No toy

has ever occupied him the way a game of Hide and Seek does. Or peek-a-boo. Or who's scratching the wall behind him.

He cheats at cards. He's in denial about his drinking habit.

Prevents others from play or study

Yes, I hear you. No, I'm not listening.

A leaf, a twist-tie,

whatever he bats off the table, makes for a good hockey puck.

Scratching post? Must be for you, Merlin. Every other inch of the house is mine.

Bobi hates the cat tunnel as much as he hated Merlin,

But he'll settle for a window ledge if the mood strikes.

Bird Watching: Bobi has dibs on the window!

Beedle (the cat with the upper hand, top right), built like a jackrabbit, didn't defer to Bobi during his visits, but Merlin, built like a Clydesdale with butterfly-grace, steered clear of Bob the Bad.

Shoe Fetish? Who, me?

Faucet Fetish, for sure

The dirty look he gives us when he has to resort to shouting for us to come turn on the water - but The Fountain is a cheap trick, an indignity. Only if we're gone for hours will he resort to The Fountain.

Fish held his interest once, and only once

Bag Fetish

He'll toy with dogs, seeking to shame them and destroy their self-esteem,

Our neighbor's Red Heeler, Ted, was already old enough not to tease and chase Bobi when The Thing (Bobi) came on the scene. Bobi liked to chill on the deck with Ted. (Dear old Ted outlived our first two collies, but preceded our second pair. He ran strong for 16 years, or 15, considering his last year was spent sunning himself on the deck with a cat.)

O, the injustice!

Ted gets to stay outside all day

Toys? meh.

With the Maine Coon, we'd run a stick or a finger under a blanket, slowly, and he'd watch, then pounce. No toy, ever, could compete. Merlin could open cupboard doors himself, and the door to the basement.

Merlin found his way into the ductwork in the ceiling and we awoke one night to some eerie crawling noises below the floor. Merlin could leap tall buildings in a single bound. Ok, more than one bound. But he did find his way onto our very steep roof. I am ever in awe of the magnificent Merlin, and Bobinski persecuted him, and I didn't fight to keep Merlin and rehome "The Bobe" instead.