Fibby fetches foam balls for fun

        Fibby has learned some new tricks this past week. These include how to fetch (good) and how to escape through the doggy door to the great outdoors (bad). I wouldn't mind her being an outdoor cat much if it weren't for the fact that my backyard faces N. Lagoon, a treacherous cat-killing death trap. So we had to change our daily game plan. Ordinarily, her littebox is in the bathroom. Think of the litter box as figure A. We leave the the doggy door (figure B) open all day long so that Brodi can chase something invisible, howl at ambulances, and poop at his own initiative. Fibby usually prances past figure B and goes straight to figure A when she needs to relieve herself.. that is until approximately 15:00, Wednesday, the 6th of April, the day she decided she would rebel and skimper freely in the wind as mother nature intended. As of that night, our daily lives were changed forever when I moved the litterbox into the closet in my bedroom so that I can lock Fibby in with me while the doggy door is left open at all hours of the night for Brodi so that he doesnt pester any of the beings in my household when he has to tinkle. The first thing I do when I wake up is shut the doggy door and then I must let Brodi out the old-fashioned way until it is night again. Fortunately, Fibby's food is already on the nightstand in my room or that would have been rearranged as well. Then Fibby would have been all kinds of confused. I reckon I will be taking Fibby out for walks more often since she is obviously feeling deprived of the sweet fresh air. Fibby and Brodi shall coexist no matter how difficult or annoying it will be.
        As for her other newly surfaced talent, Fibby's fetching was discovered on the same day she learned of the doggy door. I was working on a massive backup of assignments for my class when she popped up on the sofa next to me with her blue ball in her mouth. I took it from her and threw it, knowing that she would chase it but figuring that she would just pat it back and forth along the hardwood for the next hour instead of what she actually did (which was pop right back up on the couch with it in her mouth again). I was tickled, and I continued to do this with her for a good while before I made myself finish my homework.

        I have to let her bring the ball to me without interfering, or else she'll think we're playing the chasing game and she will simply run from me. When I do obtain the ball from her, I have to make it very clear to her that I have the ball and am about to throw it, or else she won't even notice and she'll just start licking herself or look at me like, "What da' hail mayne, where da ball at?". Also, I only speak in baby voice to my furry friends, not a human being in the world will hear that tone in my voice inflicted upon them, except for maybe my spawn someday.