He will be shy at first, but soon enough he should warm up to you for many pets and cuddles - especially if you sit on the floor at his level.
Getting acquainted
For anywhere from hour #0 to 6 after you arrive, he may avoid you and hide. Eventually he’ll come out and investigate once he feels you have made yourself comfortable. Just do your own thing. If he comes up to you, let him sniff at and/or brush his back & tail against your legs. If he’s nearby, hold out your hand about half a foot away from him for him to sniff at. If he comes in for the sniff, let him take his time and sniff you, don’t make any moves to pet him! Repeat every opportunity you get — when he’s ready, he will pet himself by rubbing his cheek on your hand if you just hold it still in front of him! He’s more likely to do this after he’s seen you refill his food or clean his litter. Petting
He loves cheek scratches, boops, and back scratches. He also like strokes along the head and back. Under no circumstances touch his butt, tail, or stomach - his claws may come out if you do. Playing
Note: Tobi likes to run out the apartment door when it is open, so avoid leaving the door open more than necessary when you enter or leave! He will come back if you go to him, but just make sure you keep an eye on him whenever you use the door.
If you see him strutting about with his tail up or zooming, he probably will be down for some laser-hunting or other play. Try to get 2-3 minutes in, and sometimes he’ll take a break and resume after a bit.
All his toys should be on one of the desks.
Here is a timeline-based list of his favorite games. Old games come back in favor randomly, so you can work your way down the list until he’s engaged.
2025: The black & white stick combined with one of the office chairs is an evolution of the spring favorite. See it in action [] ] 2024 spring: Current fad is turning the back of one of the mesh chairs into a medieval torture chamber - Hang out near a chair leaving it available for him to jump up Once he jumps up, get behind the backrest Run a thin straight object like a pen or the laser pointer (off) along the mesh He will strike with deadly force, pull away and start from a different spot! If you are willing to play on Ironman (more like iron maiden) mode for extra adrenaline, you can use your fingertips (carefully! on alert!). He will not hold back, but his accuracy is questionable. 2023 summer: Another current fad is the springy black hair tie. Just toss it on the ground or flick it with your fingers near him and he may treat it like a bug. Ol’ reliable laser: If he is hunting it, he will pounce/chase after the laser sits on a single spot for ~20 seconds, a bit far from him, near a corner it can "escape" around. If he flops down and just watches it, he may be taking a break. “420-squirrely”: the brown squirrel toy is stuffed with (slightly old) catnip. He may still go crazy for it if you get him to sniff it. Be careful though, once he smells it he will snatch it with claws out. Don’t try to take it away from him until he’s a good 2 feet away from it. He enjoys the wire-toy for a minute or so. 2021: If you get him by the grey fabric ottoman, you can slide one of the stick toys along the side of the ottoman like a snake and he likes to go attack it when it enters his field of view. If he’s been napping all day especially, expect him to get the zoomies late at night - typically around 2AM, he’ll go galloping up and down the hallway. Don’t be alarmed! But also there’s nothing to do about it... When you leave the house, leave the window blinds open (we leave them open), he often entertains himself by looking outside or napping by the windows. He may scratch at the front door and yowl if he’s feeling cooped up. You can ignore him, or try to distract him with cuddles and pets. We sometimes would take him out exploring in the hallways, but we do not recommend this.