A Slingshot in the Making

Enough creeping around dusty sneakers—it was time to upgrade my arsenal. Wedged under the sofa frame, I spotted a giant, stretchy blue rubber band and two discarded wooden ice pop sticks. I dragged the sticks upright between the slats of an upturned plastic basket, wrapping the thick rubber band tight around the prongs until I had a bona fide catapult. For ammo, I rolled a bright red plastic bottle cap right onto the sweet spot, hauled the band back with both hands using my full body weight, and let rip. Twang! The cap rocketed across the rug and smacked right into a sleeping cat's scratching post with a satisfying clatter.