broken toy and broken dreams

Yesterday the cat finally broke his favorite toy, a leather string tied to a jingle bell. He's actually had it for about 3 years - I'm surprised it lasted this long. The bell has been smashed for some time, but it still jingles. But yesterday, the leather string was found in 2 pieces and the cat looked mournfully to us for help. We tied it back together, but the knot came undone and there are now 3 pieces of leather string on the floor. Mecru keeps the pieces near each other, but the toy just isn't as fun when the pieces are only a few inches long.

So now we have to replace this handmade toy. Which means I have to go to a craft store and buy more leather string and another jingle bell. This raises the issues: Why does it have to be a leather string? Why can't we buy something less cow? The answer is threefold.

1. I've tried non-leather strings. They are either refused by the cat because of their weird texture, or they break right away.

2. The cat likes leather. He likes to chew on it. It's strong enough to withstand claws, teeth, and being dragged around the house. Like I said, this one lasted about 3 years.

3. The cat is not a vegan. Even if we wanted to force our beliefs on him, he wouldn't have it. If we tried to feed him vegetarian food (besides the human food that he likes - whoever heard of a cat 's favorite food being strawberry soy ice cream?) he would probably get very sick. Cats are carnivorous. Dogs can eat vegetarian food. But not cats. Cats are hunters. They need real flesh to rip their claws into. Without a suitable substitute, that flesh is on my or the Boyfriend's arm. This is also why the cat has ("has" in theory - they're all lost now) many toy mice that are covered in rabbit fur.

So any purchases we make for the cat are non-vegan. And they are the only purchases that are this way, what with the canvas shoes and cruelty-free makeup and other crazy vegetarian crap.

Point is, I have to go buy leather for the cat. Soon. He keeps vainly trying to play with his broken toy while looking at us, saying "isn't this pathetic? I really need a new toy. But I guess I'll keep playing with this one until you bring me a new one. Sigh."

Someday, little kitty. Someday.









ps - Interesting story regarding said toy:

When we lived in our old Davis apartment, you know the one - it was 3 times bigger than our NYC apartment and had 2 stories and a patio? - One morning I awoke with this toy wrapped around my hand. I had not put it there, and the Boyfriend had not put it there. The cat had brought his string all the way upstairs, jumped onto the bed with it, and somehow wrapped it around my hand while I was sleeping so that we could play. It really is his favorite toy.





I've also added lots of new stuff over at jewelry by des.