Fetch!

So I am trying to teach Virgil to play fetch and it is sort of working. I think it is possible because Floyd used to play fetch but it seems tougher with Virgil. See, with Floyd it started out with him playing with his ball on the bed, usually right by me so he kept me up. I would throw the ball off the bed, and then, because he wanted to play and be near me, he would get it and bring it back. Then I would throw it again. Eventually I realized he was learning fetch, so I would say something like "go get the ball" and he would get it, or "where is your ball" and he would bring it to me. The problem was he would only play in the bedroom, not the living room. Don't really know why but that is how it was. When we moved he just completely forgot and now doesn't really play anymore.

So now that Virgil is good at carrying stuff around, he has started bringing his toys on the bed at night. He also likes to play with various balls. The problem is that he will only chase after a ball or toy that I throw if it has a bell. Otherwise he just doesn't seem to get the concept of chasing the item. I don't think it is a hearing issue because he comes when I call him (well, as much as a cat will do that) and he notices sounds. I just think he is kind of a dork about chasing stuff and really doesn't notice that I threw it unless it makes noise. So last night he had a toy on the bed (I have no idea what it is - it is a felt, catnip filled thing with a bell that kind of looks like a weird, flat, yellow manatee) and was playing with it, and I would throw it and he would get it and bring it back - kind of. He would bring it near me. At first he seemed to be doing it in a fetch like way, but later he just seemed like he was doing it to bug me (he enjoys bugging me more than any other cat, except maybe for Lola). So I plan to keep trying with him. I will let you know if it works. I will also try to post a picture of him with the weird toy thing.