Carrying around wand toy

[stu]

Our cat Luigi does this ALL THE TIME!
If I play with a stick or toy, he'll paw it several times, then leap at it, put it in his mouth, then disappear off, triumphantly!

[princessbear]

Originally Posted by lyle

Hero drags around a streamer wand, 3 of them in fact.

He hardly ever meows, but late at night he drags them around the empty, dark house moaning like a banshee. And I can hear the wand click on the stairs. A little spooky. Often he'll leave them piled up on the floor at the kitchen counter (where his meals are prepared).

One more thing in the WTH is with cats?

My Princess used to do this with her cat charmer - she didn't want to play with it, just wanted to carry it around moaning in the middle of the night, the stick dragging on the floor. She had 4 different ones and she would leave a pile of them in all different places. She was a funny one...

[October]

When you say she takes the wand and walks away, is the string still attached to it? I know in Murphy's case, the real glory of those fishing pole toys is the string, not whatever is at the end of it!

[shan841]

Banjo actually did this for the first time last night. He only carries around certain toys, but we got into kind of a tug-of-war with his feather wand. I let go, and he proceeded to drag it into the other room. It was so cute because the wand was between his legs, so it resembled a big cat dragging large prey. After he took it into the kitchen he brought it back out to me and we did it all again.

[shan841]

Originally Posted by hal1

The toys I understand, it's a prey thing. They "caught" it, it's theirs. Or maybe they're keeping them like their own pets (though I doubt it the way they kill them). I can even see the wand with streamers on it as it is even more of a prize, since you were dangling it and they feel that they actually did catch it.

I have noticed they treat the feathers more like actual prey, probably because it is so much more realisitic than other toys. The way he bites down on it after he pins it down its like he is going for the kill! lol

[tghsmith]

yeti knows where all the wands toys are stored.. the area is almost yeti proof, but if not watched for few moments its self service play time(the floor is littered with other cat toys at all times), I think the wands will have to go into a large pvc tube with cap and combination lock...

[hal1]

Wow, I didn't expect all the responses of cats that drag the wand around. weird.

[feedmycats]

My girl does this too. It was cute and funny until she felt the need to jump up somewhere with it (like the bed) and then jump down and impale herself on it. Wand toys are only for closely supervised play now! lol

[Nora B]

Originally Posted by lyle

Sounds like fairly common behavior then. Anyone know of, or want to hazard an educated opinion on, why?

This has been a long term topic of discussion at our house and as a group we have come up with a few theories:

Background: we have the cats, only the oldest does this and only with one wand toy. it is a n older kong toy, microplush type material for the 'string' the feathers were once attached to, it was also her very first toy.

Now for the most part she is a fairly quiet cat but when she picks up the toy she begins to look for people and meow loudly - she has no desire to play with it, she looks for a person to tell her she has done a good job and 'killed it'. AAEven the neighbor kids who come over can be heard calling thru the house - 'you killed it Moxie, you're such a good girl" - with enough praise she puts it away and stops yeoling Ignore her and she will drop the wand on your feet.

Only that wand, no other & no other toys either.


I really think she is letting us all know that she is taking care of business!