kytyn rules of tennis:

• stalk ball from the shade of a nearby bush
• when ball seems tired or weak, or you have a particularly good shot at it,
• leap out upon ball
• kill ball, & carry it to lair beneath bush

single-human rules of tennis:

• bounce ball against garage wall
• try to keep ball moving as much of time as possible
• top priority: do not hit kytyn with racket when she makes her move

personal observations:

by human standards, jessie is a poor choice for a tennis partner. her object, to kill the ball and take it to her lair, is diametrically opposed to my object--to keep the ball in motion.

by kytyn standards, i am a poor choice for a tennis partner. i don't fit well beneath the bush, & i make too much noise. in addition, when both of us are stalking the tennis ball from beneath the bush, it doesn't move.

happy medium: jessie makes an excellent ball-kytyn when the ball rolls down the steep driveway & towards the gutter. her goal, to kill the ball and return it to her lair, means less running for me. and when the ball stops moving, she grows bored and allows me to take it with minimal fuss.

further notes: jessie loses interest in the ball as soon as it stops moving. this suggests a potential strategy in case i am ever cornered by a very large kytyn. play dead, stop moving, & hope that she will lose interest.

wonder if that works for lions in africa?