Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween to all! In our humble opinion, this is one of the best days of the year. We hope you all a enjoy a day that's not-so-spookily fun and festive!

The other day, I did my annual tradition of carving pumpkins. My sweet boy Evan supervised the event. I don't know what I would have done without his expert help.

While Evan did his inspections of the pumpkins, Thimble and Eddy stayed close to their treat basket. They know it'll be filled soon, so they just can't wait.

As for Tonks, she opted for a cozy time on our Halloween cats blanket. Her favorite image on this blanket is, of course, the calico with a witch hat.

While the kitties all worked on their own spooky preparations, last night my mom and I did our annual Halloween tradition of visiting the display of hundreds of jack-o'-lanterns at a pumpkin farm in a neighboring town. It's always my goal to find as many pumpkins carved like cats and dogs as I can. There were a number of kitty pumpkins this year.

My excitement for the below kitty is one that will likely only make sense to me, but even so, let me ramble for a moment. Just as my mom and I finished our umpteenth and what we thought was our final pass through the jack-o'-lantern display, my mom saw one far away, tucked behind some weeds in a spot we hadn't noticed before. She thought it was an owl, and so I zoomed in on my camera. Turns out, it's the kitty character from that fantasy series I've mentioned here many times on our blog. This pumpkin is carved in the likeness of the magical Persian tortie cat named Princess Donut, who wears a tiara.

Now, we did find a couple of dog pumpkins as well. Just as in the past couple of years, someone carved  none other than Scooby Doo himself.

I'm pretty sure this next one is a dog with one ear up and one ear down, and it's pretty darn cute.

And then there was the classic paw print, to represent all the animals.

Now, how about some random pumpkins with designs that stuck out to me?

That there dinosaur reminded me of pup Astrid in her dragon or dinosaur-ish Halloween costume. I was so happy to see it there, as well as all of the other pumpkins above and below.

Most years we see at least one or two pumpkins carved with Christmas trees or even reindeer. We didn't see those this year, but someone did carve Scrooge McDuck.

Glowing pumpkins weren't the only things haunting the woods at the pumpkin farm, though. We got a sighting of a little something else as well.

Talk about a Halloween scare!

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I'm disappointed that I still didn't finish my new Halloween doodles for today's post on the big day itself. I have 9 frightfully festive drawings all nearing completion, but none fully finished. I started the drawings nearly 2 months ago, but I fell a weeks behind on them when my parents' sweet kitty Trapper fell sick in September and then sadly passed last week. I was helping my parents give him injections and fluids at their house every day, not to mention that I often simply lose motivation to pursue my creative endeavors in times like that. Trapper was priority, though, and I'll never regret that.

I intended on finishing at least a couple or a few of the drawings last night, but I somehow failed to remember that my mom and I usually go through the annual pumpkin farm jack-o'-lantern display many times and so are usually there for a couple hours. I got home so late last night that I worked in my sketchbook for only a short time afterwards.

I'm just rambling now. I'm still debating what to do about this year's Halloween doodles, but for today's Halloween bash I do have some festive flashback drawings to share. I have not yet this spooky season shared a few of my favorite Halloween doodles from the past, and those are ones portraying my kind of Halloween night with my furbabies.

Last year I scribbled up this doodle, with all my costumed kitties watching a scary movie starring pup Astrid on Halloween night.

Below is a similar drawing I created a couple years prior to the one above.

And this one below is yet another similar one from quite a few years ago.

I love scribbling up doodles like those above, because they really do portray how I enjoy spending Halloween night. And that would be at home with my furry family, watching scary movies and eating candy.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

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Tip of the Day

Our final Halloween tip is to use this spooky holiday as a chance to spend some quality time with your furbaby. Whether you're already staying tucked inside on Halloween night, or whether you wait until after handing out candy, do consider getting cozy and festive with your kitty or pup. For example, you can cozy up with your kitty or pup on the couch and read a spooky story, if that's your kind of thing. Another option is to of course watch a spooky movie or TV show, if that strikes your fancy. Of course, as we mentioned yesterday, do keep in mind your furbaby's sense of hearing and comfort when selecting a scary movie and volume level. For something more calm yet spookily festive, consider sitting down with your furbaby to watch It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, or a certain famous orange tabby in Garfield's Halloween Adventure. Halloween night is of course also the perfect time to not only enjoy yourself some treats (of course without sharing anything toxic with your furbaby), but to also give your kitty or pup any festive toys or treats that you got for them.

Halloween may sometimes be considered a night filled with tricks and terrors, but you and your furbaby can instead use it to spend some quality time together in a festive yet safe manner. So, cuddle up on the couch and spend some cozy and festive time with that furbaby. Happy Halloween!

Frightfully Festive Fill-Ins and Eddy's Halloween Bloopers

Hello and happy Friday, friends! We're ready for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, and we'd love for you to join us. My amazing co-host Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two fill-in statements, and I came up with the second two.


1. On Halloween, I will _________.

2. When it comes to Halloween candy, I will gladly trade my _________ for more _________.

3. If I had to wear one Halloween costume for an entire year, I would dress as _________.

4. I _________ scary movies.


My answers are below in bold.

1. On Halloween, I will hand out candy, of course eat candy, and watch scary movies.

(This is such a boring answer, and one that I've happily mentioned so very many times here on our blog. But, I love my annual boring Halloween plans. My parents and sister spend the evening at my house, and we enjoy pizza and candy and even cupcakes alongside our horror movie marathon. Granted, our "horror" movie marathon also often involves the Halloween specials starring Garfield and Snoopy.)

2. When it comes to Halloween candy, I will gladly trade my sour loot for more chocolate bars or banana Laffy Taffy.

(I don't eat candy very often because of some food intolerances, but when I do eat candy I'm not all that picky. I've always enjoyed all things chocolate, and I have a weird love for the artificial banana Laffy Taffys. I also love any candy with caramel, peanut butter, and fruity favors, and I enjoy both typical candy bars as well as chewy or gummy candies. One thing I'm not a fan of, though, is sour candy. So, I'll gladly trade that out for just about anything else.)

3. If I had to wear one Halloween costume for an entire year, I would dress as a witch. 

(I figure I could make a witchy costume look normal-ish enough for everyday purposes. After all, witches come in all types and fashions, right? Heck, some of the witches in books and movies like Harry Potter and Practical Magic wear jeans and such, so surely I could be a witch who wears comfy clothes.)

4. I have a (concerning) liking for scary movies.

(I'm a big fan of scary movies. That's probably not a good thing, but I admittedly enjoy the thrill. My dad is the same way, and I even go to my parents' house two evening a week to watch scary movies with my dad. He and I have probably seen hundreds of movies in the horror genre.)

Now it's your turn!

To add your link to the Friendly Fill-Ins Linky list, just click HERE!

You can also click on the badge below to add your link.

You are also welcome to complete the fill-ins in the comments below,

or in the comments on Ellen's blog, 15andmeowing.

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Now, it's time for the Pet Photo Fails Blog Hop, hosted by none other than Melissa and Mudpie of Melissa's Mochas, Mysteries, & Meows.

A couple weeks ago Eddy shared some photos of her hanging out with a ghosty friend. Even better, she saved her bloopers from that photo shoot for this week's Halloween edition of the Pet Photo Fails Blog Hop. So, here's blooper queen Eddy blurrily slapping around her ghosty friend.

Eddy turned into a ghost hunter this Halloween season!

Happy Halloween Eve to all!

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Spooky Flashback Doodles of the Day

I got a ton done on this year's Halloween doodles last night, but I unfortunately still haven't put the final touches on them. I'll be sharing a few of them tomorrow for the big day itself, and I'll share the others on the couple of days after Halloween, as those are still All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day.

For today, we have the last couple of doodles from last year's series starring my parents' kitties in Halloween costumes. First up are the beautiful dilute torbie and calico sisters named Freya and Gemma. They got to be the creepy little girls from The Shining.

And then there's Flitwick. This little boy is my girl Tonks's littermate, and he's also known to be a typical little brother who enjoys harassing his siblings at my parents' house. Since he also has a penchant for biting his victims, he got to dress as a shark.

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Tip of the Day

If you enjoy watching horror films or other similar movies for Halloween, keep your furbaby in mind when you adjust the volume. As you all certainly know, cats and dogs have impeccable hearing. A noise that sounds normal and tolerable to us might for them sound far more loud and uncomfortable. So, take into consideration your kitty or pup's heightened sense of hearing when watching movies, especially those with loud music, screams, and so forth. If you are watching a loud movie this Halloween, or any day of the year, be sure that your kitty or pup has a quiet area of the home away from the television where they can retreat should they wish to.

Thankful Thimble Thursday: Boo Brew

It's Thursday, not to mention two days before Halloween, so Thimble is of course here with some festive fun for Angel Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.

Like Evan and Tonks earlier this week, Thimble is grateful to be enjoying a spooky drink brought to her by a ghostly friend.

Thimble says the Boo Brew both smells and tastes fantastically like catnip, and she welcomes you all to take a taste!

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Now we of course have the fill-in statements for tomorrow's Friendly Fill-Ins challenge. My amazing co-host Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two, and I came up with the second two.

1. On Halloween, I will _________.

2. When it comes to Halloween candy, I will gladly trade my _________ for more _________.

3. If I had to wear one Halloween costume for an entire year, I would dress as _________.

4. I _________ scary movies.

We'll see you tomorrow, friends!

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Spooky Flashback Doodle of the Day

I've drawn my sister's kitties Toby and Winky in Halloween costumes not once, but twice now. Two years ago I drew them as the clown characters from the Terrifier movie series. Even as a horror movie aficionado, I would not recommend anyone watch these movies. They're gory as sin and pretty darn horrendous.

Last year I made a second attempt at Toby and Winky's Halloween doodle, this time in Harry Potter-inspired costumes that were far more to my sister's taste.

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Tip of the Day

Do you want to give your furbaby an extra fun treat for Halloween? We're thinking most of you already know that pet stores typically offer festive toy options around the holidays, including Halloween. Nevertheless, we're reminding you to consider looking for the pet store's festive holiday section, or for festive options in the general toy aisle. If necessary and feasible, you can even use such festive new toys to help distract a furbaby who gets anxious or excited by the sounds and overall hustle and bustle of Halloween night festivities, such as trick-or-treaters visiting the house. Of course, if you are handing out candy, festive new toys should be given in a safe area of the home away from the door. And, yet another caveat is to always check new toys for any potentially dangerous parts and pieces. You know your kitty or pup best, so when picking out new festive toys for them, always keep in mind their tendencies to chew on or eat certain toys. It's fun to be festive, but it's also very important to be safe.

Halloween Adventures with Angel Astrid

I've shared the below photos of my sweet angel pup Astrid over multiple Halloween seasons now. I just love them so much, though. They may not look like much, but they're Astrid in the Halloween costume she wore every year until she outgrew it at about 10 years old.

The costume packaging technically said it was an alligator or something of the sort, but we always said Astrid was dressed up as a dragon. After all, her name comes from the movie How to Train Your Dragon.

The costume did come with a hood that would have given Astrid a way more reptilian look, but she hated wearing it and so I never made her. These photos don't show it, but the collar of this costume also lit up green, so she'd show up in the dark and just generally looked all glowy and cute. She got so many oohs and awws and compliments when she wore this out in public.

I'm so glad to have these October memories with Astrid.

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Spooky Flashback Doodle of the Day

Today's flashback doodle is one I scribbled up not too long after Astrid passed away last year. It is, of course, my sweet pup in her dinosaur getup. In my sketchbook, Astrid was even willing to wear the hood of the costume.

As for Astrid's collar, for her last few years she wore one just like in this doodle. It's the pattern of Sally's dress from The Nightmare Before Christmas.

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Tip of the Day

If you think it might be fun and festive for your pup or other furbaby to get in the Halloween spirit with a chocolaty treat, consider getting them some goodies made with carob. Carob is a chocolate alternative, and it can give items such as candy and baked goods an appearance and even flavor that is similar to chocolate. What's more, carob does not contain the component found in real chocolate that is toxic to cats and dogs. There are carob pet treats on the market, and even items such as cookies for furbabies are sometimes made with carob. So, if you think your pup or kitty might enjoy some chocolaty treats of their own while you enjoy some candy on Halloween, then consider the safe and festive alternative that is carob.

A Spookily Belated Mancat Monday on Tonks Tuesday

We're sorry we missed our usual Monday post yesterday! Things were just a bit chaotic with some repairs being done at our home. So now here we are.

It's now technically Tonks Tuesday, but how about mancat Evan and calico Tonks for today? They both wanted to show off a festive little drink they've been enjoying this spooky season.

Both Evan and Tonks are willing to share their Boo Brew, so feel free to have a taste!

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Spooky Flashback Doodles of the Day

I'm unfortunately still working on completing this year's Halloween doodles. Life sure gets crazy sometimes. I hope to have all of them done to share by and on Halloween, and even for a couple days after Halloween since those days also have significance during this season.

The above being said, we still have some spooky flashbacks from last year to share. Almost all of last year's new Halloween doodles starred my parents' kitties in costumes. Let's share two today, one for an orange boy and one for a calico since that's also what Evan and Tonks are. Truth be told, though, the two kitties below aren't really in costumes in today's drawings. Instead, their own unique features were used to create their Halloween characters.

One of my parents' kitties is a big orange boy named Foggy. As I just mentioned, he's a big boy, and so last year he got to be the Blob.

My parents also have a gorgeous calico with beautiful long fur. Her name is Gilly. Because of her lovely hair, she got to be long-haired and well-dwelling Samara from The Ring.

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Tip of our Day

Today's Halloween tip is to know your local area's trick-or-treat details in order to be prepared, whether or not you are handing out candy or otherwise joining in on the festivities. Two of the important things to know are when trick-or-treat hours are, and what indicates whether trick-or-treaters should come to your door. It's important to know these Halloween festivity details so that you can have your pup or kitty home from a walk before traffic increases, for example, or to have your black cats and other furbabies safely inside before people begin filling the streets in search of candy. If you are handing out candy, it's good to know trick-or-treat hours so that you can have your kitty or pup tucked securely away from the door before the first trick-or-treaters arrive. In many areas, a house with its porch light on is one where trick-or-treaters can go for some loot. In the event that you're handing out candy, be sure to only have your porch light on when your furbaby is in a safe area of the home, again away from the door. If you are not handing out candy, it's of course still important to know the hours and other details of Halloween festivities in your area. This will ensure that you can have your porch light off at the correct hours, in order to avoid knocks at the door or the doorbell ringing and scaring your furbaby needlessly.  It's always good to be informed of the details of anything that might affect your furbaby, and that includes Halloween night festivities.

Friendly Fill-Ins and Non-Blurry Eddy with the Cat-o'-Lantern

Hello, friends! We're here and ready for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, and we'd love for you to join us. My amazing co-host Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two fill-in statements, and I came up with the second two.

1. I have been _________ for _________.

2. _________ bores me.

3. _________ is my main criticism of _________.

4. If I threw a Halloween party, it would include _________.


My answers are below in bold.

1. I have been craving potato soup for the entire week.

(This is quite the random answer, but my dad shared a recipe for a new kind of potato soup early this week, and I've been craving it ever since. I've always loved potato soup, even as a kid. I haven't had it in a while, and now I'm eager to try that new recipe my dad shared.)

2. Watching musicals bores me.

(I might be in a minority here, but I don't enjoy watching musical shows. I don't mind ones put on by kids, because little ones can be very entertaining. But actual Broadway-type shows and the like bore me. They've just never kept my attention. I love music, but not this kind for some reason.)

3. Confused front desk staff is my main criticism of our regular vet clinic.

(In general, I absolutely love our vet and the clinic. Our veterinarian is genuinely amazing, as is the whole staff. The front desk ladies are simply known to get a bit confused sometimes, especially a couple of particular women who work there. They are incredibly kind and friendly, and so this isn't a huge complaint, but they do get confused enough sometimes that the client either has to clarify things or they have to go ask someone else for help.)

4. If I threw a Halloween party, it would include a horror movie marathon.

(Even if no one else wanted to sit down and watch horror movies, I'd honestly still have them playing on the TV in the background for the spookily festive vibes. I'd also have lots of candy, decorated cupcakes and other kooky baked goods, pizza, and that sort of thing. I'm pretty much describing the tiny little shindig I have at my house with my parents and sister on Halloween night every year. It's simple and quiet and I always enjoy it so much.)

Now it's your turn!

To add your link to the Friendly Fill-Ins Linky list, just click HERE!

You can also click on the badge below to add your link.

You are also welcome to complete the fill-ins in the comments below,

or in the comments on Ellen's blog, 15andmeowing.

***

Throughout this week, the kitties have been sharing how much they love their cat-o'-lantern basket toy. All of the kitties who have done so thus far have mostly had bloopers to share, as this toy gets them very excited. Can you believe, though, that Eddy is the only kitty who has non-blurry shots to share?  Honestly, can you believe it? Our blooper queen is the only one without bloopers. A true shocker.

That poor cat-o'-lantern was run through the washer not that long ago, thanks to Evan and his bladder. Because of how abusive loving the kitties are to this toy, though, it's already a mess again, as you can see here.

Perhaps Eddy withheld on the bloopers today because she's waiting for that cat-o'-lantern basket to be filled with treats. It does have catnip in it, but Eddy is one of those kitties who doesn't react all that much to catnip. She does love silver vine, and actual treats, so she's likely holding out for one of those two. Don't worry, she did indeed enjoy some treats right after these photos were snapped.

Happy Friday to all!

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Spooky Flashback Doodles of the Day

Yesterday's post included a bit about my parents' kitty Iris, and so we shared a Halloween flashback doodle that starred her and her sister Josie (as well as my parents' kitty Fizzgig). Since Iris and Josie starred in yesterday's spooky doodle, today we'll share their blood brothers in their Halloween costumes that I scribbled up last year.

First up is Homer. This sweet and handsome boy very unexpectedly gained his angel wings this March due to undetected hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. We miss him dearly, but we'll never forget him. As for his Halloween costume last year, for certain reasons, I scribbled this boy up as Hannibal Lecter.

Next up is Kipper, a boy who is very sweet and social but unfortunately does not like being held. That's the complete opposite of Homer, who was always more than willing to let me hold him like a baby. Kipper's allowed to set boundaries, though. All that said, in my sketchbook last Halloween, Kipper got to dress up as Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. For reasons.

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Tip of the Day

Yesterday we mentioned keeping your kitty or pup in a safe area of the home in order to avoid any escapes out the front door during Halloween night festivities. Today, we're offering some additional methods you might be able to use to help keep a furbaby as safe, happy, and comfortable as possible on Halloween night. These tips are the most beneficial to furbabies who are scared of the doorbell, knocks at the door, and any other noises and happenings that Halloween might bring with it.

To begin, you can help make a nervous or uncertain furbaby feel more secure during the hustle and bustle of trick-or-treaters by closing windows and drawing blinds or curtains, to mask some of the sights and sounds of the spooky festivities. In addition, you can play music or turn on the TV or a movie to help further drown out sounds that might alarm a kitty or pup. Some furbabies might even be distracted by some treats, or by a play session with you or an interactive toy. In some cases, a cat or dog with higher levels of anxiety might benefit from the use of calming products like a pheromone spray or diffuser, or even a Thundershirt or similar makeshift item to make them feel secure. Or, some cats and dogs would simply do well to have access to a safe hiding place in a safe area of the home, where they can ride out Halloween night.

If your cat or dog is scared or becomes excited at the sound of the doorbell, then another option is to disconnect it on Halloween night. If you hand out candy on Halloween, you can also use options such as placing the candy dish outside for trick-or-treaters to grab some loot themselves, sitting outside to hand out candy, or simply staying near the door and watching for trick-or-treaters so that they won't need to knock or ring the doorbell. As we've mentioned in previous tips, there are still ways to enjoy Halloween and its festivities while also keeping your kitty or pup as calm and safe as possible. This might mean taking some extra precautions and finding a method that works for you and your furbaby, but it is doable.