Thread: Fetch

I just thought I'd share with you a new trick that Wicca's started (yes, of course, had to be Wicca, didn't it??). I now have a cat that plays fetch. I know plenty of MC's do it but I've just never seen one before - I even tried teaching Freyja when she first arrived but she's an obstinate creature when she wants to be and looked at me with utter contempt - a face that said "if you wanted it, why did you chuck it over there in the first place?".

I only discovered Wicca's little habit because I was trying to get her to bugger off and let me get on with wrapping presents. I didn't mind the pin holes in the paper, or the unnecessary creases where she'd sat on it, and I didn't mind the ribbon with the soggy ends. But she was so hell bent on snatching the ribbon from my fingers that she overlooked the fact that she was sinking her claws in ME instead of the ribbon. So I picked up her favourite toy and lobbed it across the hall and into the next room. Blow me if she didn't pick the blasted thing up and cart it straight back into me. I didn't think anything of it to begin with, but after several more lobs I realised I'd spotted a pattern. After another 10 minutes and a sore shoulder later, we'd almost perfected 'drop it' on command into my open palm.

Freyja seemed as bewildered and fascinated as me and must have got Tennis Neck watching the Spider Monkey trot back and forth with this - frankly manky - kitten toy.

They truly are an amazing breed. 7 months in with MC's and they still never cease to amaze me.

Raggles will play "fetch" until the cows come home!
His favorite fetch item is a screwed up lotto ticket (not the winning one!)
We have to throw it down the stairs and he dashes down and brings it straight back up and drops it at our feet. We then have to repeat this until he is exhausted, which can be 20 or 30 throws!!

Welly is our throw & fetch boy,one red mouse or a multicoulered one are the best,seem to travel further,its quite a relief when they get "lost"under a chair for a few days,he normally drops it on your foot but if you pretend not to notice he will tap you on the knee & then pointedly look at it,25 minutes non stop is our record at the moment & I am still the one who has to spoil his fun & call a halt,the others just get out of the way & let him carry on....Whats the point in that mum,looks boring,also a bit time comsuming !

Hello, Paddington does this too and never seems to get tired. I always feel bad when i want the game to stop and he follows me around the house with it in his mouth :@(
J

Yep Jolly,know exactly what you mean,poor sad little eyes look at you,no fun at all...!

Larry is our retriever cat. He only does it with his most favourite toy, the dishcloth. For some reason he has always been obsessed with it from the day he arrived. When he wants to play he does a funny little dance around the cupboard by the kitchen sink, including lots of rolls onto the floor and chirruping noises. Then OH pretends to wipe a few surfaces with the cloth, to really get Laggs into 'the zone'. Cloth gets slung across the room, and Lagg is like a creature possessed racing after it and bringing it back. The cloth will trail on the floor as he carries it, so sometimes he treads on it and drops it, but the clever lad has learned to avoid this by trotting along with his legs widely placed, which looks really odd! Also, we have learned that it is most important to vary the game by throwing the cloth into different corners of the room. If we do the same throw every time, Laggs will just look at us as if to say 'ugh! That's no good, I've just done that one!' Last week OH varied the game by throwing the cloth/rag across the hallway and into the living room....and Laggs dashed in there and a few minutes later emerged trimumphant with the cloth, trotting proudly with his legs splayed....as I've said many times, better than telly!!! So it's Laggs and his rag, ragtime for a Lagg, etc etc.....

The downside to all this larking about is that if I am legitimately using the dishcloth to wipe a surface, Laggs will appear within seconds, even if he has been FAST ASLEEP or IN THE OTHER ROOM! (how does he know?) I'll see his eager little face out of the corner of my eye and and if I'm not careful he'll leap up for the cloth, and never mind my fingers (Owwwww!) My right hand is slashed to ribbons.....boy do I have to be vigilant. We warn our visitors to NEVER touch the dishcloth or even think of lending a hand with the clearing up as it's just too dangerous... oh my god we have nurtured a monster...!

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..and sometimes I just have to get up and retrieve it myself.. ;)

Originally Posted by Howlinbob

if I'm not careful he'll leap up for the cloth, and never mind my fingers (Owwwww!)

Heheh... over here little Minnie is the ragcatcher. Wiping surfaces is very risky business with her around.

Originally Posted by candes

Hmmm.... I thought perhaps I am doing it wrong. Crumbled paper, got to try it. (Ok I remembered how you did this wrong. ) So I took a sheet of paper. Crumpled it into a ball, and threw it. My happy little "retriever" proceeded to grab the crumpled ball with gusto. Then shredded it into a zillion pieces with his teeth.

Now that I see that it was a toy that Wicca fetched, perhaps next time I will try it with one of Teddies decapitated mouse toys.

Wicca's favourite toy - especially for fetch - is this revolting little kitten that OH has named Poppy (don't ask, I have NO clue); once it was a lovely cute, soft, light beige little thing. But that was BEFORE. BEFORE Wicca. BEFORE it was repeatedly dropped in the catmilk. BEFORE it was dunked in the Vitamin drink. BEFORE it languished in a bowl of Whiskas. BEFORE it got dropped in the Litter tray (several times). It's now a crunchy, crusty, smelly, disgusting, manky thing and she will not go anywhere without it. And now I know throwing it away won't work as she'll just dive in the bin to retrieve it!! Santa's bought her a new one though - a clean one that doesn't smell bad, or crunch when you step on it.

Don't you believe it, santa bringing Wicca a nice new toy will not work for the fetch game,for Welly it has to be a long time favourite & well used.When his bestest purple fetch mouse gave up the ghost due to the same treatment that Wicca gives hers he went into depression & wouldn't fetch anymore until these last two came on the scene,also having been dropped into everything nasty & washed well,just seems to give them a bit more travel & spin ability when they have ingrained dirt in them & I suppose the taste when they retrieve could be more like that of something they caught in the wild so is more acceptable to them to carry in their mouth,my theory on it anyway.
Dreading when these two meeces meet their doom so trying to keep an eye on some of the others for just the right state of decomposure to squirrel it away & bring into play just at the right moment,would hate to see my Welly sitting hunched & grieving again.....