Cats in Avatar

I saw Cameron's Avatar, the movie twice this weekend. I could hardly believe my eyes. We saw it in 3d. unbelievable!. The depth, in more ways than one. The indigenous people of Pandora are 9 feet tall and have blue skin. They have cat noses and faces and eyes and teeth and tails. Really!
Even if you don't like the story it's worth seeing for the technicals. I liked the story too! Make sure to see it in 3d, and if possible imax 3d. also make sure you have an unobstructed view of the screen, an extra head in your way would be a bummer..;-) I loved it because it had the "good bits" in it. So many movies lately are all toil and starkness and strife and in the last 30 seconds you see a bit of happiness. It makes me crazy! This actually showed the happiness and wonder and beauty. I was estatic!
I'mm write more later. See it if you can, i think it changes the way movies will be made in the future. It's a place i'd like to live, and not just because i like blue!

Best Cat toy so far- Cat Dancer!

I've been reading a bunch of books on cat behavior and two by Pam Johnson-Bennett are really good. "think like a cat" and "Cat vs. Cat" She recommends a cat toy called Cat Dancer. Bella the cat thinks this is the best thing since sliced turkey! It's the simplest toy and it really gets her hunting and pouncing. It moves unpredictably and she gets a great cat aerobic workout. Pam talks about how important it is to play with your cat. They need exercise, and something to keep  them interested in life.  So do we...  The zoo calls it animal enrichment. Cats are at our mercy when they can't go outside, and find their own entertainment.   Bella is an indoor cat. I have a screened back porch and a nice cat gym I built. She can get fresh air and watch the birds,  but she loves to stretch and run and leap and climb. She is much more relaxed when I give her regular workouts. I try for at least morning and evening round of spin-the-cat, and Barbara tries to get in a midday romp. Bella is waiting for her pre-bedtime workout. I better get  moving.

More Cat toys!

It raining cats and dogs.... again!
My computer chair finally gave up the ghost and today I bought a new one. I had to put it together and it came in lovely big box. Bella the cat loves the box! First she used it for a scratching post and then she jumped inside. We played with the catfishing rod and I ended up cutting a hole in the back so she could shoot thru. Very exciting! She's resting now before dinner...;-)  and we'll play again later.

Cat Fishing Reel...reely!

So,
I've been wanting to get a cat fishing reel kind of cat toy. I wanted a toy that could reely get Bella the cat running around. I saw a cute one at Target and bought it. It was the right size and worked pretty good for a day. Then it broke. The line snagged and I couldn't get it untangled. It was caught in the reel. So I took it back. Target was great and refunded my money. I got another one because I really liked the look and feel of the thing and I hoped it was just a fluke. The 2nd one broke in less than an hour. I was totally bummed.. and so was Bella!
Now the Good News!
I got to go to one of my favorite stores...Squidco!  I hardly ever need to go there but this was the time. They sell all things fishing. I bought a nice little 6 foot pole with a shimano reel. It cost less than the cat reel. I made some alterations. I only use the top 1/2 of the pole, (it's a 2 piece pole) I used paper tape to make the pole wider so I could attach the reel with electric tape. I let about 10 yards of line and then taped the rest of the line to the reel, then rewound the line. Now it doesn't get knots in the line. Mostly tho I just let out about 4 feet of line and lock the reel and Bella the cat, the fuzzy acrobat flies around the room. Yeah!

New cat toy? Or the great Cat adventure?

It rained like cats and dogs..;-) today,
and we got a leak in our ceiling. While our landlady Lucy was up in the attic looking for it, Bella the cat, climbed the 6 foot ladder and jumped up behind her. Lucy didn't know Bella was there. When my partner Barbara got home later in the day she couldn't find Bella. She kept calling and finally heard a faint meow. She kept calling until she was under the attic door and realized Bella was in the ceiling! She had to go outside in the pouring rain get the ladder again. Then she had to ask our friend up the street to get Bella down. Barbara is too short to reach up into the attic.  Bella is quite the athletic cat,  but she was happy to be back on the ground. I know they are big on animal enrichment at the zoo, but i think we'll have to find cat toys and other means of enrichment that don't involve the ladder and the attic for the lovely Bella.