jaunthie | Bounties from the pet supplies store

fisherbear and I made a special trip out to a pet supplies store today, on a quest for something to help make giving J his pills a little easier. He's actually not bad about taking pills, as cats go, but it's still a struggle and not something I look forward to every evening. And I really wanted to find a better solution before the Leukeran gets here.

Fortunately, my friend Jake mentioned a product called Pill Pockets.

WOW.

Let me tell you right here, right now - these babies WORK! You put a pill in the hole in the center, smoosh the opening closed (the pill pockets are kind of like sticky playdough), and offer the gooey ball to your cat. Be careful of your fingers, though - because your cat might just accidentally take them off trying to get at the yummy treat. Watch as your cat snarfs down the sticky mass (which is also the pill) and clamor for more. Feel superior for having been so clever as to track these things down, and grateful to whatever genius came up with these things.

While we were at the pet supply store, I also came across a basket of little knitted toy mice. Our other cat, M, has really enjoyed playing with fur mice and feathered mice in the past, but hasn't really been interested in them lately. Something about the knitted mouse spoke to me, though, and they were only 99 cents, so I picked one up for him as an experiment.

YOWZA.

M went completely nuts for this little toy. He played with it for literally HOURS, alternately carrying it around in his mouth, batting it around, tossing it into the air, and then bringing it over to either

fisherbear or me for that person to throw. (Yes, M plays fetch. In many ways he's not really a cat, he's a puppy dog in cat drag.) He finally put it down long enough to eat his dinner, but I won't be surprised if he gloms right back onto it this evening. I haven't seen him this excited about a kitty-toy in ages.

Both cats are definitely in better moods, thanks to the goodies we found at the store. All in all, an excellent haul.