Enrichment - the Games cats like to play
Date: Wed, 09 Dec 1998 22:53:57 -0800 Subject: FEL-L: Enrichment
While our BabyMonster considers playing tug o'war with her rope to be great fun... and we consider it to be just plain great, as it keeps her from chewing on the furniture to have lots of hemp rope pieces, usually wet and well-gnawed, around the house... we take the small bits she's chewed off and tie them into knots to throw... it really is true that a Serval makes GREAT leaps to catch "flying birds" (even if the bird is really a rope ball)
Oh... and watch out playing "bed mice" with your cat... Terrie was in bed about a week ago, playing the usual game of moving her hand under the cover for "pounce play" when E'Leisha took the game to a new level by sticking her head UNDER the cover to chase the mouse... I wound up having to rub 1st aid cream into a small scratch on Terrie's thigh, where E'Leisha finally CAUGHT one of the elusive Bed Mice (and tried to bite it!)
Cat was surprised by Terrie's scream... and we both decided that making sure the edge of the blanket was under a leg was a good idea... wouldn't want our Serval to develope a taste for toes!
Date: Thu, 10 Dec 1998 07:25:41 -0600 (CST) Subject: RE: FEL-L: Enrichment
Our female serval Murphy also chases bed mice regularly, but it was the male who decided that they were easier to catch under the covers. There's nothing quite like being waken by the gentle nip of a toe!
Date: Thu, 10 Dec 1998 11:15:15 -0800 Subject: FEL-L: Enrichment
>Oh... and watch out playing "bed mice" with your cat
I try to discourage that behavior in my Bobcat. Of course I want her on the bed with me, but I don't want to encourage her to chase things under the covers. She is only a kitten now, (4.5 months) and I don't want her to be doing this when she gets to be full grown. Tooth and claw go right through the covers quite easily. In order for her to be on the bed with me in it, she must behave herself, and she is doing very well at learning her manners.
She has used me for traction when chasing the other cats around at 4:00 AM, and I don't like that.
Date: Sat, 26 Dec 1998 02:08:21 -0600 Subject: RE: FEL-L: Bobcat Behavior
This refrigerator incident reminded me of our first cat, a C.lynx named Alexis. She loved to get on top of the kitchen cabinets. The old house we live in has those horrible styrofoam tiles on the ceiling. Alexis would reach out, pull one off & watch it float to the floor, kind of like a feather. Then she'd do it again. All the ceiling tiles are gone over the cabinets & for about 2 feet out from them.
She also used to get on top of the bookcase/mirror on our dresser, watch for any movement of the covers on the bed, when we were in it, & leeeaaaap, all spread out like a flying squirrel, onto the bed, usually my husband, who was desperately trying to protect his sensitive areas.
Date: Sat, 26 Dec 1998 12:46:07 -0600 Subject: Re: FEL-L: Bobcat Behavior
Your message makes me sit here and smile as I look up at what used to be a susended ceiling in my dining room and kitchen :) Kept telling my husband I hated that ceiling and wanted a "real" one back in. Thanks to the bobcat, I will now get back my real plaster ceiling. We live in an old house too and yes, the ceilings are too high to heat easily, but the bobcat says no to suspended ones. She too, loved to get up there and hook one with her foot and watch it hit the floor :) It was so much better if it happened to land on a dog :)
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1999 09:25:39 -0800 Subject: Re: FEL-L: snakes
I can so relate to the water hose thing. Our tiger Olivia is particularly good at lying to new volunteers and it seems no matter how many times I explain to them that when they fill up her water trough that they must not let the hose get one little bit to the inside of the cage just up to the edge of the chain link.
Olivia always and usually sooner than later gets them. I'll be working somewhere and watching and then I hear the zzzzzzip of the hose being drawn through the chain link and across the cage. Then I hear the volunteer hollering no Olivia No! And then I have to go help them remove the hose from her before she eats it. She usually lets go as soon as I come over because she knows she is in trouble and not suppose to be stealing the hose.
Then the volunteer looks very embarrassed by the whole thing and says "I can't believe she did that." I try to let them know Olivia is a very good liar and that is her way of initiating them. Glenda :)
Date: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 18:56:06 -0600 (CST) Subject: Re: FEL-L: Idea
Ours loves the empty 2 liter drink bottles. It's even more fun if you put a couple of pennies in it . She loves to bat it around and loves the noise. She never has eaten one.
Date: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 17:43:13 -0800 Subject: Re: FEL-L: Idea
I'd be very careful with the plastic soda bottles. They make work for a while when cougars are young but eventually they will tear them up and eat them. This can cause and intestinal blockage that will require surgery to remove. So if you use them keep a close eye on them. We brush most of our cats from time to time and a small amount of fur from another cat can be quite an interesting thing to play with. Also small pieces of deer hide or elk hide or leather scrapes are fun toys. Sometimes leather supply places will sell scrapes for a very cheap price. Make sure it is not dyed leather at all. I have seen rawhide softballs for dogs and large raw hide bones can work for toys.
Sometimes even pulling up some different grasses and weeds around can give them something a little different to mess with. I have also taken the smaller cardboard boxes like hamburger patties come in sometimes. They are about the right size to hold their food. With the lid and sides closed they have to work at getting the box open to get to what they smell inside. Small pieces of wooden dowels can be fun to chew on too. Hope this gives you some stuff to have fun with. Glenda :)
Date: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 20:44:29 EST Subject: Re: FEL-L: Idea
Our cougar LOVES plastic milk cartons, I think it has something to do with the smell. Let it sit out for a couple of days & get really smelly !! Lauri
Date: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 20:39:34 -0600 (CST) Subject: Re: FEL-L: Idea
Hi Brandy, Sugar has a big sisel ball that she loves. You can find them at pet stores for about $4.00 Well worth the investment since she can carry it and rub her paws on it.
Date: Sat, 13 Mar 1999 08:05:03 -0600 Subject: Re: FEL-L: Idea
We installed wild bird feeders, hanging from the roof, in the bobcat and serval cages this winter. So far no causalities, (that I know of) but it does give the cats something to think about.
Date: Sat, 13 Mar 1999 10:59:57 EST Subject: Re: FEL-L: Idea
>We installed wild bird feeders, hanging from the roof, in the bobcat and
We do the same thing, we also put bird seed on the ground outside of their runs. We don't do this in the cougar run because the cougars leap and catch the birds in mid air. Our murder of crows has been greatly reduced. The cats have a cage of golden pheasants to watch on one side and llamas on the other side.
The other cats have chickens that wander around, this really gives them stuff to think about. They just love to rush the fence and startle the chickens. The chickens don't seem to mind they holler like a fox has them but 2 minutes later they are back at the fence waiting to get startled again.
The chickens, llamas, and pheasants not only provide cat entertainment but it also gives visiting kids something to feed instead of harassing the cats.
Date: Sat, 13 Mar 1999 12:51:37 EST Subject: Re: FEL-L: Idea
We have alot of rabbits (after starting with 5) that run all around our property, that our cougar loves to watch !! They like to run around his cage, none have tried to dig in !!! Lauri
Date: Sat, 13 Mar 1999 17:37:29 EST Subject: FEL-L: thanks for the ideas!
Thanks for all the enriching ideas! I know our cats will enjoy them. Thought I'd slip one in too since everyone else has great ideas....in the fall we put whole pumpkins in our cat cages....they go nuts! And during the rest of the year, we put really citrusy fruits like oranges, limes, and lemons in their cages and they really like to bat them around, especially our lynx. Haven't seen anyone eat any of them thought! Again thanks for the ideas....that's what I signed onto this "service" for was to trade stories and ideas, not jump on everyone about how they run their business!
Date: Sat, 13 Mar 1999 17:53:11 -0800 Subject: Re: FEL-L: Fun Stuff
I forgot until others started mentioning stuff and then it came back to me. Our female lion just loves coconuts to play with. They usually last a few weeks before they get smashed into submission. We also use to give her large potatoes and an occasional can of campbell's soup (label removed of course). She has had many hours of enjoyment from beating these things around. Glenda :)