The art of the game...

As any normal, warm blooded feline, I deal with a great deal of boredom on a daily basis. Yes, some of it is feigned boredom for the sake of the humans - we wouldn't want them getting too comfortable, now would we? But then there is the legitimate boredom that affects a cat with a lot of time on his paws and no ready access to the outside world. We must find new and different pastimes to entertain ourselves with. Pastimes worthy of our intellect.

One such activity which I recently discovered is the somewhat complex game of backgammon. Games of the board variety are not often left out for me to stumble upon, but this one just happened to be sitting out (quite coincidentally on one of those lovely days when a human decides to take my picture - my glorious, gorgeous picture). I gave it a good look over, instinctively picking up on the rules of the game.

There are dice, those funny little cubes with the bug-like spots on them. There are coins, just like human money, but seemingly useless when applied to the purchasing of turkey treats... There is a box that opens, lined with soft felt that I like to put my feet on. And there are markings for where the coins go. It's a two cat game, one colour per cat.

Learning to roll the dice and move the pieces took a bit of concentration, but with my generous helping of gray matter, I mastered that in no time. My feline friend and companion, Stetta, also picked up on the rules and the art of piece moving, and we were ready to play.

A few rousing games later, and it became clear to me that my feline companion had seemed to grasp the rules and skill of the game rather too well. If the scores are to be believed, she was victorious three times out of four. I maintain that she cheated, though I haven't quite figured out how...


However, there is always a weakness in any opponent, and I intend to keep at it until I have figured out hers and soundly beaten her. A day which will surely come swiftly given my dedication and supreme intelligence.