What a delightful thread! Cats are so funny, aren't they?
I just visited my DD's place in AZ. Her all-white kitty, Casper, plays fetch with soft little balls that bounce. When my daughter throws the ball at a wall, the kitty makes a mad dash down the hall to capture it while its still, errr, "alive."
He loves to anticipate where it might go, and often leaps to catch it on the rebound in mid-flight. Then he casually saunters back with the ball in his mouth and drops it close to you. If it happens to roll so that it is out of your reach, that's not HIS problem! He's done his part!

It is up to YOU to retrieve it!
Casper is less than 1 year old and, until about a month ago, would bring birds in through the doggie door for all to admire. Sometimes this would happen very early in the a.m. and the family would awake to a sparrow frantically flying around the kitchen!