Let Your Cat Be Trash
I don’t know about your cat, but mine is all about trash. She loves to eat trash. She loves to play with trash. She loves to be trash. No matter how many cute, expensive cat toys I buy for her with my hard-earned money, she will always have a preference for the pieces of trash that fall to the floor. (What does she do if there is no rubbish on the floor? Pulls it out of the bin.)
Just a couple of days ago, I discovered that she is playing with an unopened kernel of popcorn, and she has more fun with this piece of corn than I have ever had with anything (including corn that talks about something). She waved them from side to side, chased him here and there, trying to pick up with her mouth, but to no avail. This went on for about half an hour — a long time for something to grab her attention.
I thought I had finally figured out what kind of “real” toy she would like, but I was wrong. After many hours of careful observation, I came to the conclusion that she likes things that move like beetles, so I was optimistic about the little battery-powered bug toy her parents bought her for Christmas. But it wasn’t an unmelted popcorn kernel, and she remained indifferent.
It broke me a little, and I realized that all the fancy cat toys were for my entertainment, and that I should just let her play with the trash. I no longer buy my little trash goblin fancy cat toys, especially when I literally have a lot of bottle caps, packing material and unopened popcorn kernels and all I have to do is not throw them away (at least not straightaway). From now on, I will let my cat play with the trash, and I invite you to do the same. ( Cat Dancer is the only exception to the no-real-toy rule, but Cat Dancer is a piece of cardboard attached to a piece of wire – glorified trash that sells at a small premium.)
You should, of course, make sure it’s safe trash. Items that your cat might swallow and choke on (such as ribbon, rope, or small pieces of plastic) should be taken away from them because they are stupid and driven by strange instincts. But if you find that your cat is playing with litter that in no way threatens her well-being, let them. Have them punch the bottle cap, chase wrapping peanuts, and pounce on the wrapping paper. Let them play with the trash. Let it be rubbish. (And please tell me in the comments what kind of trash your cat likes. I love reading about trash cats.)