Dudo and Moose are quickly on their way through their package of toy mice. I've never played so much in my life. When I wake up in the morning (usually with the cats' help), Dudo is sitting on my bed with a mouse at his feet or in his mouth, waiting for me to play. When I sit at my desk during the day, he sits on the den bed mewing at me, a mouse within reach.
Although Moose has been enjoying play-time with me and these mice, as well, he still manages to entertain himself throughout the day. Not Dudo. He needs and expects
(and, OK, usually gets) my participation. My plan is to play with him until he tires or gets bored, which usually takes a half hour or less. Today, more than eleven hours later, and he's still nagging me to play with him. And guess who's winning.
(My lips tell him "no, no" but there's "yes, yes" in my eyes.)
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MOOSE TRYING TO GET MY ATTENTION AT SUNRISE WITH MOUSE #2.
AND I THOUGHT IT HAD BEEN DUDO! |
It started at 8 a.m. and at 7:30 p.m. he's still following me around the house dragging an artificial mouse carcass along with him. I played with him for two solid hours this afternoon and finally decided I needed a siesta. He followed me into the bedroom, the remnants of Mouse #2 in his mouth.
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| THIS IS WHAT UNTOUCHED MOUSE #3 LOOKS LIKE. |
The original mice are simply hard plastic "bodies" wrapped with duotone elastic cord, with felt eyes, ears, and nose attached. But after a few minutes with Dudo and Moose they no longer bear any resemblance to mice. Mouse #2 is now just some elastic cord ... with ears.
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| DUDO REALLY NEEDS TO LEARN TO ENTERTAIN HIMSELF. |
They both like to chew the crunchy plastic for a bit until they get the cord completely undone. The sound of crunching plastic is a bit disturbing. But, I'm grateful it's not actual bone
(click here to learn what fellow-blogger Knatolee listens to).
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| MOOSE, TRYING TO CHEW OFF THE EARS. SO MUCH MORE SELF-SUFFICIENT. |
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| MOOSE, FLOSSING? |
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| DUDO: "PLAY WITH ME!!!!" |
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| "I'M WAI---TING..." |
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| "STILL HEEEEEE-ERE..." |
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| SAN GERALDO. ALL EARS (WELL, ANTLERS) WEDNESDAY NIGHT. |
And, in case you're wondering, Dudo is about to drive me crazy!!! I have definitely got to get out of the house. But, I'll admit, I love every [other] minute of it.
It's hard to believe that that long string "was" a mouse.... talk about being all strung out! I didn't realize you had "Ohio" cats until I looked at the video... But then... all cats are Ohio cats when you're looking at their butts ;-)
ReplyDeleteSharon:
DeleteThese are Domestic European Ohio cats. Pure-bred.
You might recall that I once had a childhood pet named Yama. One Christmas I bought a box of rubber life size mice for her. I thought they'd keep her company. Each morning I'd place a rubber mouse in her cage and by evening she'd chewed it into a pile of rubber bits. She did this to the whole package of mice. They didn't keep her company but I think she enjoyed them.
ReplyDeleteStephen:
DeleteWe had a yellow-naped Amazon parrot. We bought him a ladder that hung from his cage door to the floor four feet below. Within the first three days, he had chewed all the rungs out of the ladder. He would then shimmy up and down the verticals. Pets!
Hilarious, Mitchell, hilarious. HILARIOUS. :)
ReplyDeleteJudy:
DeleteI tried to ignore Dudo's demands this morning. I lasted about 20 minutes!
I see you are well-trained Mitchell! It didn't take Sophie that long to train us either!!
ReplyDeleteBut we love it!
Jim:
DeleteDudo really does have me wrapped around his little paw!
Our Bertie hunts, as he's a mostly outdoor cat. And often he'll bring his prey home to display before he eats it. The first time I heard him crunch through a mouse's skull was slightly revolting. But I've become used to it. That, and the more or less regular pile of wing feathers at the garage door.
ReplyDeleteWalt the Fourth:
DeleteI don't know if I could cope with the cats bringing home dead animals.
Mitch, it's worse when they bring home LIVE animals.
DeleteJudith:
DeleteUff!!!
:-) (That says it all!)
ReplyDeleteRaybeard:
DeleteFor the first time today, Dudo has left me alone. He's napping.
But I bet he's making up for it now! :-)
ReplyDeleteRaybeard:
DeleteYep... And about a minute after I wrote that other reply!