I Thought My Cats Would Have a Ball
TweetI’ve seen Cat Balls on other blogger’s sites, with happy kitties snuggled contentedly inside. Imagine a beach ball made from soft washable cloth, with a large hole on one end and a smaller one on the other. Perfect for cats who love to hide in boxes and under beds. Exactly the kind of thing that cats who enjoy running through tunnels would instantly love.
Besides, there was one on the website made of fabric that matched my family room.
So I bought it. Last August.
It came folded up and tied with a matching fabric strip. The more curious inhabitants of my house came to investigate.
Lilah and Calvin scrutinize the mysterious object.
While Elsa Clair watched from on high, Calvin decided the Cat Ball required close inspection.
Looks kind of like a short cat tunnel.
Athena, the Official New Item Inspector came by to give the new item the requisite once over.
Calvin enters through the smaller hole, while Athena judges him.
Calvin walked in and out a few times. He seemed to pronounce it acceptable.
This is pretty neat.
And that was it.
After those first few moments, the Cat Ball remained unoccupied. Elsa Clair sniffed it a few times. Athena ignored it. Calvin forgot about it. Dawn refused to acknowledge it’s existence.
Weeks went by. The Cat Ball remained vacant.
Months passed. The ball seemed forsaken and deflated.
I thought maybe it didn’t smell right, so I washed it. The absence of cat in the Cat Ball continued.
I put it on the floor. Still empty.
On the couch. Sometimes Athena would lay near it.
On the Bird Watching Bench. Calvin walked around it
I flattened it, thinking Athena Who Sleeps On Everything would claim it. Nope.
I moved it into my office where three quarters of the cats tend to hang out when I’m home. The Cat Ball remained uninhabited.
During the winter, I noticed Elsa Clair warming herself by the heating vent in my bedroom. I moved the ball in front of it, angling it so the heat would flow inside. Once or twice I saw Elsa Clair within, but only briefly. I could never be sure she actually slept in it.
Like a rolling stone, the Cat Ball gathered no moss, as I moved it from place to place within my home, hoping my investment in cat comfort would eventually pay off.
Then, one night a few weeks ago (and nearly a year after I bought it), I set the Cat Ball down next to a cat bed — a cat bed that had , over the course of two years, been in and out of favor with our kitties for no discernable reasons. The bed had also become somewhat of a vagabond, as I moved it around when it became unfashionable, hoping to attract some interest. Apparently a cardboard box, a lumpy keyboard, the New York Times and my backpack are all much more appealing than a soft furry bed designed specifically for cats.
The next morning, I found Elsa Clair inside the ball. Asleep with a feline grin on her furry little face.
She’s been there nearly every night since. In the Cat Ball, next to an unoccupied cat bed.
I like this bed…today. I can’t predict how I’ll feel about it tomorrow.
Even Calvin finds the Cat Ball acceptable now.
If Elsa Clair likes it, I like it too. Because.
Cats. I don’t understand ’em. I just live with ’em.
And love ’em.
Do your pets have favorite beds, or ones you can tell they don’t like?
You may also like:
- Cats and Boxes: A (Not-Do-Scientific) Study
- Text from Cat: Everything is a cat bed
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- Cat House: Never Trust the Real Estate Listing
- Photo: Disgruntled Dawn
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I wish we could get into their minds and understand what they are thinking! M pets seem to love all their beds, so that is good. But they do sort of “rotate” which is the favourite today.
That is funny- I am glad someone finally found it acceptable 🙂
It took them awhile, but I think Elsa Clair now owns it.
MOL! We do the same thing. We have a hammick that when we first got it, we wouldn’t touch it. 2 years later, it’s now one of my favorite napping spots. We like to keep the humans guessing. FYI, we got a Cat Ball and we do use it…occasionally. Maybe 2 years from now, I’ll be in it all the time! ~Wally
Cats. Love ’em, but don’t expect to figure them out.
that’s th reason why we love our feline friends so much…they always have a surprise for us :lo)
True! That and they purr. >^..^<
That’s so funny, all your hard work of washing it and moving it around worked! I don’t think I’ll ever understand cats either, but it’s fun trying.
They’re so inscrutable, cats. They keep you guessing.
I bought a cat climby thing a year ago and got no interest at all. We use it to hang jackets on. I guess being inscrutable is being a cat.
I put cat shelves on the wall. The cats loved them at first. Then they ignored them. Recently, I’ve seen one or two on them. My guess is, they’ll ignore them again.
now this made me laugh with recognition.. I’ve had that happen too with different things.. what is awesome today won’t be awesome again for a while.. so odd for cats who thrive on routine..
The thing is, we’ll never know what suddenly made them like it…and then not like it.
I guess everything has it’s moment in time. Even a cat ball
So true! 😀
My dogs are also the same with new things. So strange sometime, but, I guess us humans can be the same at times. A new item of clothing has to bed in, until it feels comfy and like it belongs on us. My dogs take time getting used to new beds fully, but soon they come to accept them. Same as this, they can become bored of something and want something new in no time!! Somewhat strange, but on the other hand, almost hilarious.
sumskersandearlskers13.blogspot.com
I think that’s one of the reasons we love them. My dogs? If they see something comfy, they’re on it before I finish unpacking it.
guys…noe matter WHAT……knot even for fill aye oh steak…due KNOT get bak in de bed fora few…just ta throw yur mom fora loop !!! ♥♥♥
I think my cats read your comment. Elsa Clair avoided the bed for several days after I posted my story.
It is the same way at our house. Some things the cats have no interest in, but if they lie around long enough, all of the sudden they are the favorite thing around!
And we’ll never know why, right?
Typical cat logic MOL ! We won a Cat Ball in a giveaway and we love it… since Mum found THE place for it after a few weeks moving it from place to place like you ! Purrs
I think they’re the coolest thing. The cats just have to decide if they like it on their terms.
Cats are weird! Mr. N has a dog bed but he much prefers sleeping on piles of laundry.
The person who figures out cat reasoning will be a millionaire! So silly that they wouldn’t go in, on or near! Clearly a pile of papers, extension cords, cardboard,etc would be more comfortable!
True. I think cats know how much you spend on an item. How much you spend on it is inversely proportional to how much they will like it. I wrote a post on that once. Cats and Boxes: A (Not-So-Scientific) Study, where I tested the IGNORE Theory: (Intention Gratification Negation Of Realization and Expense).
I’m glad they finally took a liking to the cat ball, it’s so pretty! Pets just get to things when they get to things, you can’t rush them. My dogs are picky-oon about their beds too, we can never figure it out!
Love & Biscuits,
Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them
You are so right. Never rush a cat. I should embroider a wall hanging with that on it.
I think even Pierre would LOVE to sleep in there! How fun!
Heck, if there was one for humans, I’d sleep there.
I’m the designer of the Cat Ball® cat bed, and I was pretty much biting my fingernails as the story progressed, continuing to worry that the phrase I’ve got a registered trademark for, “Your cat will figure it out®”, might not always be correct. But now Elsa Clair and Calvin are my new favorite models, and at least THOSE cats were able to figure it out!
One of the common things I hear from customers is that their cats fight over the Cat Ball® cat bed. They are very territorial animals, and the bed is a resource, so the behavior isn’t a surprise. I’m wondering if you will see a change in your group now. Will the other cats start to show an interest in the Cat Ball? Will they start to bicker over it? Will it matter where the bed is placed now, or can you put it anywhere?
The cats did figure it out. In fact, Elsa Clair is in it right now as I type. I think with her scent all over it, the Cat Ball will become hers. Calvin will usurp it whenever he can. Even though he outweighs his sister by about 2 pounds, he knows better than to mess with her. She rules. The bed is hers. 😀