Impulse Purchases I Wish I Had Not Made
Claire Berlinski, Ed. ·
Jan 15, 2011 at 3:49am
I regret with all my heart the acquisition of an imported, microchip-implanted cat toy that when batted squeaks like an irresistibly wounded rodent.
The thing is German, too, so I don't think it's ever going to break.
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Oct '10
Re: Impulse Purchases I Wish I Had Not Made
And to think, all that missed profit from products that last too long! Who will buy the new stuff?
Seriously though, I wish Americans still made durable products. Though I can understand the need for revenue, given our economic imbalances. I wonder if the rebalancing process we're in will fix this. That would be nice.
Edited on Jan 15, 2011 at 4:15amOct '10
Re: Impulse Purchases I Wish I Had Not Made
where's the video?
Oct '10
Re: Impulse Purchases I Wish I Had Not Made
Yeah! I agree with John; video!
May '10
Re: Impulse Purchases I Wish I Had Not Made
Dear sweet Jesus, Claire. That's the kind of thing you give other people's kids for Christmas, just to annoy the parents. Not something you have rattling around the house like an emotion grenade with the pin pulled out.
Re: Impulse Purchases I Wish I Had Not Made
Okay, okay. Video to come, I promise. But right now all the cats are sleeping, at last, and I'm not going to wake them up. I've been waiting too long for this moment.
Dec '10
Re: Impulse Purchases I Wish I Had Not Made
Claire
The superiority of German products is a myth. If you give a German auto maker a pile of money he will give you a durable vehicle, such as a Mercedes, but if you are on a budget you will get a pile of junk, such as a VW.
See JD Power Dependability Study: http://www.jdpower.com/autos/articles/2010-Vehicle-Dependability-Study-Results/page-1/
Jun '10
Re: Impulse Purchases I Wish I Had Not Made
As a parent who once participated in giving one of our children a "Tooneyville Choo-Choo" (think of a high-pitched train whistle whistling a happy tune throughout eternity and into the depths of hell), I feel your pain.
We had two choices: remove the batteries or take it, as the Mafiosi say, for a "long ride." We chose the latter and took it to Goodwill so that some other unsuspecting parent could feel our pain.
Unless the squeak is battery-powered, the "long ride" is your only alternative.
Re: Impulse Purchases I Wish I Had Not Made
tabula rasa: As a parent who once participated in giving one of our children a "Tooneyville Choo-Choo" (think of a high-pitched train whistle whistling a happy tune throughout eternity and into the depths of hell), I feel your pain.
We had two choices: remove the batteries or take it, as the Mafiosi say, for a "long ride." We chose the latter and took it to Goodwill so that some other unsuspecting parent could feel our pain.
Unless the squeak is battery-powered, the "long ride" is your only alternative. · Jan 15 at 8:11am
You get it, TR, you get it. But how can I long-ride something they love so much? I mean--this is the closest they've ever been to the real thing, except for that one lucky time a the dumbest and unluckiest mouse wandered into my kitchen--oh, that and the pigeon; and I still don't know what happened there. They're having such a good time with it. I'd feel like the biggest ogre in the world if I disappeared that thing.
Edited on Jan 15, 2011 at 8:26amRe: Impulse Purchases I Wish I Had Not Made
Noise canceling headset?
May '10
Re: Impulse Purchases I Wish I Had Not Made
Just think of it this way, Claire. Every time your Bosporus kittehs kill a fake mouse, an angel gets its wings.
Re: Impulse Purchases I Wish I Had Not Made
The problem is it will not die.
May '10
Re: Impulse Purchases I Wish I Had Not Made
Leave us not deploy martial imagery, dear. Tut.
Sep '10
Re: Impulse Purchases I Wish I Had Not Made
Is the thing infused with catnip, too? Heh heh heh heh...
Dec '10
Re: Impulse Purchases I Wish I Had Not Made
Be a shame if the cats accidentally batted the thing into the oven and you accidentally turned the oven on without checking....
(No, NOT with the cats inside!)
Edited on Jan 15, 2011 at 12:39pmMay '10
Re: Impulse Purchases I Wish I Had Not Made
From previous experience with this type of thing (Chinese made rubber duck powered by, it turns out, 5 watch batteries):
Put it on a concrete surface and pound it with a hammer until it breaks apart. Leave no witnesses.
Aug '10
Re: Impulse Purchases I Wish I Had Not Made
Claire Berlinski, Ed.
But how can I long-ride something they love so much? I mean--this is the closest they've ever been to the real thing, except for that one lucky time a the dumbest and unluckiest mouse wandered into my kitchen--oh, that and the pigeon; and I still don't know what happened there. They're having such a good time with it. I'd feel like the biggest ogre in the world if I disappeared that thing.
There's hope, Claire. They're cats. Cats can get bored with anything -- even with God.
Aug '10
Re: Impulse Purchases I Wish I Had Not Made
But seriously, if you don't want to be an ogre, and your cats don't show signs of boredom anytime soon, why not compromise?
Hide the toy someplace catproof when you need peace and only take it out as a treat. (You do have catproof places, right -- you're not one of those unlucky owners with freakishly intelligent cats who can get into anything, I hope.)
Muffle the speaker holes (if you can find them) with electrical tape or something to dull the noise a bit.
Oct '10
Re: Impulse Purchases I Wish I Had Not Made
If one still had a cats, would buy this cool sounding toy for them....
Or put Gerbil or Hamster in on of those clear plastic balls let the cats have at...A little twisted for you one thinks.. Oddly, have dogs now myself. Have bought them every stuffed animal out there to play with, they shred them all with gusto... except the occasional one that squeaks when attacked, Go Figure.
Enjoy the cats...
Edited on Jan 15, 2011 at 4:11pmJun '10
Re: Impulse Purchases I Wish I Had Not Made
Claire Berlinski, Ed.
tabula rasa: As a parent who once participated in giving one of our children a "Tooneyville Choo-Choo" (think of a high-pitched train whistle whistling a happy tune throughout eternity and into the depths of hell), I feel your pain.
We had two choices: remove the batteries or take it, as the Mafiosi say, for a "long ride." We chose the latter and took it to Goodwill so that some other unsuspecting parent could feel our pain.
Unless the squeak is battery-powered, the "long ride" is your only alternative. · Jan 15 at 8:11am
You get it, TR, you get it. But how can I long-ride something they love so much? I mean--this is the closest they've ever been to the real thing, except for that one lucky time a the dumbest and unluckiest mouse wandered into my kitchen--oh, that and the pigeon; and I still don't know what happened there. They're having such a good time with it. I'd feel like the biggest ogre in the world if I disappeared that thing.
My kids survived the disappearance of the Tooneyville Choo-Choo. Your cats will be fine.
Re: Impulse Purchases I Wish I Had Not Made
wilber forge: If one still had a cats, would buy this cool sounding toy for them....
Or put Gerbil or Hamster in on of those clear plastic balls let the cats have at...A little twisted for you one thinks.. Oddly, have dogs now myself. Have bought them every stuffed animal out there to play with, they shred them all with gusto... except the occasional one that squeaks when attacked, Go Figure.
Enjoy the cats... · Jan 15 at 4:09pm
Edited on Jan 15 at 04:11 pm
You know I would never, ever have the heart to do that to a hamster. I'm really opposed to the way animals in nature eat each other, by the way. I can't stand watching those scenes on the Discovery Channel. I always wish the film crews would intervene, save the antelopes, and give the cheetahs a tofu-based antelope substitute.