Cat House: Polaris & the Spider

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, my cats are a never ending source of amusement!

So, I recently received a “call from Nature” in the middle of the night. I stumbled my way out of bed and down the hall to the bathroom. Along the way, my youngest cat greeted me cheerfully and followed me. The nocturnal creature was doing her usual playing/exploring the room when I spotted a spider in the bath tub.

Now, when it comes to bugs, weeds, etc., I prefer to do things naturally. When I spot a bug, I call the cats. This method accomplishes 2 tasks simultaneously. 1) It eliminates the bug, and 2) it entertains the cats. (Notice: Don’t worry, there are very few—if any—poisonous bugs where I live. If I spotted a suspicious looking one, I wouldn’t let the cats “play” with it!)

So, returning to the story, I picked up Polaris and sat her on the rim of the tub. I didn’t even have to point at the spider—she spotted it and pounced on it. She was having a ton of fun—and making a racket—so within a few moments her sister Teal’c came to investigate. The thing is, Teal’c is my usual #1 bug eliminator—and her sister knew it!

Polaris took one look at Teal’c, picked up the spider in her mouth (ewh!), and sprinted into the living room. Well, the game was on. Teal’c chased after her sister—with me trailing behind laughing. By the time I turned the light on, several of the other cats had heard the commotion and came to join us. I had a circle of cats surrounding the one little spider on the living room floor!

Each cat has her own preferred method of play. Most cats would use their paws to bat the bug around, but not Polaris. Her method was to continue to pick the spider up in her mouth, tilt her head back, and toss the spider through the air.

(chuckle)

The poor spider didn’t stand a chance—but, man, were my cats entertained that night!