***Rare Pictures***Minnesota Hooping Bugs***

[bvar22]

"Hooping the Kittys" is a daily event at our house.
It is announced with much dramatic fanfare and theater.
The participants enjoy the event and are quick to respond.



This is Bug. He's been Hooping for a while.
He knows his way around a hoop, and knows he can get the job done.
Bug is a prima donna, and is in it for the attention and adoration of his fans.
He slowly walks out on the Hooping Court and calmly sizes up the hoop.
He pauses to let the drama build and to make sure everyone is watching.




He then expertly launches himself through the center of the hoop.
He is careful to pick up all the style points. Bug is a veteran Hooper.




Bug knows the dismount is important, and always makes sure to stick the landing.





The little gray kitten is Maggie, but we call her "Little Bug" or "Doodle Bug".
She was in kitty jail before she came to live with us a few months ago.






She learned to HOOP in just one day after watching Bug.




Maggie is a just a rookie Hooper. You can tell.
She is enthusiastic, but loses style points by rushing the hoop.




She is getting better with daily practice, but she really needs
to slow down and think things through before she Hoops.




After a vigorous round of HOOPS, they relax.

They could get on Stupid Pet Tricks and be Famous,
but Bug hates Letterman....He insists on Leno every night.





***Bug in the Tub***
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=243x1425



***When Worlds Collide***
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=243&topic_id=2668&mesg_id=2668



***Bug on a Post***
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=243x4253

[chiffon]

1. ROTFLMAO....

Now, THAT'S funny!!!

BTW, Great commentary.

[enigmatic]

2. Damn, Bug looks "exactly" like our kitty!

I just picked her up and showed her Bug's picture, she looked at me like "Wait, I don't remember jumping any hoops!"..

[Richard Steele]

8. Ours too! BUG is a twin to our YoYo.

Except YoYo skips all that jumping, and goes directly to "Sticking the Landing"!



Nice PhotoEssay, and great pics!

[mike_c]

3. yes, yes, yes! Please tell me how you taught them to do this...

I have between 5 and 7 wonderful cats (ok, that's difficult to explain) and would love to teach them to HOOP!

Stunning pix!

[bvar22]

11. Its not hard.

I use a juggler's ring that can be purchased at Clown or Magic Stores.

Start with a training session before their normal dinner time (it helps if they are a little hungry).

Use their favorite treat. I use a small piece of sliced turkey luncheon meat.

Put the hoop on the floor in front of the cat and hold up the treat where he/she can see it through the hoop. They will step through the hoop to get the treat.

Gradually raise the height of the hoop, keeping the treat visible through the center of the hoop. After a while, you can stop showing the treat through the hoop. They will make the association pretty quickly. Cats are hip to the social bargain. Cause and Effect. If I do this, I will get that. THEY train us using the same method.

Bug has ALWAYS been a gamer. He invents his own games, and then teaches us how to play. The games have RULES, and you have to play by the RULES (but he can cheat). He is also very active and engaging (spoiled), so he understood the game quickly (a few days).

He is on a REGULAR feeding schedule, though he ALWAYS has access to a bowl of dried food, but he prefers stinky wet food that he gets for supper at a regular time every day.

We started Hooping about 30 minutes before supper. He was always awake and alert at this time trying to manipulate us into giving him his stinky food early. After a while, Hooping became a part of the regular getting ready for supper routine.

HOOPING is always announced with alot of drama and theater to build the excitement (and because its fun for me).
"HOOPS!!! HOOPS!!! Who wants to HOOP??!!" ALL KITTYS who want to HOOP, line up!!! Somebody get the HOOPS!!!" (you get the picture).


Maggie (Doodle Bug) literally "got it" the first day after watching Bug. This caused a problem because Bug resented her intrusion into HIS Spotlight and that she was so smart.. He was PISSED and wanted to kill her. We had to Hoop them separately for a few weeks.
They are very cooperative now and take turns, though the traffic pattern sometimes gets messed up when Doodle steals Bugs turn.

It is a very fun game. I laugh continuously and they seem to enjoy it. It offers a little challenge and exercise to Kittys confined to an apartment.

Did you check out the links at the bottom of the page?

[cry baby]

4. Thank you, I love kitty pics.

And these are special "action" photos.

[Taragui Junkie]

5. Adorable.

My fat kitty would jump through hoops if there were a way to do it lying down. He's not the most...active.

[Starkraven]

6. Beautiful cats.

Hilarious. I didn't know cats would do that!

The links are great too.

Is BUG a Maine Coon?

[bvar22]

10. Bug was adopted from a shelter.

He was a tiny 6 week old kitten from a litter that was abandoned.
We don't have a clue about his family tree. He's just a plain old kitty.

[KitchenWitch]

7. A replay is always in order!

Love it!

[Patiod]

9. People who say you can't train cats are wrong

You just can't train them the way you train dogs.

100% reward-based - 0% punishment. Plus it has to be something they're not all that adverse to anyway.

love the hoops! The little doodle bug looks so happy

We had two cats at one point - a big tom named Andy who was boarded with us and the we got The Little. The Little pestered and attacked Andy all the time like a teenaged girl with a crush on the quarterback. She stalked him, would sit on chairs waiting for him to come by so she could jump on his back. Fearless, considering he weighed about 22 pounds, and she weighed about six. He finally found a spot where he could keep an eye on things, but she couldn't get at him.

Every morning like clockwork at 4am, the two of them would start a huge catfight, shrieking and crashing around the apartment. S.O. used to get up, turn on the light, point at the Little and yell "Hat!" and point at the tomcat and yell "Gloves!" then "I'm not kidding! Any more of that and you two will be a nice warm hat and gloves!!!" He's loud, so they would stop, until the next morning. I don't think they were afraid of his threat to make them into winter gear, however.