[Storyteller.]

I love playing with my pets, it's one of my favourite ways to unwind or cheer myself up.

My older cat will happily chase a string or ribbon but her favourite toy is tennis balls (especially if she can steal them from the dog), which she'll chase and then attempt to shred with her claws. My younger cat is a little less playful, but last year I bought a laser pointer and they both go absolutely wild for it, no matter how long I have it out they never seem to get bored of trying to catch it. I'll also give them toys with catnip in them sometimes, which they enjoy playing with for a while.

My dog is a senior now but still very playful too. She never quite got the hang of fetch (for her the game isn't "catch the ball and bring it back", it's "catch the ball and then chew it to pieces") but she likes chasing and being chased, and enjoys playing tug sometimes. The main way we play these days is just roughhousing - she'll pounce on me, I'll push her away, she'll snap at me, I'll pretend to grab her, etc. For obvious reasons I wouldn't recommend this type of play with a dog you don't know extremely well; I've had my girl since she was a puppy so we've worked out a communication style that keeps things safe for us (e.g. if she gets too boisterous I can signal her to settle down, or if if I accidentally spook her she can let me know she needs a break).

There have been a few mishaps over the years where the dog has tried to play with the cats, but they've been less than receptive. So I guess it's up to me to just play with all of them.