toby of the day, 03.31.2008

We have a scratching post for the cats which we naively hope will keep them from scratching our furniture and rugs, although the state of our furniture and rugs should have convinced us long ago that the scratching post is mostly to make us feel like we’re combating the scratching problem. In any case, a part of toby’s new routine is to meticulously remove all the stray and loose bits of carpeting from the scratching post, one at a time, pinching them with his thumb and forefinger. This means that a part of my daily routine is to grab each strand from him after he plucks it and before he puts it in his mouth. I could say how this training him to use his fine motor skills or teaching him the importance of teamwork (he picks the carpet bits, I add them to our pile), but really it’s just filler, something to keep him busy before he moves on to trying to eat the coasters, reach inside the heater, eat lulington’s food, knock over the bass guitar, or nibble on my shoulder as a sign he would like more milk.