Playing fetch and other games

Nar is our very own stunt cat, regularly putting on aerobatic displays that make us wonder if it’s actually worth paying the TV license when we have access to such fine entertainment in our very own home. She’s capable of changing direction in mid-air yet always lands with the grace of a ballerina. She has favourite games that transform her from the most affectionate lap cat into a mini tiger; stalking and pouncing. She particularly adores a furry spider attached to a fishing rod. Whenever she manages to catch it she growls and hisses and drags it into a corner where she pretends to devour it. It’s hilarious to watch.

But her all-time favourite are these little foam balls. She actually taught us to play fetch; she simply started retrieving off her own bat. It’s the perfect way for a lazy human to exhaust an over-active cat. Just sit down on the floor and throw the ball and because it’s so soft it can ricochet against anything; windows, walls, furniture. Beckham eat your heart out, here is one player that can play all positions – at the same time.

Initially Heinz would just sit on the sidelines and watch, seemingly uninterested. But recently he’s decided that maybe it’s not such a boring game after all. However, he’s not interested in the foam balls. Instead he wants to fetch his childhood collar.

He’s endearingly attached to a little velvet collar we bought for him when he was just 10 weeks old. It was impossible to tell him apart from his two brothers when he was little, so once we had selected our kittens Heinz was adorned with the collar until he and Nar moved in with us. It’s been his favourite toy ever since. Almost nothing else will do, which can be quite stressful at times, because it has a tendency to disappear under the fridge.