Playing with cat toys: 6 skills that won't go on the resume

Yesterday the realization hit: I was not teaching my cat how to play with a new toy, rather, my efforts were providing a good half hour's entertainment for her; a comedy show of sorts. She wasn't the one slow to catch on ... I was!

Let me back up a bit.

When Frank and I welcomed Genie into our home about a month ago, we knew that her previous owner had never really played with her. Now, in my world that's simply a tragedy and was one more indication that Genie was meant to live with us ... because if there is one thing I know how to do, it's play!

For the most part, I've been highly successful with teaching this play-deprived feline new games. At first, she was fearful of the streamer-on-a-stick and suspicious of the various cloth and plastic balls ... but now she is very enthusiastic about both! Just this morning I was wakened by the sound of a bell-filled, catnip-infused burlap ball rolling down the hallway toward the bedroom.

As I arose to play with Genie, I decided that it didn't matter whether I was becoming her fun mentor or her personal entertainer, at least my cat was getting the attention she deserved. But what was I getting out of the relationship? Well, companionship for starters. Plus a whole lotta skill sets that will never make it to my resume:

1. I've become better at sales; I can now "sell" almost any new toy.
2. It's all in my advertising. I'm able to dangle a streamer (or yarn or feathers) ever so enticingly, effectively baiting the customer!
3. I'm even better in the housekeeping department. I can fetch, recovering balls from all over the house (usually under the sofa or fridge).
4. I've honed patience ... the kind that comes from waiting while my cat decides whether or not to come to my calls.
5. I've learned restraint; learned that one doesn't tickle the stomach of a fully clawed cat, especially when there are no antiseptic or bandages in the house.
6. I have even learned some magic: how to make the vacuum cleaner appear just as the cat disappears!

Okay, that last one's not a game ... at least not for Genie! Still, it is part of my new repertoire of skills as care-giver / nurturer. Talents that will enrich my home life if not my career!

What pet-related talents do you have?