Snowy Adventures with Angel Astrid

We've gotten a lot of snow this week, I believe at least half a foot. I know that's nothing compared to what some folks get and probably more than a lot of folks actually got this week, but it's a decent amount for us this early on. It's also very cold. My sweet angel pup Astrid loved cold weather and snow, and so this weather makes me think of her very often. It's my first winter without her, and I miss her so much, but I'm so grateful for all of the memories I share with her.

See the snow on Astrid's nose in that photo? She was notorious for shoving her snout into the cold white stuff, and even picking it up in her mouth and throwing it.

I hope you all can find even a fraction of the joy my sweet Astrid had for winter weather!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

Today's flashback doodle is the image I scribbled up for our Christmas card a couple years ago. Astrid played her version of Snoopy, with the kitties enjoying Charlie Brown's special little tree.

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Tip of the Day

We're nearing the end of our Christmas tree tips, but not just yet. Today's tip is to be aware and cautious of edible tree decorations. Whether they be something such as candy canes, cookie ornaments, or strings such as those made from popcorn, be very careful if there is anything edible on your Christmas tree. This can be dangerous if your furbaby eats potentially dangerous goods off of the tree, or even if they eat too much of an otherwise safe human food. Of course, a furbaby trying to reach edible tree decorations could also lead to falling trees and related injuries. So, for the sake of your furbaby and the tree, it is likely best to avoid decorating with edible goods. As we've said before, it is still possible to be festive, but do be sure to keep your furbaby's safety in mind as well.

Tonks Tuesday in the Christmas Tree

On this Tonks Tuesday, the Christmas tree-loving calico wanted to share some of the first festive photos we snapped this year.

I took these when Tonks was "helping" me put up her favorite Christmas tree. I actually bought this tree off of a coworker's mother for a great price a couple years ago, when she wanted to upgrade and I needed to replace our previous, used and abused tree. And this new one is great because it's incredibly dense, which Tonks absolutely loves as she can really nestle in and nap in it.

There will certainly be more photos like this. After all, this calico spends a good chunk of her day in or near that Christmas tree. It's her favorite thing this time of the year.

Tonks and all of us here wish you a terrifically festive Tuesday!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

While I continue to work on some new Christmas doodles for this year, today's flashback is yet another one from the old-fashioned Christmas series I scribbled up a couple years ago. This is far from my favorite doodle from this series, but I still wanted to include it nonetheless.

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Tip of the Day

Yesterday we mentioned the importance of securing your Christmas tree against any furry climbers in the home. Today, we have another Christmas tree safety tip, this time regarding those light strands and ornaments. As you all certainly already know, always be careful of cords and the dangers they pose, such as if chewed on or if a furbaby becomes tangled in them. If your furbaby only seems interested in the lower branches of the tree, perhaps only place lights on the upper portion. Or, if necessary, do not use lights at all. If you do decorate your tree with lights, always unplug them if left unattended.

The same sort of rules can apply to ornaments, as needed. You can avoid placing them on the lower portion of the tree, or refrain from using them altogether. If glass ornaments might become broken and cause potential injuries, consider using only plastic ones. Also consider the dangers of ornament hooks, or the choking hazards the ornaments themselves might pose. At our house, for these reasons, ornaments are not included on the tree but are instead hung from strands of garland that are attached to the wall, out of certain furbabies' reach. You don't have to throw your festive spirit out the door if you have adventurous and Christmas tree-loving furbabies, you simply have to take necessary precautions.

A Merry Mancat Monday

We put up our Christmas trees on Black Friday, and I've of course taken lots of photos of the kitties enjoying the festivities. I haven't yet organized all of those photos yet, but that doesn't mean we don't have one to share with you. For today, you get to see Evan in his new favorite place to sleep.

Do you see my boy curled up in his cat tree beside the Christmas tree? Being hind limb paralyzed, Evan isn't easily able to get to that level of the cat tree himself. I do put his pet stairs beside the cat tree, but he seems to prefer being lifted and put in there by his human, which I'm more than fine doing for my sweet boy.

Have a merry Monday, friends!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

I did not get around to all the art I hoped to scribble up this weekend, so until I finish more of my Christmas doodles for this year, it's time for more flashbacks. I do have lots of those, though, including this old-fashioned one from a couple years ago.

I scribbled up that one and a couple other similar doodles when I was in A Christmas Carol sort of mood a couple years ago. I had a lot of fun with those, and I plan on doing at least one vintage sort of doodle like that this year.

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Tip of the Day

We seem to be repeating old tips these days. 'Tis the season, apparently. That being said, this festive season we'll be repeating some Christmas safety tips that we also shared the past few years. It's an important topic this time of year, so we'll keep going with it.

How about we start with that good ol' Christmas tree? To begin, if you put up a Christmas tree, make sure it is securely in place. This is especially important if you have a kitty or pup who enjoys climbing or otherwise giving the tree lots of attention. You can try putting the tree in a corner of a room, if that helps to keep it safe and upright against adventurous furbabies. Moreover, to be extra safe, you can find a way to anchor the tree to the floor, wall, or even a heavy, sturdy piece of furniture. There is also the option of weighing down the base of the tree, such as with weighted bags, as long as they are of a safe and secure sort. Another option, especially if your furbaby is overzealous in their love for the Christmas tree, is to block their access to it altogether, whether that be with baby gates, closed doors, or another means. Whatever it takes, if you put up a Christmas tree in a home with a tree-loving furbaby, do be sure to try and find a way to prevent a fallen tree and potential injuries.

Friendly Fill-Ins and Festive Eddy in the Tree

Hello, friends! We hope all of you in the US had a blessed Thanksgiving yesterday, and that everyone else had a wonderful Thursday. Now it's Friday, and we're ready for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge. 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. My Christmas tree goes up on _________.

2. I am thankful for _________, _________, and _________.

3. I _________ by the time December rolls around.

4. I'll be spending a lot of time _________ this holiday season.


My answers are below in bold.

1. My Christmas tree goes up on Black Friday.
(It's a longtime family tradition that our trees go up on Black Friday. This was to make sure Thanksgiving got its fair time. That said, I often start putting up all non-tree Christmas decor before or on Thanksgiving, and then the trees at my house go up on Black Friday. All that to say, my Christmas trees are indeed going up today, and I can't wait.)

2. I am thankful for my human family, my furry family, and my angels.
(I'm truly grateful for my parents, sister, and my kitties, as well as my angels of all kinds. I'm so thankful for the years I had with my sweet pup Astrid, whom I just lost in September. I'm missing her this holiday season, my first without her, but I am so glad for all of the holidays I did get to celebrate with her.)

3. I like to have all of my Christmas shopping done by the time December rolls around.
(I am so close to being done with my Christmas shopping this year. I don't know if I'll be completely done by December 1st, but I only have a couple gift cards and stocking stuffers to get at this point. I've eaten gotten all of the kitties' gifts already.)

4. I'll be spending a lot of time putting my Christmas trees back together this holiday season.
(I have a couple of tree climbers at my house, those being Eddy and Tonks. Sometimes these girls toss the actual limbs of the Christmas trees to the ground, which is so fun. The last time I ever put ornaments on a Christmas tree was Eddy's first or possibly second Christmas. She was my first ever tree climber, and I have never again risked ornaments on a tree. They now all get hung from garland high on the wall. I do still put cloth ribbons and lights on the trees, though, and I do often have to reattach those abused ribbons and straighten the light strands.) 

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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Since I'm putting up our trees today and of course mentioned Eddy's love for them, how about some of my favorite flashbacks of Eddy at Christmastime?

These were actually snapped way back when I still attempted to put ornaments on the tree. Which means some of the ornaments didn't survive the season.

Eddy and all of us here wish you a festive Friday!

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Festive Flashback Doodle of the Day

Since Eddy got to share her flashback Christmas tree photo shoot above, my other tree-loving kitty Tonks wanted me to share a flashback doodle starring her and her love for the festive tree. So, here's an old one of those.

That there is yet another doodle I'd love to recreate with my somewhat updated drawing style. I don't deem that one there awful or anything like that, but I see parts of it that I would improve or change given how I prefer to draw these days.

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Tip of the Day

November is National Pet Diabetes Awareness Month. That's why today we're giving a quick tip related to this disease. This tip is one that you all certainly know, and that is to be very vigilant with regard to your furbaby's behavior and appearance, keeping an eye out for signs of diabetes, and of course for signs of any disease. How often is your kitty or pup drinking? How often are they urinating? What is the volume of their urine? The color of it? Has their appetite increased? Has it decreased? Does their fur look dry and dull? Are they less active than usual? Have any of these things changed recently? How recently? These are just some of the questions that, as a pet parent, you have to ask yourself on a regular basis. Regularly observe and check your kitty or pup for any changes in their behavior and appearance. What's more, as always, if you have any concerns, consult your veterinarian.

Given that my family has experience with it thanks to my parents' diabetic kitty Trapper and my sister's equally diabetic kitty Toby, I also wanted to mention the feline diabetes medication Bexacat. This medication is said to more likely work in cases where diabetes is the result of a kitty being overweight, which was the case for both Trapper and Toby. But, it also worked for my parents' angel kitty Talon, who was not overweight and instead developed diabetes as a result of steroid treatments. All that said, Bexacat is a once-a-day pill that redirects excess blood sugar to the urine. This means a kitty on it will always have high sugar in their urine, but it helps them excrete it from their blood that way. If a veterinary-assisted test run of Bexacat proves to work for a kitty, without any issues like ketoacidosis, then they can take that instead of insulin. It is my understanding that it only works in kitties who have never before been treated long-term with insulin, and so it's often prescribed for newly diagnosed kitties. It has kept the aforementioned boy Trapper's diabetes successfully regulated for multiple years now, and it's also worked for Toby for many months. Those two boys are honestly now healthier and more fit than they've been in a long time. So, we just wanted to mention this Bexacat in case your kitty is diagnosed with diabetes and this might be an option.

Happy Thanksgiving!

In the US, today is Thanksgiving. I want all of you to know how much your friendship means to us. We are so very grateful for all of you.

I'm also so very thankful for my kitties, including my angel kitties. I'm also beyond grateful for the time I was blessed to share with my angel pups, of course including my sweet Astrid who just passed in September. I didn't get any new Thanksgiving doodles scribbled up this year, but I'm so thankful that in the past I drew some that included my precious pup Astrid.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

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We are of course going to share the fill-in statements for tomorrow's Friendly Fills challenge. My amazing co-host Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two, and I came up with the second two.

1. My Christmas tree goes up on _________.

2. I am thankful for _________, _________, and _________.

3. I _________ by the time December rolls around.

4. I'll be spending a lot of time _________ this holiday season.

We'll see you tomorrow, friends. Happy Thanksgiving to all those in the United States! To all of our other friends, we hope you have a happy Thursday!

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Tip of the Day

We're finally ready to give our final Thanksgiving tip, on this very day of Thanksgiving. This final Thanksgiving tip is one we've mentioned in the past and is one we're sure you all already know, and it's to be aware of your furbaby's safety if you are having a holiday gathering at your home. Open doors and foot traffic of course increase when guests arrive, which can put your kitty or pup in peril for more reasons than one. Begin by keeping your furbaby away from the door as guests arrive, such as to avoid potential escapes and the danger of getting stepped on. To best protect your kitty or pup, you might simply want to consider setting up a safe and quiet room where your furbaby can spend the majority of the holiday gathering. This is especially important if your kitty or pup is afraid of strangers, if he or she is instead social and might get underfoot and injured, or if you think your guests might unwittingly give your furbaby dangerous scraps from the table. It's of course nice to think of your furbaby joining in on holiday festivities, but keep their safety in mind first and foremost.

This seems like a good time to remind you that you can also consider giving your furbaby safe nibbles of the festive feast. Not all foods are safe, of course, as we've mentioned. However, tastes of safe meats and veggies, as long as you're certain they're safe, can allow your furry family member to participate in the festivities. You can even use safe nibbles of food to coax your kitty or pup to a safe area where they'll be waiting out a gathering, or as a reward for their good, safe behavior during the holiday festivities.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Autumnal Adventures with Angel Astrid

My sweet angel Astrid loved autumn. She loved the cool temps, and I was right there with her. We took many nice, long, beautiful autumnal walks over the years, and I'm so very grateful for that. Sometimes I'd get lovely shots of Astrid standing with gorgeous trees behind her, and other times I'd snap photos that are a bit less aesthetic but still very happy memories like this one here.

I snapped that photo just last autumn. I don't know the scientific name of that sort of shrub, but I do know that it's colloquially called a burning bush. My parents have one in their front yard, but this one is elsewhere in the neighborhood. Astrid was very intrigued by whatever it smelled like (likely donations from other dogs' bladders), and I decided to snap a shot of her sniffing it. It might look like an odd sort of shot, but I'm still glad I took this photo of my sweet angel girl.

Wishing you all a blessed Wednesday!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

We have yet another doodle from many autumns ago. Apparently this particular year I was still in the mood to draw a cat-o'-lantern alongside those Thanksgiving pies, which resulted in what you see below.

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Tip of the Day

We've been discussing foods that may or may not be safe to share with your furbaby on Thanksgiving. Keep in mind, though, that food safety isn't just related to food preparation and eating. Safety precautions should continue even after you've finished your meal. What are we getting at? We're reminding you to be aware of dishes left on the table or in the sink as well as food scraps or wrappers in the trash. Illness and emergencies can result if your furbaby licks off of plates that contain remnants of dangerous foods, or if they find their way into the trashcan where scraps or bones reside. So, be aware and take precautions to keep your pup or kitty safe from dangerous foods even after the feast is over. Immediately rinse or wash plates and keep the table and sink clear of dangerous food debris. Also take out the trash if it contains dangerous food items, or keep it securely hidden away from your furbaby.

Tuesday with Tonks and Evan

Yesterday Evan shared a shot of him napping in his favorite way, that being with his face down so that he looks like he can barely breathe. That said, during that photo shoot, Tonks was sitting on some blankets in the rocking chair beside Evan's bed. She was poorly lit yet very happy and therefore blurry during this photo shoot, but she still wanted to share how she keeps her big brother company.

Evan went to the vet for his annual exam and recheck bloodwork yesterday evening. I haven't gotten the results back yet, and I might not until Friday because of the Thanksgiving holiday. That said, Evan's vet said that, especially given everything Evan has going on, he looks pretty darn good. He's 12 years old and is hind limb paralyzed, has urinary incontinence, bladder cystitis, a long history with UTIs, has had a urethral blockage in the past, has megacolon and therefore sometimes battles constipation, and I'm probably forgetting some things but you get the idea. He's on lots of medications, some that can affect the kidneys and such, so he gets bloodwork more than once a year. But, it's been a few months since his last bloodwork, so I really hope his all still looks good.

Evan has been having regular enough UTIs that his vet recommended I keep antibiotics on hand at home and start giving them to him for one week, keep him off of them for two weeks, give them for a week again, off another two weeks, and so on and so forth. That's not ideal, but we're otherwise struggling to keep his UTIs at bay. He has multiple conditions, such as paralysis and urinary incontinence, that increase his risk of UTIs, so it makes sense. We'll see how the new regimen of antibiotics works for my boy. This does make both his vet and myself worried about him and his bacteria becoming resistant to this particular antibiotic, but we can always try other antibiotics if that happens.

We hope you all have a terrific Tuesday!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

As I mentioned yesterday, I'm bad about not scribbling up new Thanksgiving doodles. That means this week you all keep getting old doodles that are outdated compared to my current way of drawing. Not by a whole lot, but definitively enough to notice. Even so, here's another very old one that I scribbled up in honor of the seasonal confusion I often feel in November.

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Tip of the Day

We've previously mentioned sweet potatoes, white potatoes, and green beans, and how these vegetables are safe when fed plain but are best left out of your furbaby's diet if prepared in a casserole or with other added ingredients. Today, we're here to remind you of some of the other vegetables that could make for nice Thanksgiving treats for your pup or kitty, of course as long as they are fed plain. One common and nutritious vegetable is the carrot. This orange vegetable can provide a large variety of beneficial nutrients, such as beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin K, potassium, and others. Other veggies that are generally safe as a snack for a kitty or pup include broccoli, celery, cucumbers, spinach, and peas. So, if you're pup or kitty wants to be included in the Thanksgiving feast, go for a safe and healthy option like plain vegetables. Of course, though, even when it comes to veggies, it is still best to feed them to your kitty or pup in moderation. And, as you've heard us say many times now, always be aware of any ingredients that are added to foods prior to feeding them to your furbaby. If a veggie dish has been topped with onion, garlic, excess salt, or other similar seasonings, then it is no longer an ideal or safe treat for your kitty or pup.