Pip will pounce when he believes the lure isn’t going to move and/or the human isn’t paying attention. He rolls on the lure, grabs it with his front paws and nibbles on it.
He also likes to play with the small pompoms you can purchase at a craft store. Pip chases them like they were mini soccer balls. I throw one and he pursues it, batting it back and forth. And, sometimes, he brings it back so I can throw it again.
But for an indoor cat like Pip, chasing bugs can be a lot more fun than toy wands or a pompom. As David F. Kramer writes for chewy.com, “Such cat toys don’t speak to the ‘inner panther’ in your cat the way that a living creature desperate to preserve its life does, so it’s not surprising that cats just plain love hunting insects.”
Case in point: Pip and his obsession with stink bugs.
Stink bugs are considered an invasive species, first introduced to the United States via shipping from Eastern Asia in the mid‑1990s.
The brown marmorated (vein like marble) stink bug gained its name from its tendency to release an odor when agitated or squashed. Its shape is distinctive, with a flatter top leading toward a pointed bottom, reminiscent of a shield.
Whether they are walking on our tile floors or climbing our walls, Pip watches them endlessly. He bats and pushes them in the direction he wants them to go. In our kitchen, Pip will sit on the island for the longest time just watching one stink bug climb the yellow kitchen walls.
About two weeks ago I was ironing in the laundry room when I saw a stink bug quickly walking into the room with Pip in hot pursuit. Three times the bug tried to fly toward the washer and dryer. Three times Pip batted it down. On the fourth attempt, the bug flew just out of Pip’s reach, over the washer and landing between the dryer and the bright yellow wall.
Pip and I waited for the stink bug to emerge from that small space, but it didn’t. After a minute or two, Pip turned and walked out of the laundry room. I finished my ironing and had put up the ironing board when I saw the stink bug walking up the dryer to the top. I believe it did a quick scan of the room and breathed a huge sigh of relief.
I didn’t call for Pip. Maybe stink bugs have nine lives, too.
Karin Spicer is a member of The Dog Writers Association of America. She lives with her family and two furry animals who inspire her. She can be reached at spicerkarin@gmail.com.
Stink bug identification
Color: Mottled grayish‑brown
Size: 3/4″ long
Legs: 6
Shape: Triangular or shield
Region: Found in the eastern half of the U.S., as well as California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas
Other: Has an antennae
More online: pestworld.org/pest-in-the-house
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