Basic Instructions

I have a game I play with one of our cats, Flapjack. Missy and I call the game “Bip.”

The rules are simple.

The cats have a pile of toy mice. I keep these mice on the table next to my favorite chair. As I watch TV, Flapjack hides around the corner of another piece of furniture and peers at me as if plotting a sneak attack. This is the signal that it’s time to play “Bip.”

I hold one of the toy mice by the tail and fling it in the air in a high arc, so that it will land near her. When I do this, one of two things will happen.

She may leap out of her hiding spot, often surprisingly high. Rather than catching the mouse, she hits it with both of her front paws as if playing volleyball. The mouse flies in a random direction, where it will be very difficult for me to find.

We repeat this process over and over until all the mice are gone. Then I search the living room for them, usually losing at least one.

We call this “Bip” because Missy will often talk for the cat, in a high-pitched voice, and when the cat hits the mouse, Missy will yell, “Bip!” That’s the whole game, and I find it adorable.

That’s one of the two possible outcomes. The other is that I throw the mouse. Flappy watches it fly, land, and bounce on the floor near her without moving, then she looks at me like I’m an idiot. I also find this adorable.

I don’t understand why non-cat people think cat owners are crazy.

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