Cat Box
We got a whole shipment of cat goodies yesterday (Bunky is really impulsive about these things), so Sydney’s been in an overworked tizzy. Along with the usual assortment of furry and feathery doodads, there was a little laser pointer. The legendary appeal of a twitching red laser dot was confirmed, and Bunky expressed appreciation for the fact that she can lay on the couch and entertain Sydney with a minimal amount of effort. However, I was quick to notice that on the packaging there was the bold proclamation that this product was not just for cats. Apparently, you can use it on fish and birds as well! I tested it out and while Clyde (our large black angelfish) wasn’t impressed, the platys went all out trying to chase the little red dot as well. Wow, truth in advertising! It was interesting to note that while the cat and the fish were attracted to the dot, the catfish was not. Our cory catfish simply ignored the laser. No bird testing has yet been done, but maybe I will try that out come spring.
The major item in the package, however, was the Litter Locker. Basically it works by wrapping up litter in a tight spiral of bagging, so that you don’t have to choose between taking the litter out to the garbage every day and smelling old litter in the house for a whole week. It seemed easy enough to use, and as far as I can tell it works on locking away the smell. The only disadvantages of the product are the bulky size and the potentially pricey (over time) specially designed refill bags. Supposedly each bag cartridge works for 2 weeks.
Of course, in spite of all these neato gadgets, Sydney’s favorite part of the shipment was the large cardboard box that the goodies were shipped in. Not only is it a large box, but it’s also filled with crinkly brown paper (for padding I suppose) that makes a lot of noise and does not shred easily. We’re leaving it out for him for a while so he can hide in it and chase the toy mice we stow inside.
Hopefully all these toys will help make up for his near-death experience from last week. It seems that while taking Sydney out on a walk (on the leash) last Friday, Bunky noticed a squadron of hawks circling overhead. The hawks then proceeded to fly dangerously low, while circling in a fighter formation. Bunky had no choice but to grab Sydney, and bring him inside our cottage bunker for safety. This may seem paranoid, but a few months ago we saw this video on America’s Funniest Home Videos (I swear it was just during channel surfing T_T) where a young child has his pet white mouse snatched away by a hawk. He had it on the cage and was playing with it in front of the camera outside, when the bird swooped in and grabbed the pet for a dinner date. The audience yukked it up, but Bunky and I just stared at the TV in frozen horror. Can you imagine that child’s trauma?! I thought it was horrible that the audience would be laughing at that (WTF?!), and I was glad we don’t let Sydney roam outside alone. The cottage is in a bit of a foresty area, and Sydney would not be a match for any predators. He has his claws trimmed very blunt (he slides right off the sofa when he tries to climb it mwahahahahaha), and he’s fairly ungraceful for a cat. Next time he’ll have to go out in body armor! And (laser guided!) surface-to-air ballistics!
Pets and Plants | Kabitzin 1/25/2005
By Phil, 1/25/2005 @ 7:46 pm
Brilliant! I wonder if certain fishes’ eyes aren’t sensitive to that wavelength. There is that red fishing line that’s really popular because most fish can’t see red.