I have blogged about the
Litter Shark before. My tomcat was suspicious of the litter box for
days. He'd sit in the bathroom next to it and
watch for it - hours at a time! The box only activates 20 minutes after a cat has used it, so... yeah. Lots of watching with no results.
Eventually he decided the Little Shark was unlikely to attack while he was using the litter, and all was well. He used the box like the other cats.
After a while, the metal mechanism started to squeak when it activated, and I noticed when he heard the sound, my tomcat would hustle into the bathroom to
watch it run. He'd sit right up close to the side of the box and alertly follow the track of the scoop across and back, like a really slow tennis match. It's adorable.
Well. Yesterday the squeak sounded and I saw him trot off. From where I was, I could see into the bathroom, and even though the light was off, there was enough daylight to see inside the room. But as far as my tomcat knew, he was alone and unobserved.
He watched the mechanism go across, and on its return trip--just before it retreated into its housing--
HE POUNCED IT!
Yes, he did a sudden, mouse-hunting, up-and-over dive and pounced on the scoop.
He stayed in "caught" position for a while, but I don't know if he actually caught it. I do know that after he got back out, he came sauntering out of the bathroom, calling his territory challenge
"merrrow...merrrrow" that he only does when he's feeling particularly Alpha Male and pleased with himself.