fishing pole" toy, with the long soft multicolor cloth string (from the pet store), with a piece of the scarecrow grass tied to the end. It looks like a bird flying when you wave it around. When Sokie catches it, she makes us laugh by treating it like prey and carting it off to munch or hide in her scarecrow.

We're always looking for new toys, so hope someone else will write.

Linda

-- Anonymous, September 14, 2000