h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Your problem is that Quark isn't emitting the same pheremones. The cats will adjust.

Anyway, to entertain them in the mean time, how about a motorized cat toy?

1) Take a small electric motor. Tape it to the table so the shaft overhangs the edge.
2) Glue a popsicle-less popsicle stick to the shaft so that one side has about 80% of the stick and only 20% on the other side- there's a reason for this...
3) Glue a piece of string to the longer end of the popsicle stick.
4) Cut the string at the point such that when the popsicle stick is at the maximum "up" position, the string is two inches from the ground.
5) Fill a thoroughly cleaned medicine bottle 1/4 of the way with dried beans and cap it.
6) Tie the floor end of the string to the medicine bottle so the bottle will rattle, skitter around on the floor, and hop in the air when the motor is on.
7) If you have a motor with its own batteries and a switch on it, turn it on. Otherwise, use some copper wire to attatch the correct size battery to the terminals.
8) Bring cat to new motorized cat toy.
9) Watch cat. (Bring a video camera!)
10) When cat gets bored/tired, turn off motor or disconnect battery. (Leave the rattlebottle hanging so the cat can idly bat at it.)

Tell me how it goes!

--SmartGamer, Keeper of That Which Breaks Down Easily (Ace)

Hi smartgamer


Thank you for your interest and the suggestion.
You were certainly correct... I also suspected that the scent Quark was producing was the problem.

Anyway... after a long weekend with the house full of strangers, which meant that they spent most of the time hiding in the attic, they seem to have settled down and are almost the best of friends again. Katy has stopped disowning him and Quark is bouncing around full of beans again.

They are still having the occasional arguement but more in playfulness than spite.

If I get a chance I will try out your mechanical mouse.


shazz