#ScaryMary is one of the most awesome #catsofsteemit.

Her human, @manorvillemike, shares his home with eleven rescue cats, most of them the offspring of feral Mary. She's a nice enough cat - to her human. She has zero tolerance of other cats, though, shunning their company and stealing their food, or so Mike tells us each day with his delightful #catsnaps, my Drug of Choice in a world gone mad.

Mike just informed me of a book we cat-keepers should consider:

Research has proven that you can make your cat smarter. Whether your cat is gifted or intellectually challenged, you can help him become a certified Felinestein -- a more effective communicator, better problem solver, and faster learner.
Felinestein includes 100 games and activities, some for every type of owner and every personality of cat, that will get your cat exploring, thinking, and making decisions. Incorporating just a few of these challenges into your cat's life will spark his brain power and enrich his life. Most importantly, it will help the two of you bond on a whole new level.

---

But first, more about Scary Mary and her servant slave:

Boss lady cat, Scary Mary opens up the new #catsnaps Community.....
Scary is the mother of five healthy cats now two plus years old....

Three live in the same house as her but get no attention from their mother. That is because Mary was an outside cat, separated from her kids for 9 months.

Attention all cat lovers ... Use the Tag #catsnaps when you have great pictures of your cats or any cat and have little to say about the pictures ... #catsnaps is looking for cat eye-candy ... NOW A COMMUNITY

---

Bobi the Bad is neutered,

not gonna contribute to the gene pool like Scary Mary did, but he looks so much like her, he could be hers (or the "spawn of the devil", or both, for all I know).

Back to the Book:

Felinestein: Pampering the Genius in Your Cat by

Cindy Ribarich, D.V.M., is a veterinarian practicing at the Cat Clinic of Orange County, CA.
Suzanne Delzio is the co-author of Caninestein:Unleashing the Genius in Your Dog and So Your Dog's Not Lassie: Tips for Training Difficult Dogs and Independent Breeds.

---

So far, so good, but after reading the reviews, I'm more-than-ever annoyed with Amazon. They often reject my reviews for following a guideline they put up years ago: try to be entertaining. Personalize it. Yeah. So my mention of a grandchild scoring favor with the new dog treats got rejected. I had to rewrite it and include an ingredients list before they accepted it. Meanwhile, a review like this (entertaining, to be sure) tells me NOTHING about the book itself, but it does tell me the reviewer needs to neuter his cat. Grumble, Grumble!

2nearsighted
5.0 out of 5 stars - Perfect for the type-A cat owner

If you're like me, and you demand excellence from your pets, FELINESTEIN is the perfect guide. For many years I suspected that my cat wasn't living up to his potential. He would do little more than sleep on the windowsill and lick himself occasionally; he was using large quantities of catnip; he stopped associating with other cars; and he lost all interest in his favorite toys--the scratching post and the little rubbery thing on the end of a stick. I suspected that, deep down, he wanted more out of his life. He was tired of the humdrum existence, but was unable to express himself clearly.

Now, after just six months of using the puzzles in this book, my cat can open doors, flush toilets, play hide-and-seek, operate the remote control, and even has a rudimentary understanding of the answering machine. He shows more self-assuredness now with other cats, and--with his added confidence--has apparently impregnanted many of the neighborhood she-cats who previously wouldn't look at him.

The book is by no means a guidebook to TRAINING your cat; so, rest assured, your felinestein will remain as independent as ever. In fact, now that my cat can open doors, I haven't actually seen him for several days. I know he's in the house, because he goes through the refrigerator at night, and sometimes leaves a mess in the kitchen. But this is a small price to pay for the satisfaction of knowing that your cat is happier, more fulfilled, and better equipped for his life, both on the windowsill and out in the world.

---

Occupy and Entertain your cat.

Meh! I already play a few favorite games with our resident feline (who has zero interest in the Red Dot; he's smarter than he looks), but I could use ideas for new ways to keep him from getting restless and bored. Idleness being the devil's favorite sport (Proverbs 16:27 Idle hands paws are the devil's workshop). Or as George Carlin put it,

source: quotefancy.com

Speaking of idle paws and devious minds, @manorvillemike want to keep an eye on his little black Betty:

Says another Amazon reviewer,

I bought this hoping to get some ideas on how to mentally stimulate my very intelligent cat. Unfortunately, this book really isn't useful unless you're a total cat novice. It gives really basic ideas about how to play with your cat, but if you've had cats before they're kind of "Well duh!" ideas. It's not a BAD book, just not what I needed.

I am so mad at Amazon

for allowing an apparently irresponsible cat owner to post a smart^ss review that tells us nothing about the book, while I keep getting clobbered because I'm stupid enough to continue buying/reviewing products via Amazon.

Quick, back to #catsnaps

and #dailypetphotography for my daily fix! Cats entertain, distract, and divert us from the woes of the world.

There is much we might emulate in cats, but dogs set a nicer, more social, example to follow.

Ducking from the next guilt-trip Mike may send my way!

Meanwhile, I've continued trying to post via Steempeak, in vain, and I still haven't succeeded in joining the d-pet community, much to my chagrin and cat-like annoyance.

ESTM & DPET Token GiveAway - Subscribe & Post To Our Community

Hello animal lovers,

ready for a giveaway? Ready to earn DPET & ESTM Tokens just for making a post? Well the @dPet community #Hive-181573 welcomes you to join the #DailyPetPhotography Challenge 👍

Wait, I managed to subscribe by clicking on #Hive-181573 - could have sworn I'd already done that!

Life is good!

And cats make life more interesting.

So I will check out more cat games to improve the quality of your life, Bobi.

10 Games to Entertain My Cat - Animal Wised

Playing with your cat is just as important as keeping them well fed and offering a comfortable bed to sleep. Without fun the animal will end up suffering from stress, anxiety or depression.To do this, it is advisable to set a schedule of games a day, and always follow the same routine to set a pattern.

Lack of games will generate boredom in cats, which in turn can develop stress and behavioral problems; like the destruction of furniture.

When we play with our kitten and constantly move our hands, we are indicating that this is the toy to bite. This will result in constant bites during adulthood.

---

Hide and Seek, Find the Prey, Follow the String - these are Bobi's faves.

It is good to let a cat play alone, but it is still better if we participate in the game. By playing with our feline we keep them entertained while strengthening their bond, increasing their confidence and preventing disorders and conditions like stress, boredom, loneliness or anxiety. Here are the funniest, simplest and cheapest games to play with your cat at home:

Hunt the prey!

No need to buy "cat fishing rods" - I make my own. A stick, a string.

Oooh, but I don't set an hour of play a day.

Remember that not winning can generate frustration in cats, so let them catch the prey from time to time to prevent this from happening and deem the game useless.

---

Aha! Here is one game I haven't tried yet, a variation on:

Find the ball!

Finding and bringing the ball is not just a game for dogs, cats also enjoy using these toys. To teach this exercise, follow these steps:
Find the ball that your partner likes best and throw it to begin their search.
At the same time, say "go look" to associate the act of searching with a command and reward them when they reach it.
Once this is accomplished, you can proceed to teach them to bring you the toy. To do this, when they have the ball in their mouth, call your cat to come to you, remove the toy softly and give them a treat so that they understand when they hand over the ball they receive a prize.
Slowly introduce the "let go" command and keep practicing until they do it alone.
And if you are one of those who prefer to make homemade toys, you can make yourself a ball with rope that will also allow your cat to file down their claws with it.

---

Ssssh, don't tell Mike, but Bobi the Bad has had his own Facebook page for years.