In just the past couple of days our cat has discovered rubber bands. Loves 'em. Mainly he bats and them and chews them. Can't keep him out of the rubber band basket on my desk in the office. Is this usual? He's not a "playful" cat and ignores other toys we've bought him. (He's a "grumpy old man"-type cat, a stray who's moved in and taken over most of the house as his own. DH's soul mate, though neither will admit it.)
Any ideas? Can anyone suggest a safer toy with similar qualities, since this seems to appeal to him? (I'm considering making a "rubber band ball" for him to bat around...would that make a safe cat toy, if it were big enough to not be swallowed? Am I missing anything obvious?)
Sue, Don't let him play with rubber bands. He likes that they move when he bats them and that they squish in his mouth. If he starts eating them, they're like string or Christmas tinsel; they can get caught up in his intenstinal track and cause all sorts of problems necessitating surgery to remove them, as a friend of mine found out when her cat decided to eat string. Poor large sick kitty with shaved stomach, and friend with much slimmer checkbook.
I buy milk in plastic jugs that have the red rings to open the cap, and all my cats have loved those. No one has ever eaten one; if one is missing, it always has turned up under a piece of furniture where no one can reach(and where I haven't cleaned, if truth be told). They move when batted, and don't break down when chewed on. If one gets particularly ratty looking, it gets thrown out andanother one provided with the next new milk carton. Most cats like the red ones(think hunter instrinct), with orange second, and blue coming in last. A couple of long pipecleaners wrapped together in the middle and then bent into a fan shape might also be enjoyed: light weight, tossable, etc.
Your local Ocean State Job Lot should have a pretty good selection of soft toys in various sizes that might interest him, though they are usually labeled as dog toys. Just pick a couple small ones he can carry around, and a couple that are big enough to be beaten on. Tennis balls are good, too.
Susan Hartman ,in rec.crafts.textiles.needleworkwrote: and entertained us with
I think I would make him a rubber band ball and then watch to see whether he just plays with it, or shreds and eats bits. Maybe he will just enjoy playing with it. There's no accounting for cranky old men, I have one too, that's a cat of course, not taking a swipe at our beloved Fred here :)
My concern about a rubber band ball is that he'd just eat it. Our cat likes rubber bands, too, which is why they're all in a drawer where she can't get them. If they're balled up, she just tries to eat the ball. If you do try a rubber band ball, only let him use it when you are there to supervise, in case he tries to eat it. Maybe he'll just play, but I suspect it's the chewy quality he's really after. Get him a solid toy (someone suggested dog toys) that he can chew on but can't bite pieces off of.
Other toys - our cat, too, will play with milk jug rings, to a limited extent. She loves the little fuzzy mice (come in packs of 4-6 usually) that are basically a plastic core covered with colored rabbit fur. We also have a fishing pole toy that has a fuzzy ball of colored rabbit fur and bells on the end of a red elastic string. She LLLLOOOOOOOVVVES that toy! BUT...we have to put it away when we aren't playing with her, because she will sit and chew on the red elastic string if left alone for too long with it.
another "toy" my cat finds "alluring"- a finger splint!
had to apply one to my thumb due to "crocheter's thumb disease"...after a few days i dn't need it and charlie-cat knocked it off the table and batted it from one end of hse to the other...
I had wondered why my guy loves plastic bags from the stupidmarket, then one day a vet talking on the radio was asked the question and he said that soft plastic like that contains ground animal bone. It's also in those cheap plastic blinds, I had those in the laundry room and he would sit up on the sill and riddle them with dental imprints!
It's possible I suppose that there is some bone in rubber bands too, or something other than the rubber that attracts.
I let mine have those very thick bands that come on bunches of broccoli. They are thick enough that they don't get chewed and can't get swallowed, but they bat around with great bounciness.
The best "chewy" dog toy (since someone mentioned them), imho, is the Kong Toy. They come in different sizes and shapes (for bounciness) and is *the only* toy my dogs have never been able to destroy. :) They are a little more pricey but they are definitely worth it.
My current dog, Jazmine, plays ball with us; she'll lay on the floor and we roll the ball back and forth between us like a little kid. She also takes the occasional break to chew on it before rolling it back. :)
I also have a cat that adores rubber bands, and yes, it is dangerous for him to play with them. He will eat them and they don't do a cat's digestion any good. I have to keep mine locked up (rubber bands, that is)where he cannot reach them. There is something about the smell, I think, because he will find them in my pockets!
I wouldn't make a toy out of them because sure as shootin' he will chew bits off and swallow them. Sorry!
I had another cat that ate the rubber wristband off my son's watch and the rubber tires on some of his toys. When they were regurgitated it was not a pretty sight.
Pat > In just the past couple of days our cat has discovered rubber bands.
Me too, especially since that gd b cat picked my new white carpet not the navy blue carpet.
By the way, I bought the Spot Bot and it does do a great job. I found, as Cheryl said, using it with plain hot water and no soap, almost seems to work better. Spot Bot is great for people with limited space for storage too.
Channel 3 is doing "Will it work Wednesdays" again, and tonight's gadget is the Spot Bot. I shall now go cast my vote in favor, that I believe it WILL work.
If you want to see their verdicts on other products previously reviewed,
It's not often I really find an appliance pleasing, but Spot Bot is. Nothing complicated about it, takes seconds to take out of the closet, fill tank and use, empty and put away. So many appliances are almost more trouble assembling and dismantling than they are worth.
After doing the white carpet, I noticed that the area done by Spot Bot seemed to stand out too much, so I repeated with the hose and sort of blended it around a bit. I shall do that in future because it almost cleans it too well lol
Truly, I do not have Bissell shares or work for them, or sell them - just a very satisfied customer and I heard about Spot Bot here on rctn lol
Sheena will be pleased to know that the SpotBot passed Will it work Wednesdays.
The only caveat was it didn't completely take out the Two Buck Chuck, though it did succeed on the more expensive red wine. Soooooo, Signora Borgia, stick to the good stuff, eh?
My mom's cat brings her rubber gloves from the basement almost every day. She will find them in her bed in the morning or she will drop one at her feet. She thinks it is cute and is happy it is not a mouse!
Wonder if the rubber glove is made the same way, with the ground animal bones. That is a very interesting comment. I never knew that.
I've got a cat who's nuts for rubberbands, too... she gets them only under strict supervision, and never for more than 3-4 minutes -- this is also the cat who can play with twistems by the hour and never get them wet or have a toothmark on them, so I know she's not a chewer. Even so, that 3-4 minute supervised playtime is all I'm willing to risk. If she were a chewer, I'm not sure I'd let her have them.
Her other favorite toy, good for hours of fun, is a 6-8" nylon coil zipper... the sort you'd find in a skirt. She prefers them unzipped, and does some absolutely ferocious playfighting with them. She refuses to come when called, but if you pick up a zipper and zip and unzip it repeatedly, she's right there, ready to play.
Harrumph. Heathens. The only toy a properly dignified young lady cat should play with is a lifelike furry mouse. All those tacky plastic and rubber things are really beneath contempt.
Her Majesty, The Lady Katharine Supreme Arbiter of Feline Taste and Dignity
Trust me -- it was a better sight than the *other* mode of egress! I had a tortie point Himalayan who absolutely LOVED to eat rubber bands (and lace and poly fiber fill and netting and icicles off the Christmas tree, etc.). She never harffed up any of this stuff -- it always made its way through her digestive system and came out the other end! Talk about GROSS!!! Now Reno(Black Cat) tries to make a light snack of rubber bands and I can guarantee you she gets her little baby butt whacked good whenever this happens! If you think you kitty would like a bouncy toy, go purchase the special little balls made for cats to play with. Of course, the only problem with them is that they are sooooooooo much fun that they usually get bounced all over the house and end up under the sofa or behind the washing machine -- LOL! CiaoMeow >^;;^<
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