Hi All,

I've been playing peacock feather games with my twenty year old Lady
Jane Grey.  I just love to see that wild-eyed kittenish expression she
gets when I poke the feather out from behind some obstacle or, as she
was just doing, delivering a "whap" "whap" "whap" as I let it protrude
briefly from under the surface of my desk (she being on the desk at
the time).

I'm not sure what survival behavior it mimics, but it seems that
they'll let an object, even one that's well within pouncing range,
turn a corner and then they'll charge.  It seems as if there must be
an innate urge to let the object of their attentions get just out of
sight.  Presumably on the premise that if they can't see it, it can't
see them.  In any case, my preferred method of playing string, red
bug, or feather is to put the cat's end of the toy close, move it
toward some object, and then sloooowwwly make the last bit of it
disappear around the corner.  If they're at all in the mood to play,
that usually gets them to charge.

Of course slapping them on the head with the feather seems to
work too <g>.

Regards and Purrs,
O J