Yeah, my cats love these, but I have to hide them really well when we aren’t playing, otherwise I’ll come home to find just a stick, and maybe whatever toy was at the end. Phineas (I think he’s the culprit, but I suppose it could be Ferb) likes to eat the string.
i bought my Corky and Toodles a mouse onna stick – Corky loved it so much he dismembered the mouse and chewed the stick in half. So I got him another 3. They didn’t last a day – I got home from work to discover all 3 mouses had been removed from the sticks and the feathers pulled out of their rear ends.
We’ve gotten the “multi tool” version of this toy, with various ends that can be attached. By far, the feather is the most popular. We buy a few at a time, as they don’t last too long. The guys will drag it over by the feather end and either yowl (old guy) or tap me on the arm ( young guy) to ask me to play.
When my cats get this excited about a toy, it just doesn’t get any better! It’s great to see someone else appreciates their cats as much as I do. : ) I live in a cat-hating dog area, unfortunately, so I really look forward to each episode! : )
This news report is indeed, a thing of beauty, perfect beauty! I don’t know which panel I think is most perfect, but Lupin’s expression in panel 1 is right up there. And Puck’s upturned face and comment about technology meeting art and design is just so darned cute! Love this news team!
We have to keep our birdie high up on a closet shelf when not playing. The cats let us know when it is chase time by opening up the closet door and staring up expectantly.
Having discovered this strip just about 4 or 6 weeks ago, I have to say how very much it has made this incredibly horrible winter just bearable because of your boys! I’m in Montreal – we’re not getting the snow dumps that, say, Boston has, but instead we haven’t seen a “normal” winter temperature since December, it’s like +5F for a *high* most days here, so anything to warm any part of me is welcome, and BCN of course warms my heart and soul so much!
Thank you, Alison!! I’m glad the comic can make your winter a little brighter! Creating the comic is helping me too, I’ve been working on it through many snowstorms! The Man works in Boston, and it has been a rough winter to say the least. Escaping with some inks and paints while the snow piles up outside over and over has kept me sane!
River is like that with feathers onna stick (they look a little like mini feather dusters) they are her favourite toy but if you leave it where she can get it she either snaps the stick or defeathers it. Then she’s sad cos its broken.
My late female tiger kitty Sasha loved these stick toys. I also used a peacock feather, which she loved even more than the stick toy. It was a great way for my indoor cat to practice her hunting skills without destroying the local wildlife. It was also her exercise program, and kept her slim. She was a mighty hunter, so none of the toys lasted long, but they made her so happy I made more toys myself out of things around the house, which kept this destructive exercise program affordable.
Hi Georgia, thank you for the Figaro and Tabitha ‘about’ stories, they are delightful, and so lovely to see the cats behind the stories. I also love the Tommy ‘about’, please include the Beloved Sophie at some point, I would love to see that relationship play out in comic form.
I am debating it very seriously. There are 2-3 cats in our life I have thought about possibly adding in the future, and Sophie is the number one candidate!
Thank you for the addition of the upstairs and laundry room cat info. Figaro and Tabitha are not as precious to us as the Boys, but we like to know about them.
Oh thank you! I adore the GN kitties like I love the whole comic. With all the sweet and wonderful cat personalities in this strip, I’m happy to see “the iron fist in the velvet paw” girl-kitty personality that so many of us know and love.
I love your cats and their expressions and everything about them! I also love that your baby wants the thing of beauty. It shows he has good taste and thinks like a cat!
I’ve made a few of these. Most of the store-bought ones use too short of a stick and too short of a string, so I like a 3/8″ dowel that’s a full 36″ or a bit longer, plus a string even a bit longer, up to about 48″ or so.
Cut a wine cork in half (real cork) and pierce it (screwdriver or ice pick) to run the string through it. Hollow out the side away from the stick a little bit.
Small piece of sturdy, workman’s-grade denim sewn into mouse-sized irregular shape & stuffed with dried catnip. (I always have about a shopping bag full of dried catnip from the garden every summer.)
The string can run through the catnip mouse and extend another ~6″ as a tail.
In that hollowed-out bit of cork several sturdy, fluffy chicken feathers of different colors (red & yellow seem popular for strong contrast) can be secured with a bit of hot glue. The string now pulls the mouse up into the feathers. A couple of strong, large knots in the string on the ‘nose’ of the mouse reduce stress on the cork.
You now have your catnip bird-mouse that can take a lot of damage. The cork & denim usually last about 2 years before needing replaced, although most of the feathers will be long gone by then ….
Yay!! We’re due in April (though the new baby may come into the comics a little later, I haven’t decided) so this was the first strip I snuck a hint of her in.
After the Baby was born in the comic I tried to keep the Woman’s body a little “lumpy” (ha! For lack of a better word) because I don’t like when comics/tv/etc have a person snap right back to their before-baby body. I knew some new Moms were out there reading, and I hoped they would see her and think “oh thank goodness, she looks like me!” It’s a small thing, but it was important to me to draw her that way… Though, now that a real baby bump is coming into play, it’s a little more confusing looking back!
My husband and I have been reading this lovely and at times absolutely hilariously realistic comic of yours Georgia, and we both agree that this is a highlight for the both of us. We have two kittys, one is a tuxedo cat named Bishop and our other is a persian mix named Cecily. They have some similarities to your kitties. It is great watching them run around like crazy chasing eachother and playing on thier cat tree. Quick story suggestion, “The People are Wearing Electrical Clothing” dealing with cats dealing with static electricity (and staring at you like you shocked them on purpose). Thank you so much for creating this comic. It is wonderful!!
It’s so funny you suggest that!! Pucky has been at war with our armchair all winter, and I’m planning a strip on it soon! Every time the poor little guy rolls over/adjusts, it zaps him with static, until he is just biting and batting at it with his paws, ears back, teeth bared! Puck, of all the kitties, haha!! (We think it’s something to do with his fur specifically–it’s very, very soft).
I am so happy you and your husband are enjoying the comic!! I hope you like that strip when it comes up in a week or two!
I had forgotten to mention that Cecily has only one eye and Bishop has FIV( feline cat AIDS), they are still crazy and loveable all the same. I might have to put up a picture of them so you can see what they look like but im not computer savvy…
We found a new stick/flying bird that squeaks with apparently totally realistic sounds. It brings all 3 running from wherever they have been in the house. I now use the squeaking mouse/bird to get them out of hidey holes, so I can close the door and know that they have not been trapped. It never fails. Oh, woe to the chipmunks, come spring!
You got the “happy ears” exactly right. And Lupin’s expression in the first panel was heartwarming. p.s. “I have caught the red dot” is now one of the regular phrases around here.
I have a terrible confession to make. I don’t have a cat. I have never had a cat. I don’t know anybody who has a cat. Even worse, years ago when I did know somebody who had a cat, I discovered myself to be terribly allergic to cat hair. You know that old myth about cats stealing babies’ breath? Not true. It was mine that was impaired. Sigh.
So I can only ever love cats vicariously, and your brilliant comic allows me to do just that. Long may they continue to report.
I found your strip a while ago on GoComics, then found the website today and spent most of the day reading everything from the beginning. It’s a marvelous comic and shows a real talent for observing and interpreting cat behaviour (not to mention your artistic and comic talent!). I’ve signed up for the e-mail notifications so my wife and I don’t miss any of the new ones.
I had a kitty (Tammy) who made her own cat toy. She made a kill and was quite pleased with it and hauled it around. Thanks to her I was safe from the feather duster.
I kept Tammy and another kitty I had (Sai Sai) supplied with toy mousies. They bit the tails off in short order and batted them under the fridge. I moved the fridge once and found about five of them.
Discussion (62) ¬
Oh my goodness. They look so happy! I like Puck in panel 3!
*swipe*
*swat*
*bite*
*claw*
*teeeeeaaaaaaarrrrr*
This is why we can’t have nice things.
Yeah, my cats love these, but I have to hide them really well when we aren’t playing, otherwise I’ll come home to find just a stick, and maybe whatever toy was at the end. Phineas (I think he’s the culprit, but I suppose it could be Ferb) likes to eat the string.
I adore that you have a Phinea and a Ferb.
One of our boys was Perry when we adopted him and, even though the name didn’t suit him at all, we left it as his middle name… just for the quoting.
I had to modify one of these to use a fan pull chain as the cord so it doesn’t get chewed on. Rodney enjoys all types of edible strings.
All of our cats, both past and present, love this toy! Don’t let the toddler get it, though, especially after it’s soaked with cat drool!
Lupin’s face in the first panel is the best thing ever!
I agree!
I just love the expression Lupin has in panel one! He looks so earnest!
A true thing of beauty especially on Lupin’s face.
i bought my Corky and Toodles a mouse onna stick – Corky loved it so much he dismembered the mouse and chewed the stick in half. So I got him another 3. They didn’t last a day – I got home from work to discover all 3 mouses had been removed from the sticks and the feathers pulled out of their rear ends.
Errmmmmaaagawwwd!! So frakking cute I am DED.
Georgia I LOVE these kitties you bring me twice a week. They so remind me of my boys (good boys!)
This strip is a thing of beauty for me…I can’t wait for Mondays and Thursdays. Keep trying, brave news team!
We’ve gotten the “multi tool” version of this toy, with various ends that can be attached. By far, the feather is the most popular. We buy a few at a time, as they don’t last too long. The guys will drag it over by the feather end and either yowl (old guy) or tap me on the arm ( young guy) to ask me to play.
When my cats get this excited about a toy, it just doesn’t get any better! It’s great to see someone else appreciates their cats as much as I do. : ) I live in a cat-hating dog area, unfortunately, so I really look forward to each episode! : )
Oh my goodness, this is very heaven. I am beaming from ear to ear
Thank you, Moll!!
I just bought my kitties a new one of these — with an orange plushie Peep on it!
………. is a joy forever
And Lupin’s face is so adorable
This news report is indeed, a thing of beauty, perfect beauty! I don’t know which panel I think is most perfect, but Lupin’s expression in panel 1 is right up there. And Puck’s upturned face and comment about technology meeting art and design is just so darned cute! Love this news team!
We have to keep our birdie high up on a closet shelf when not playing. The cats let us know when it is chase time by opening up the closet door and staring up expectantly.
Love that the baby wants the toy too!
I love everything about this.
Mondays and Thursdays are the best days of the week.
Having discovered this strip just about 4 or 6 weeks ago, I have to say how very much it has made this incredibly horrible winter just bearable because of your boys! I’m in Montreal – we’re not getting the snow dumps that, say, Boston has, but instead we haven’t seen a “normal” winter temperature since December, it’s like +5F for a *high* most days here, so anything to warm any part of me is welcome, and BCN of course warms my heart and soul so much!
Thank you, Alison!! I’m glad the comic can make your winter a little brighter! Creating the comic is helping me too, I’ve been working on it through many snowstorms! The Man works in Boston, and it has been a rough winter to say the least. Escaping with some inks and paints while the snow piles up outside over and over has kept me sane!
River is like that with feathers onna stick (they look a little like mini feather dusters) they are her favourite toy but if you leave it where she can get it she either snaps the stick or defeathers it. Then she’s sad cos its broken.
My cat will ignore these, until he knows for certain that the dog is not going to play with it.
My late female tiger kitty Sasha loved these stick toys. I also used a peacock feather, which she loved even more than the stick toy. It was a great way for my indoor cat to practice her hunting skills without destroying the local wildlife. It was also her exercise program, and kept her slim. She was a mighty hunter, so none of the toys lasted long, but they made her so happy I made more toys myself out of things around the house, which kept this destructive exercise program affordable.
Hello everyone!! I just finished adding “About” pages for Figaro and Tabitha!
Figaro: http://www.breakingcatnews.com/about-breaking-cat-news-2/about-figaro/
Tabitha: http://www.breakingcatnews.com/about-breaking-cat-news-2/about-tabitha/
Hi Georgia, thank you for the Figaro and Tabitha ‘about’ stories, they are delightful, and so lovely to see the cats behind the stories. I also love the Tommy ‘about’, please include the Beloved Sophie at some point, I would love to see that relationship play out in comic form.
Seconded! I would love to see The Beloved Sophie, even if I have no idea how she’d get there.
I am debating it very seriously. There are 2-3 cats in our life I have thought about possibly adding in the future, and Sophie is the number one candidate!
Thank you for the addition of the upstairs and laundry room cat info. Figaro and Tabitha are not as precious to us as the Boys, but we like to know about them.
You’re welcome!!
Oh thank you! I adore the GN kitties like I love the whole comic. With all the sweet and wonderful cat personalities in this strip, I’m happy to see “the iron fist in the velvet paw” girl-kitty personality that so many of us know and love.
I love your cats and their expressions and everything about them! I also love that your baby wants the thing of beauty. It shows he has good taste and thinks like a cat!
We’re pretty sure he thinks he is part cat, haha!!
I’ve made a few of these. Most of the store-bought ones use too short of a stick and too short of a string, so I like a 3/8″ dowel that’s a full 36″ or a bit longer, plus a string even a bit longer, up to about 48″ or so.
Cut a wine cork in half (real cork) and pierce it (screwdriver or ice pick) to run the string through it. Hollow out the side away from the stick a little bit.
Small piece of sturdy, workman’s-grade denim sewn into mouse-sized irregular shape & stuffed with dried catnip. (I always have about a shopping bag full of dried catnip from the garden every summer.)
The string can run through the catnip mouse and extend another ~6″ as a tail.
In that hollowed-out bit of cork several sturdy, fluffy chicken feathers of different colors (red & yellow seem popular for strong contrast) can be secured with a bit of hot glue. The string now pulls the mouse up into the feathers. A couple of strong, large knots in the string on the ‘nose’ of the mouse reduce stress on the cork.
You now have your catnip bird-mouse that can take a lot of damage. The cork & denim usually last about 2 years before needing replaced, although most of the feathers will be long gone by then ….
That sounds like an excellent, heavy duty cat toy! I love it, your kitties are very lucky!
That toy is certainly a success! It has completely distracted the audience from noticing The Woman is pregnant again. Congratulations!
Yay!! You’re the only one to catch it! I gave the Woman her first hint of baby belly in this one!
I caught it!
Yay!! We’re due in April (though the new baby may come into the comics a little later, I haven’t decided) so this was the first strip I snuck a hint of her in.
I caught it. But you had already announced it, so I would expect it. Don’t accuse me of not paying attention to BCN!
HAHA!!!
Didn’t The Woman have the tiniest hint of a baby bump in the Christmas special, parts 4 and 7?
After the Baby was born in the comic I tried to keep the Woman’s body a little “lumpy” (ha! For lack of a better word) because I don’t like when comics/tv/etc have a person snap right back to their before-baby body. I knew some new Moms were out there reading, and I hoped they would see her and think “oh thank goodness, she looks like me!” It’s a small thing, but it was important to me to draw her that way… Though, now that a real baby bump is coming into play, it’s a little more confusing looking back!
Really glad to hear this, Georgia! I can’t wait.
My husband and I have been reading this lovely and at times absolutely hilariously realistic comic of yours Georgia, and we both agree that this is a highlight for the both of us. We have two kittys, one is a tuxedo cat named Bishop and our other is a persian mix named Cecily. They have some similarities to your kitties. It is great watching them run around like crazy chasing eachother and playing on thier cat tree. Quick story suggestion, “The People are Wearing Electrical Clothing” dealing with cats dealing with static electricity (and staring at you like you shocked them on purpose). Thank you so much for creating this comic. It is wonderful!!
It’s so funny you suggest that!! Pucky has been at war with our armchair all winter, and I’m planning a strip on it soon! Every time the poor little guy rolls over/adjusts, it zaps him with static, until he is just biting and batting at it with his paws, ears back, teeth bared! Puck, of all the kitties, haha!! (We think it’s something to do with his fur specifically–it’s very, very soft).
I am so happy you and your husband are enjoying the comic!! I hope you like that strip when it comes up in a week or two!
I had forgotten to mention that Cecily has only one eye and Bishop has FIV( feline cat AIDS), they are still crazy and loveable all the same. I might have to put up a picture of them so you can see what they look like
but im not computer savvy…
Awww–it’s wonderful that you have some special needs kitties! Special needs kitties are awesome!!
We found a new stick/flying bird that squeaks with apparently totally realistic sounds. It brings all 3 running from wherever they have been in the house. I now use the squeaking mouse/bird to get them out of hidey holes, so I can close the door and know that they have not been trapped. It never fails. Oh, woe to the chipmunks, come spring!
I died laughing…….
…are we sure on this?!
You got the “happy ears” exactly right. And Lupin’s expression in the first panel was heartwarming. p.s. “I have caught the red dot” is now one of the regular phrases around here.
I have a terrible confession to make. I don’t have a cat. I have never had a cat. I don’t know anybody who has a cat. Even worse, years ago when I did know somebody who had a cat, I discovered myself to be terribly allergic to cat hair. You know that old myth about cats stealing babies’ breath? Not true. It was mine that was impaired. Sigh.
So I can only ever love cats vicariously, and your brilliant comic allows me to do just that. Long may they continue to report.
I’m so sorry you’re allergic!! I hope these boys can bring some cat joy to you! (And no sneezing, ha!)
I found your strip a while ago on GoComics, then found the website today and spent most of the day reading everything from the beginning. It’s a marvelous comic and shows a real talent for observing and interpreting cat behaviour (not to mention your artistic and comic talent!). I’ve signed up for the e-mail notifications so my wife and I don’t miss any of the new ones.
Thank you, Jim!! I’m so happy you enjoy it!
I had a kitty (Tammy) who made her own cat toy. She made a kill and was quite pleased with it and hauled it around. Thanks to her I was safe from the feather duster.
I kept Tammy and another kitty I had (Sai Sai) supplied with toy mousies. They bit the tails off in short order and batted them under the fridge. I moved the fridge once and found about five of them.