The cat tried to get the line, but I had to be a little quicker than him (my cat-like reflexes) since I did have a good line on the reel. The leader was an old one and could be sacraficed to the cat. Good point though - it would be bad to lose the end of a $60 line to the cat or - even worse- a really nice fish to a nick in the line I didn't see or feel.

Placing the 'fly' just within reach was a great part of the practice - give him the fly but not the end of the line to pounce on. And it sure made practice a lot more interesting.

TxEngr