If Al were a person instead of a cat, he might be called a "metrosexual." He likes his grooming tools; he's a connoisseur when it comes to snack food; and he appreciates the finer things in life.

He offers the following list of favorite things as a guide for other discerning cats and their owners:

1. Zoom Groom. Thick, half-inch-long rubber spikes provide a nice early-morning or late-evening massage while lifting unwanted undercoat fuzz. (Photo shows the side opposite the spikes; the purple flat handle is shaped like - what else? - a cat.)

2. Slicker brush. After a Zoom-Groom session, this picks up the stray hairs quite nicely.

3. Friskies Party Mix. The perfect snack - I like it better than "Pounce," and don't even try to serve "Whiskas."

4. Indoor patch of grass. Too much party mix? Have a low-cal munchy to watch the waistline. You can stay out of the sun (premature aging, you know) and still snack on greenery.

5. Catnip. Straight up is best.

6. Catnip toy. Second best.

7. Yellow yarn. Any yarn is good yarn, but yellow goes with my eyes.

8. Needlecraft projects. Anything associated with yarn.

9. Walk-through plastic furniture. It was from Grandma. What can I say?

10. Ted. Brotherly love and all that.