Of Course.

A little while ago a client gave me a PetSmart gift card as a thank-you for helping them through a particularly emotional end-of-life visit. It was sweet, and an utter surprise, and I decided that since it was a gift I was allowed to use it for something frivolous, rather than stocking up on cat food and kitty litter.

So yesterday umbran and I were out running errands, and I decided to bring the gift card along and get a treat for our cats. And I found the coolest, cutest little toy/furniture thing.

It's adorable. It's this little S-shaped bed/cave/scratching pad, and it's got sections of carpet and rope and burlap, and they can lie on it or hide under it, and it's exactly the kind of thing I'd never actually spend money on but have kind of always wanted to spoil my cats with, so I went ahead and got it for them and proudly brought it home and displayed it in my living room for them.

.....and they won't touch it.

I've tried moving it around, and putting it by their current (battered cardboard) scratching pads. I've tried hiding food on it and under it. Rubbing it down with catnip got one cat to sit on it briefly, but other than that.... nothing.

These are cats who lurk next to boxes as they arrive, sometimes not waiting until they're unpacked to climb inside. Who covet their $5 battered cardboard scratch pad and fight over who gets to nap on it. Who have, on occasion, tried to climb inside sandwich bags.

Go figure. My cats are too humble for fancy toys like this.