Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

“Until such time as the world ends, we will act as though it intends to spin on.”

American history and black history cannot be separated.

When we show up, we win.

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. keep building.

Optimism opens the door to great things.

Giving up is unforgivable.

I’d like to think you all would remain faithful to me if i ever tried to have some of you killed.

These days, even the boring Republicans are nuts.

Let’s delete this post and never speak of this again.

Tide comes in. Tide goes out. You can’t explain that.

Hey Washington Post, “Democracy Dies in Darkness” was supposed to be a warning, not a mission statement.

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

Sometimes the world just tells you your cat is here.

Incompetence, fear, or corruption? why not all three?

They were going to turn on one another at some point. It was inevitable.

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

When I was faster i was always behind.

Jack be nimble, jack be quick, hurry up and indict this prick.

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

The line between political reporting and fan fiction continues to blur.

Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.

This really is a full service blog.

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

People really shouldn’t expect the government to help after they watched the GOP drown it in a bathtub.

You are here: Home / Pet Blogging / Cat Blogging / Laser Light Show

Laser Light Show

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For further insight into my clearly active social life, I decided Tunch was feeling neglected, so I got him smacked up on some homegrown catnip and broke out the laser:

I probably shouldn’t admit this, but during the playtime with Tunch, I looked down at sweet, timid, scared, beautiful Lily lying underneath my desk, staring at me with her helpless gaze, looked at the laser, looked at Tunch, and said to myself- “One of these days…”

Reader Interactions

71Comments

  1. 1.

    Comrade Mary, Would-Be Minion Of Bad Horse

    Wait — you’re going to play Star Wars with your pets?

    …

    AWESOME!!

    You realize that you will have to set up video cameras for the whole event, right?

  3. 3.

    Yutsano

    Should we take the fact that you got Tunch to move as a positive or as a sign of the Apocalypse?

  4. 4.

    schrodinger's cat

    Thanks John, good to see the mighty Tunch again, he is such a pretty kitteh. I have some catnip seeds, do you grow it in a pot or in the garden?

    Caption for the second Tunch pic:
    Does this tail make my butt look big?

  5. 5.

    Steeplejack

    @Comrade Stuck:

    Seriously. No wonder he’s “holding down the futon” all the time. That tail is the brown wingtips on the white seersucker suit. Matlock! [Abe Simpson voice]

  6. 6.

    Betsy

    I need to get a laser pointer for my kitty. But I’ve been hesitating because it feels sort of mean – making her chase an illusion! Pursuing something she can never catch! That sort of dysfunction kinda seems like it ought to be restricted to humans.

  7. 7.

    Krissed Off

    I looked down at sweet, timid, scared, beautiful Lily lying underneath my desk, staring at me with her helpless gaze, looked at the laser, looked at Tunch, and said to myself- “One of these days…”

    No good can come from this.

  9. 9.

    Mrs. Peel

    There is something about a cat and a laser that I find absolutely hysterical. It’s not like they can actually catch it, but they never seem to tire of chasing it around.

    I’d turn it off and my cat would spin around looking for it. Then I’d turn it back on and he’d jump 10 feet in the air and then start to chase it again. Too funny.

  11. 11.

    Yutsano

    BTW- what happened to Southland? Why is it not on anymore?

    Canceled already? I know they move real fast if they think a show is a major tanker. I kinda had hopes for it though.

  12. 12.

    Little Dreamer

    I did that with Stormy once in a RV (the kind with the bed over the cab) – interesting thing about RV’s, you can shine the light on one end of the structure into the mirror at the other end and make the laser go in several different directions. I never did that again.

  14. 14.

    Bad Horse's Filly

    My cats will play with a laser for a while, then when they get tired of it, they all walk away from the light and one of them will jump in my lap and bat the pen out of my hand. Can’t fool them.

  15. 15.

    South of I-10

    Love Tunch’s orange tail. Katie the kitty has discovered the little one’s bed. Does this qualify as going Galt?

  17. 17.

    BettyPageisaBlonde

    I’m really loving the Story of Lily. It’s even better with the Tunch touches.

    You rock, Mr. Cole. That’s a hell of a lot of karma you’re accumulating.

  18. 18.

    Annie

    Kiddos to Tunch. He’s a great guy. He seems to be taking the changes in stride. John, you are great for being so sensitive to his feelings.

    Lily will relax as soon as she builds trust. She is not used to affection. She has yours clearly, and soon she will have Tunch’s. Then you will see a remarkable change.

    Good work! Can’t wait to see the “spooning” pictures. Not sure if I a mean Tunch and Lily, or all three of you.

    I love the daily updates…………

  22. 22.

    Calming Influence

    @Bad Horse’s Filly:
    This is true. You can fool them for a while, but once they learn you’re responsible, game over.

    And if you’ve been messing with their heads with a laser pointer for years before they figure it out, you’ll want to start sleeping with one eye open.

  23. 23.

    JL

    I looked down at sweet, timid, scared, beautiful Lily lying underneath my desk, staring at me with her helpless gaze, looked at the laser, looked at Tunch, and said to myself- “One of these days…”

    A friend called today and the dog decided to play the laser game. The cat did not want to share the beam and barking and hissing occurred. You should consider putting a stuffed animal under the desk for Lily.

  25. 25.

    dmsilev

    Heh. I was playing with a laser yesterday. Of course, “playing” meant “taking the thing apart, figuring out what was wrong with it, and boosting the output power by a factor of 100”. When we were done with it, it was hardly the sort of thing you’d point at your cat.

    -dms

  26. 26.

    South of I-10

    @Betsy: Thanks! I was looking for her for a while before I found her snuggled in the stuffed animals. That must be her new snoozing spot.

  30. 30.

    KRK

    …so I got him smacked up on some homegrown catnip and broke out the laser.

    I can’t decide if this quote out of context sounds more like an excerpt from a screenplay to a torture p0rn flick, bad science fiction, or schoolyard tough-guy hyperbole.

    Glad you all had another good day.

    Gus is completely indifferent to catnip in any form (fresh, dried, or liquid). He also won’t play with anything on a string because he immediately follows the string back to the person or object holding it and either attacks (person) or walks away. I’ve never tries a laser because it seems that he gets enough thrills hunting voles and mice. And he is vigilant against the indoor menace of stray Q-tips.

  31. 31.

    BruceFromOhio

    Lily will relax as soon as she builds trust. She is not used to affection. She has yours clearly, and soon she will have Tunch’s. Then you will see a remarkable change.

    Makes me think about the cat lady. What happened there? Do dogs remember specifics, or just general cause/effect? You go from being filthy, flea-bitten and ignored to being clean and cared for. It’s like being snatched by aliens, but in a good way.

  32. 32.

    BruceFromOhio

    And he is vigilant against the indoor menace of stray Q-tips.

    Has he ever had his ears cleaned at the vet? That left a lasting impression on several pets I’ve known.

  33. 33.

    Patrick

    Lucy’s favorite toy is a girl’s ponytail elastic scrunchy thing. She’s immune to the laser, but she’ll play with that scrunchy thing endlessly.

  36. 36.

    Violet

    @John Cole:

    BTW- what happened to Southland? Why is it not on anymore?

    It’s renewed for next season. Probably just on summer break so they can find room for quality programming like, “I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!”

  38. 38.

    John Cole

    Time to class up the joint again.

    It has now been 48 hours, and I have not seen Lily do #2. This includes over 4-5 hours of walks.

    Either she is stealth pooping on walks, I need to break out the flashlight and check under my bed for presents, or she is unlike any other dog I have ever known. Every other dog I have had was a finely crafted dog shit machine- put food in one end, and reliably, shit came out the other end. With our JRT named Russell, sometimes he would go to the bathroom WHILE walking, which was always awesome when you were talking to the neighbors.

    So far she has only had one cup of food. Should I be concerned?

  39. 39.

    mr. whipple

    “So far she has only had one cup of food. Should I be concerned?”

    I would be. She’s probably just freaked. This happened to our headcase cat who we had to board when we went on a trip. He wouldn’t eat or shit…they had to give him an enema.

  40. 40.

    KRK

    Presumably the vet checked her out for dehydration and felt her gut for any signs of a backlog. I would say it’s probably just the transition. But why not just call the vet tomorrow? If she doesn’t seem in distress, another night shouldn’t hurt her.

  41. 41.

    geg6

    I’m no vet but I know what happens when I don’t manage that for 2 whole days. Not pretty, just saying.

  42. 42.

    FoxinSocks

    I had an awesome white cat back in the day, very very smart. I pulled out the laser pointer and all the other cats chased after the beam of light. The white cat calmly walked over to me and grabbed the laser pointer out of my hand.

  43. 43.

    Shibby

    @John Cole:

    I’m no vet but physiology would dictate that she’s probably just super over excited/stressed. Large doses of epinephrine (sympathetic response) running through her system prevents her from relaxing enough to do the deed (a parasympathetic response). It’s all here if you are wondering what the hell that man is talking about.

  44. 44.

    Bad Horse's Filly

    @John Cole: I think she’s fine. If it’s high quality food, she may only go once a day. She may not have eaten much before you brought her home. And new food is always an adjustment for the bowels.

    Maybe wet her food for a few days, to make sure she’s not constipated (she may not be drinking enough water, since she’s unsure of her surroundings). And I hate to say it, but be glad she doesn’t seem to have stress induced diarrhea.

    Most of my experience comes from extra large dogs with stress diarrhea. But my friends have two dogs about the same size as Lily and they only poop every couple of days. When I babysit them and they are stressed, it may be every three days. I freaked the first time I had them at my house, I’ve calmed down since.

    Nothing like getting a call on your vacation from your friend saying, “OMG, your dogs aren’t pooping, they’re sick, what do I do?!”

  45. 45.

    KRK

    @BruceFromOhio: No, I don’t think it’s vet-related. He just never saw a Q-tip he didn’t want to attack. I admit to making it easy for him by frequently dropping them on the floor in places that are inconvenient for me to reach but readily accessible to him.

  46. 46.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Don’t some drugs have a seriously constipating effect? Do you still have her on the prednisone and those other meds? Or yeah, for sure, it could be a stress thing. Good luck to you both :-)

  48. 48.

    SLS

    @Betsy: Actually, cats have a “chase” behavior and a “catch” behavior. They’re two different things, and a cat really doesn’t need one to enjoy the other. For a cat, it really is all about the journey, not the destination.

  49. 49.

    TheDoogs

    First off; I’m a vet. (not to sound snooty, but it is kind of important I’d think)
    Not pooping for two days actually isn’t a huge deal (or unexpected) given her high anxiety level and the big transition here.
    I’d say give it some more time, keep offering her food, and keep walking her. She’ll get there.

    Like some others have said, the high stress level can definitely slow down defecation. Dogs can hold it in longer than most people think =)

  51. 51.

    ninerdave

    @Yutsano:

    Should we take the fact that you got Tunch to move as a positive or as a sign of the Apocalypse?

    No, no. No need to worry, that’s just Tunch going from sitting to laying down. The laser is just for “effect”.

  52. 52.

    beabea

    I have lurked here for a long time, not sure if I was quite up to the task of engaging with such a smart group of commenters. But I have to come out of hiding to say how much I am enjoying the Lily updates, and now new Tunch pics — yay!

    John, try giving Lily a few tablespoons of canned pumpkin puree. It’s high in fiber and they like the taste. I first learned of this from the show “Emergency Vets” on Animal Planet; they gave pumpkin to a ferret who had eaten a pencil eraser. Poor little guy would have had to have surgery if that didn’t work, but sure enough…pumpkin helped him poop out the eraser the next day. My vet recommended pumpkin too when my kitty was getting stopped up.

  53. 53.

    Anne Laurie

    Either she is stealth pooping on walks, I need to break out the flashlight and check under my bed for presents, or she is unlike any other dog I have ever known… Every other dog I have had was a finely crafted dog shit machine- put food in one end, and reliably, shit came out the other end. With our JRT named Russell, sometimes he would go to the bathroom WHILE walking.

    When he first came to live with us, our younger rescue papillon Sydney would actually poop while running at full speed. Even now, he’s quite shy about being caught in the act. It’s clear he was punished for pooping indoors & (mis)understood the rule as “If they catch you, they will kill you… but first, they must catch you!”

    Lily won’t be the first dog who prefers to retire under a bush or behind a tree. You might try deliberately looking *away* from her occasionally while you’re walking. (As a teacher, you’ve got previous experience at peripheral-vision surveillance, right?) But if you’re worried — especially if she’s acting like her belly’s bothering her — maybe you want to call the vet before the weekend & see what he suggested; he’ll know whether the medications or the new food might have something to do with her problem.

    (On the other hand, unless your nasal allergies are REALLY horrible, I don’t think she’s leaving piles under your bed. Lily’s first few dumps are more likely to stink at a level that drives houseflies & beagles away!)

  57. 57.

    gbear

    She is not used to affection. She has yours clearly, and soon she will have Tunch’s. Then you will see a remarkable change.

    Excellent! Lily’s master plan for world domination appears to be working…

    edit: Congrats AhabTRuler!

  58. 58.

    AhabTRuler

    Thx everybody. I’m just lucky that I live in the DC metro area with the great Gubmint teat to suck off of.
    As an administrative support subcontractor for the Beast(TM), I look forward to being part of the problem, but in a competative, solutions-driven environment!

  59. 59.

    Dulcie

    @AhabTRuler: Did you get my job? I was laid off yesterday.

    I’m actually kind of relieved. The stress was killing me. I got an awesome severance package which will allow me to take the rest of the year off, AND they’re paying my health insurance until 12/31/2009. I think I’m going to return to school.

    Edit: BTW, congrats on your good fortune!

  61. 61.

    Mister Colorful Analogy

    @AhabTRuler:

    In your face economic crisis!
    I managed to get a job today! w00t!

    Shouldn’t there be a /colbert after that first line? Anyway, congratulations on your new gig! It was a good day for both of us, as I accepted a new job on Thursday, too.

  63. 63.

    Dulcie

    @AhabTRuler: :-) Thanks! My family and friends were way more upset for me than I was for myself!

    Congrats to you, Mister Colorful Analogy!

  64. 64.

    Cain

    Congrats AhabTRuler! Sorry to hear about your job loss, Dulcie, but awesome severance package. Enjoy the summer I guess!

    cain

  65. 65.

    iluvsummr

    @AhabTRuler:
    Congratulations! I have a friend who’s been looking with no luck for about five months now.

    @Dulcie: Sorry to hear that. Congrats on the health insurance though – my friend’s paying >$600 a month for COBRA health insurance, which sucks.

  66. 66.

    D-Chance.

    Anyone finding the NBA finals to be about as lackluster as possible? Lakers are now up 3-1; but, if they had a halfway competent opponent, they’d be down 1-3. I guess that’s what separates champions from wannabes… performance when the ball is in your hands and the game is on the line. The Magic have failed twice in the last three games to seal the deal.

  67. 67.

    Tom_23

    Either she is stealth pooping on walks, I need to break out the flashlight and check under my bed for presents

    For our rescue, we call it the magic walk. When we take the dog cruising on our sailboat she shuts it down for up to 2 days . She doesn’t get comfortable with the surroundings (plus being on the leash all the time doesn’t help). It still may take a couple of trys but she’ll eventually go. Good luck!

    Our rescue (named Sunshine) is an interesting story. Seeing the comment threads for Lily reminds me how lucky we are. We found her on Petfinder.org. She was adverstised as a golden / eskie mix. A shelter person in Washington (the state) found her when adopting other dogs in Arkansas and couldn’t let her go. When we met her, she had no manners and would wake up at 4-5AM. She has mellowed and fit in our household so well. It took about month to re-establish life. We did training early and I think that helped. Still wakes up early but her training and response to our family couldn’t have worked out better.
    Sunny is looking to go bed…
    PS: I will send in a picture. We have a couple of good emabarrising ones.

  69. 69.

    The Saff

    Tunch is a dolly. He looks like my Sherman only with less orange around his face. Sherman also has the same orange tabby tiger tail.

    Goodness, but I look forward to these Tunch and Lily updates. Oh, and the other current events/politix threads.

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