We’re taking a break from the usual entertainment mediums to discuss something more along the lines of live action.  Well, aren’t most forms of entertainment live action, you might ask.  Television, music, movies, there’s plenty of entertainment outlets that aren’t animated.  But how much of it can you lead around on a string or play cat fishing with?

I have three of these at home, and have to admit they’re the most entertaining things I have.  Even when they’re sleeping they can provide enjoyment from the sheer cuteness factor.  Got cat nip and you have a dazed, drugged cat that’s almost as malleable as Choo-Choo Bear from Something*Positive.

Sloane and I have a bamboo rod with a piece of rope tied to it, we play cat fishing.  We’ll sometimes go as far as to bait the rope with a rattle mouse.  The youngest of the feline brood, Dashiel, devours these things.  She’ll chase them around the house once she gets it off the rope and the next thing I know I’m stepping on pieces of mouse leather and finding plastic and cloth mouse halves in different rooms.  I keep trying to convince her that leaving a catnip mouse in the water bowl will not make catnip tea.  She still doesn’t believe me.

Bastian is the middle child, he’s roughly twelve years old and his favorite toy is laser pointer.  There’s nothing funnier than watching a twenty-five pound cat run across the floor or try to scale the walls to reach a tiny red dot.  He and Dashiel war over this thing sometimes, and they both pout when you turn it off.  Keep their attentions long enough with the pointer and sometimes you’ve got them turning circles to catch it.  It’s rather amusing to watch them sway off dizzily when you’ve finished.

Max is the eldest at nearly fourteen, and knows how to throw his weight around.  He’s about twenty pounds and spoiled rotten, he won’t chase the string, you have to drag it over his ginger body to even get his attention, but whip out the oven mitts and you have a game on your hands.  He lets you know when he’s fed up though, it’s fastest you’ll ever see him move, just to get away from you and your attention.  He went rounds with one of Sloane’s friends for clipping a clothes pin to the end of his tail once.

As simple as it may sound, being a cat slave is often more enjoyable than the tripe they show on television these days.  They make great entertainment during half time of a football game, but then you get ones like Dashiel who try and play with the football as it’s arcing across the screen.

From watching Twitter I know that there are a lot of cat slaves who know what I’m talking about.  I’ve seen pictures of a pair of kittens, Beatrice and Benedict, who are trying to steal their slave, Tee Morris’, podcast!  Even JC Hutchins has tweeted coos of feline appreciation because someone decided it was cuddle in the lap time.

While I’m a cat person myself, there’s nothing more rewarding and entertaining than being a pet owner.  Whether you prefer the lazy swim of a fish tank or the happy wag of a puppy’s tail, no matter how you divide it the experience is heart warming.  And if all that fails, there’s I Can Haz Cheezburger and I Has Hot Dog for the ultimate in feline and fido humiliation.

Being a loving cat slave I will remind you of three things regarding pets:

1.    Do not give pets to people as a surprise gift.  More animals wind up on the streets or in shelters because someone said “Oh I just know so-n-so will love this puppy for her birthday!”
2.    Get your pet fixed!  There is a severe pet overpopulation problem, please don’t add to it.
3.    Some people don’t think of pets as pets, they think of them as little furry children with four feet that speak a different language, and will treat them as such.

So, go out and play with your pet.  They need your love and attention as much as everyone else in your life does and they will provide you with love and entertainment as long as they are happy and healthy.

And if anyone has fun pet stories, ideas for entertaining your pet or even want to discuss your favorite kind of pet, the comments are open, and not just for cat lovers.