Off the Mark by Mark Parisi for January 27, 2025

Wow. I never thought about making a game out of it. In hindsight it seems so logical.

I wonder who won?

winner gets to clean up the mess

Sweep stake anyone ? I will go $20 on the 25 ring !

skeeball + hairball = skairball?

Brilliant! Now that the humans are interested in it, the cat won’t throw up on the rug anymore!

A few years ago, we adopted a kitten that our son named Jack. He was a black short-hair with a white heart patch on the top of his chest. He was a friendly, easy-going cat and several months later we adopted fluffy, long-haired kitten, Rosie, for our young grandchild, so we could help her learn how to take care of a pet. When we brought Rosie home, as per instructions and common sense, we isolated her from Jack — it usually takes a couple of weeks for old pets to accept new ones. Rosie was/is quite talkative and Jack would sit outside her door listening. After a couple of days, when we opened the door, Rosie shot out.

Jack stopped her with one paw on her back and began to groom her. No more isolation. Jack continued with the grooming and mothering. They used to race through the house and he would stop her and start pulling out hair — dead hair. We had hair tufts to sweep up, but never any hairballs. And Rosie never needed brushing. “Mother” Jack took care of all her loose hair and tangles.

A few years went by and one summer weekend we had a bunch of relatives visiting. People in and out of the doors all the time. Early the next morning, I discovered that one of the doors was open and Rosie was staring out. Jack was missing. We live in the country and there had been a stray cat wandering around so we think he followed it or chased it away and either decided to go walk-about or got picked up by someone or something.

It was months before Rosie stopped staring at that door and she started having hairballs. But she is very good about it. Always dashes over to the floor — much easier to take care of. I brush her a lot, but it’s just not the same as Mother Jack.

Ohhh! I got two dollars on 50.

It’s a cat. So, from now on, all vomit will be just off the edge of the rug.

Puke Points!

Yep. Even provided with 1500 square feet of easily cleaned laminate floor, a cat will always make sure to get to the 3 foot square rug to vomit on.

Haaaaaaairbaaaaaall!! Haaaaaaairbaaaaaall!!

Time to switch to barfing on the sofa!

Points to the Irwins for recognizing there was no stopping Felipo and therefore making the best of the bad situation!

I will make a game of threwing Felipo out of the house..

felipo is sick of his name

isn’t that what all us cat owners do?

I’m glad I don’t know the Irwins…