This week I thought we’d have some fun so I thought I’d share with you some of my favourite toys that I like to play with. Of course mummy, daddy and my brother and sisters are right up there at the top of the list of play buddies but they’re not toys and I can’t (or at least shouldn’t) chew, throw or kick them around like I do with a toy.
Crinkle balls were one of the first toys that I had waiting for me when I arrived. As a blind cat the crinkly noises were easy for me to follow and the balls are lightweight so easy for a little kitty to pick up and throw around. The crinkle noise isn’t too loud so it didn’t hurt my sensitive ears. They’re just great fun and have such fond memories for me as they remind me of finding my forever home and meeting my family for the first time. As I’ve grown up though I needed something just a bit more challenging so I started playing with some other toys and have now donated my crinkle balls to my little sis Angelin who loves playing with them as much as I did.
Mousey 🐭 is one of my all time favourite toys. It’s got a long stringy tail that you can grab in your teeth and a furry hard body that makes a lovely clunk as you throw it around so you know where it is. The first mousey toy I got was attached to the scratching post in my room when I arrived. As I explored and climbed the post and found it just hanging there, I gave it a swat with my paw and it it made a little rattling noise so I patted it again, gave it a little nibble. Over a few weeks I eventually managed to free the mousey from the scratching post and then I could play with it all over the flat. I chucked it here, I threw it there and sometimes I threw it so far even I couldn’t find it. One day daddy found mousey up on top of the bookcase!
Nosey is my most favourite toy. He’s a soft round ball with one flat side which makes it much more fun to run after as it doesn’t always roll straight. Mummy and daddy didn’t think I’d like a soft quiet toy as they weren’t sure if I would be able to know where it was as it doesn’t make much noise but my hearing is so good I can hear even the softest toy rolling across the floor. I love the challenge of chasing something quiet, it challenges all my senses and gets my hunting skills honed. As nosey is soft I can easily pick him up as I can get my teeth into the soft foam so a game of fetch with mummy or daddy is just the most fun thing to do. Sadly though I’ve played with him so much mummy and daddy have had to retire him from playtime as he was getting too well used and bits of him were starting to fall off.
Footballs took over from Nosey mummy and daddy found me some cat size bouncy foam footballs to play with, they’re just great. I can dribble them around the flat, chase them down the hallway and really get my claws and teeth into them. I love it when mummy throws them into bedroom and they bounce towards the furniture, I run after it, full speed, skidding to a halt whilst putting my head down so I don’t bang my head but instead disappear underneath to hunt out the ball. I love the challenge of finding the balls under the furniture and getting them back out again. The great thing with the footballs us that mummy and I can take them out on walkies with us as well or added outdoor fun.
Feather wands are fun too, plus when you catch them you look so pretty with the feathers wrapped around. It’s another quiet toy but as it slinks across the floor I can hear the movement of each of the feathers as they’re pulled across the floor, gradually moving away from me little by little, it thinks it’s getting away but then I wiggle bottom, run and pounce, the feathers are mine, they’re in my grasp, wriggling and tugging trying to get away but I’ve got them good and they’re not getting away. Now I’ve got them I’ll give them a good lick and wash them into submission. The next time I play with the feathers they’re whizzing about above my head, flicking this way and that up in the air. The sound is a bit like the sound of the birds I watch from the balcony or that fly over my head when we’re out on walkies and they see me and fly away. I’ll get you little birdies I think to myself as the feathers swish this way and that, left and right and back again, I follow the sound with my head, learning the rhythm, waiting for the exact, precise right moment and then spring, up I jump as high as I can, paws outstretched and toes opened wide for maximum impact. GOT IT.
Bell toy I didn’t really like playing with this one, it’s hard plastic and has a very loud bell in the middle but I did carry it round for two days like it was my baby and then never played with it again. This is probably much to mummy and daddy’s relief as it was very noisy.
Most humans think that because I’m blind I need to have special toys to play with or ones that are noisy so I can hear where they are but this just isn’t true. I can play with any toy that a sighted cat can and just because you can’t hear it very well doesn’t mean I can’t, with extra honed hearing I can hear the slightest noise even if you humans can’t. I also have the advantage that I can smell where they are as well, mummy and daddy often say to me “Jenny, how did you know that was under there?” Well, even though I might not have played with it for days or it’s been moved since the last time I played with it I can smell where it is. Each toy has its own distinctive smell and that makes it easy for a cat like me who’s used to using my other senses.
Playing with toys isn’t always about the physical challenges and exercise but about the mental stimulation and problem solving challenges too. It isn’t just a fun thing to do but gives us exercise and keeps our minds honed as well as making sure that the instincts that nature gave us are being used – it doesn’t matter that it’s on a toy rather than ‘real’ hunting. Play makes us feel happy and relaxed and provides an outlet for all our energy, especially with indoor cats it’s important to still be able to run, jump, climb and just be a cat, if we can’t do this then your hands and feet better watch out!
Jenny’s Story 