Autumnal Adventures with Astrid

Astrid was so very glad this morning that our days and days of rain finally ended. She chose a nice long walk to make up for the short ones she chose during the rain that she very much disliked. Want to see the happy smile from this morning?

Astrid wishes you all gorgeous autumnal weather like we're having today!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

Today's relatively old flashback doodle is a follow-up to yesterday's, again depicting my life and home this time of the year.

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Tip of the Day

Today's pet cancer prevention tip is to steer clear of products with potentially dangerous chemicals, such as certain lawn treatments and detergents. These types of products can be dangerous for a number of reasons, just one being that some of the chemicals in them have been found potentially carcinogenic. This goes for both our furbabies and our human selves. For this reason, always do your research, check ingredients, and when in doubt, simply do not use it.

Tired Tonks Tuesday

Today, a tired little Tonks is enjoying some rare sunshine on her beloved rocking chair, which is currently piled with her favorite fleece blankets.

Tonks and all of us here wish you a terrific Tuesday!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

Today's doodle is a flashback that more or less explains how this time of the year feels to me.

I'm still sort of in the Halloween spirit, Thanksgiving is of course right around the corner, and the Christmas season might as well have already begun. I think I've seen signs like this say something like, Happy Hallowthanksmas!

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Tip of the Day

In case you missed it, we're doing a series of pet cancer prevention tips during this Pet Cancer Awareness Month. Today's tip is one we've mentioned one more occasion than one, and is one that many of you have probably heard. This tip is to always keep in mind that it is indeed possible for cats and dogs to get skin cancer, especially on vulnerable parts of the body, such as the ears and nose. For this reason, monitor the amount of time they spend outdoors in the sun, but also the amount of time they spend sunbathing in windows or doors. If your furbaby does spend a lot of time in the sun, perhaps look into pet-friendly sunscreen, and discuss safe options with your veterinarian as needed. There are also windows or window films that block out UV light, which is another option for keeping our furbabies and their skin safe during their sunbathing sessions. The sun can indeed be fun, but also dangerous, so do keep a close eye on those furry sunbathers.

Mancat Monday: Halloween's Last Hurrah

This will probably (probably) be our last post related specifically to Halloween. To kick it off, Evan wanted you all to know how excited he gets over one of the new toys he and the other kitties got for Halloween.

Do you see that jack-o'-lantern donut? Evan appreciates that it's orange like him.

And do you see how the donut has a bite taken out of it? Do you think Evan took that bite?

And let's finish it off with a little blooper of Evan doing a happy little roll for his donut friend.

Now, I finally managed to upload my photos from the annual jack-o'-lantern display at a local farm, and I wanted to share some of my favorites. Let's of course start with the kitty pumpkins we saw.

There were also some pups carved into pumpkins, such as good ol' Scooby Doo.

There was also a howling wolf.

And of course here's a paw print to represent all the furry friends.

And now I'll share some of my other favorites I saw.

Does anyone know who that is on that last pumpkin up there? I was a huge fan of this cute little character when I was a kid.

Shall we finish with a really classy one? We shall.

We hope you all had a wonderful Halloween season! 

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Not So Spooky Doodle of the Day

I decided to share one last Halloween doodle, this one being another one of my favorites from the past that I don't think I ever re-shared this year. I remember scribbling this one up after I saw an image online of a witch seemingly interested in adopting a little black cat she saw through a window. I recreated that in my own style, and ended up with this one.

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Tip of the Day

Our pet cancer prevention tip for today is about food. Quality food, that is as natural and nutrient-dense as possible, is important for our furbabies for a variety of reasons. One such reason is to promote a healthy immune system that can sufficiently ward away diseases, including cancer. Foods of poorer quality not only put a kitty or pup at risk of an unhealthy immune and other systems, but can also potentially contain ingredients that are less than beneficial to their health overall. For both our furbabies and ourselves, some artificial ingredients and preservatives in certain foods have even been found to be potentially carcinogenic. For this reason and others, if possible, please do consider a high quality diet for your furbaby. Foods with natural ingredients are most ideal, as these will of course provide natural nutrients that can help keep your furbaby healthy and happy all around. As most of you already know, food plays a large role in life for a vast number of reasons.

Along the same line of thought as above,  keep in mind that obesity also puts kitties and pups at risk of a variety of diseases, potentially including certain forms of cancer. Over the past few decades, scientists have been discovering links between fat cells and cancer in humans, and now also our furry friends. For this reason, not only be aware of what types of food your furbaby consumes, but also how much. An active lifestyle is also, of course, important for warding off obesity and to help fight certain diseases. Also, as we always say, never hesitate to discuss with a veterinarian your furbaby's health, including their diet, weight, and risk of cancer.

Caturday Art with a Kooky Cupcake

Today's late, quick post is in honor of the dozens of cupcakes I made for Halloween. Cupcakes have simply become a Halloween tradition in my family, and the recipes I use make tons. We're drowning in cupcakes, but is that really a problem at all? Anyway, here's a spooky cupcake for you all to see as we start to wind down our Halloween-ish posts.

Happy Caturday, friends!

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Tip of the Day

It's Pet Cancer Awareness Month, so we have another cancer prevention tip for you today. We're here to talk a bit about vaccines. While vaccines can be important for the prevention of various diseases, especially for those furbabies who go outdoors or are in another way more susceptible to disease, it is still crucial that you be knowledgeable about the potential side effects of some vaccines. In some cases, vaccines can lead to injection-site tumors, commonly cancerous fibrosarcomas. To help prevent these, you can keep furbabies, such as cats, indoors. This could render some vaccines far less necessary, since your furbaby would likely not be exposed to the diseases certain vaccines cover. In other cases, such as if your furbaby does go outdoors or might be exposed to certain diseases, simply do your research. Ask your veterinary office what types of vaccines they use, as some vaccines do not contain the components typically believed to cause injection-site tumors. Vaccines are often a highly debated subject in any case, so always be knowledgeable about them, about what kind your veterinary office uses, and which vaccines your kitty or pup might need.

Friendly Fill-Ins and Eddy's Pumpkin Pal

Hello, 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. I _________ daylight savings time.

2. This month, I plan to _________.

3. _________ gives me nightmares.

4. Now that _________, it's time to _________.


My answers are below in bold.

1. I have a love-hate relationship with daylight savings time.
(I'm a morning person and actually enjoy getting up early, when it's quiet before the world around me is awake. That said, I don't really like when it's still dark out for sometimes hours after I get up. So, I like that the time change this weekend will make the sunrise earlier. That said, I also don't enjoy getting home from work or giving pup Astrid her afternoon walk in the dark, so the whole part where it will get dark earlier in the evening is not so great.)

2. This month, I plan to do my best.
(Like most months, I do have goals this month to complete lots of drawings, do a lot of writing, and that sort of thing. That said, I'm in a season in my life where things are just a bit hectic. Between my full-time job, my special needs boy Evan, the other kitties and the pup, chores and general adulting, and everything in between, I'm trying to tell myself that I can have goals, but all I can do is my best.)

3. A sicky kitty or pup gives me nightmares.
(I most often either don't dream or don't remember my dreams, good or bad. That said, when I have a bad dream, it often relates to one of my cats or the dog being ill. Sometimes the furbaby in question isn't even sick in reality, but sometimes they are. I had nightmares earlier this year when Evan was struggling with various issues, for example, and those nightmares involved Evan being ill.)

4. Now that Halloween day is over, it's time to slowly but surely get into the Christmas spirit.
(I love Halloween and I don't take down my decor or stop watching frightfully festive movies right away. After all, today is still All Saints' Day, and tomorrow is All Souls' Day. Halloween season isn't over just yet. That said, usually a week or so into November, I'm ready to start getting the Christmas version of festive. I'm usually still a bit in the spooky mood, but also the Christmas spirit, and it's an interesting mix. I'm already itching to scribble up some ghostly Christmas doodles, if that even makes sense. Halfway into November or so, though, I'll be all out ready for Christmas.)

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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I intended on sharing some of the jack-o'-lanterns from my annual visit to a local farm's Halloween pumpkin display. I didn't get all of those uploaded, though, so I'll share those in the next couple days. I ended up with both Evan and Thimble at the vet today. Evan is just getting his usual sanitary shave, but Thimble's allergies had a major flare and she itched herself bloody, so she ended up with an urgent appointment for another steroid shot. That always gives her immediate relief that lasts a couple months. She'll feel better very soon, and I'm beyond glad for that, the poor girl.

The above said, since we're not yet quite ready to say goodbye to Halloween, Eddy decided to remind you all that her toys are kept in jack-o'-lantern buckets. And those are her toy bins all year long.

You'll have to excuse us if we have a couple more Halloween posts, as Halloween still has a little life left in it.

Eddy and all of us wish you a happy Friday!

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Not So Spooky Doodle of the Day

It's pretty much become tradition that I share a certain flashback doodle the day after Halloween. After all, it shows the Halloween aftermath while Christmas is just around the corner.

Every year I mean to recreate this doodle in some way, but I just haven't yet. I scribbled up the above one a few years ago, but its contents still ring true for me every single Halloween and the days after.

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Tip of the Day

November is Pet Cancer Awareness Month. More than once before we've shared tips on the prevention of cancer in our kitties and pups. We're going to repeat some of those tips over the next few days in honor of this month's importance. We'll start with none other than spaying and neutering. Spaying and neutering your furbabies is not only important for population control, but also because, like humans, they can develop cancers of the reproductive tract and related systems. This can include uterine cancer, mammary cancer, and prostate cancer.

What's more, timing of spaying and neutering can also be crucial. It is important to ensure that a kitty or pup is of course old enough and big enough for neutering, but also not too old. This is because, for example, there is an increased risk of mammary cancer in female cats and dogs who are allowed to go through one or more cycles prior to being spayed. We could go on and on about this topic, but let's suffice it to say that, as most of you certainly know, it's incredibly important to spay and neuter your cats and dogs for more reasons than one. We'll even say it again. Please spay and neuter your kitties and pups, and do so before they can be affected by an increased risk of cancer.

Happy Halloween!

As this post's title and that there image say...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

This week, we've shared all but the first two doodles in that collage. We'll share those last two separately here for you to see better. Eddy got to be Michael Myers, the star villain of my favorite, nostalgic Halloween movies. I picked her in part because, like Michael, Eddy is reclusive and quiet (around everyone but me, at least). I also picked her because she's admittedly the most likely of my kitties to slash or stab me, which seemed fitting enough for her to be Michael.

And Tonks got to be Sam from the movie Trick 'r Treat. This character wears a burlap sack or something along the sort over his head, and Tonks is my kitty who loves being under and in blankets. That, along with the fact that, like the character Sam, Tonks is rather small, landed her in this costume.

Now, how about the real life furry babies on this Halloween day? A couple of the kitties are more than ready for a little treating with no tricks.

Thimble has the beloved cat-o'-lantern basket all ready for it to be stuffed full of goodies. Feel free to toss a treat in there for her.

Is it full yet?

Tonks decided to help Thimble gather up some goods in the cat-o'-lantern basket.

As you can see from the paraphernalia surrounding Tonks, the basket has already been filled with catnip to celebrate this frightfully festive day.

In case you were curious, this treat basket also serves as a festive little hat. See?

Pup Astrid has already done some trick-or-treating herself, and she landed herself a squeaky little candy bar.

She'll be getting tasty goods of the real, edible variety tonight. But, for now, she's enjoying this little goodie.

As for the trick part of the trick-or-treating, Astrid got a little something else.

Did you know a severed arm makes for a great pillow? Well, it does.

Eddy also landed herself with a trick (after a hefty dose of treats, that is). Last week, Eddy shared some bloopers from her very own Blair Witch Project sort of experience. Afterwards, Eddy tried her best to befriend the witch in question.

But, Eddy really isn't one for sharing her space, so she ultimately skedaddled right on out of there yet again.

Do you see that pointy-hatted lady stealing Eddy's chair? Just look at that rude trick.

What a witch. Don't worry, though, because Eddy has plenty of other toys that are far less haunting and invasive.

Evan didn't experience the witchy invasion Eddy did, but he did find himself being creeped on by something else.

This here Mom of Evan's really wanted a photo of him and some of our pumpkin decor, but every photo involved Evan looking all shades of suspicious.

Evan had a lot more interest in the messy albeit fun cat-o'-lantern I carved the other day.

Do you see Evan through the door there? He was so very helpful while I carved that pumpkin, and he seemed quite perturbed that I'd put the poor thing outside.

That kitty was carved out of a pumpkin from my parents' garden, as were the friends I carved up for the cat-o'-lantern.

I'm far from a pro at carving pumpkins, but I always have fun doing it. I'm more excited to share with you all some of the pumpkins from this year's drive-thru jack-o'-lantern display that a local farm hosts every year. I went last night and will hopefully be sharing some of those tomorrow. There were a number of pumpkins carved like cats, which of course had me all the more excited.

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And we didn't forget to share the fill-in statements for tomorrow's 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. I _________ daylight savings time.

2. This month, I plan to _________.

3. _________ gives me nightmares.

4. Now that _________, it's time to _________.

We'll see you tomorrow! And, again...

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 for 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!

Woof Woof Wednesday with Chucky and Jason

Hello, friends! I'd say Astrid is excited to share her costume with you all today, but really she wasn't all that thrilled. Remember how on Monday I shared a doodle of Evan as Chucky the serial killer doll? Well, Astrid has a costume to turn her into Chucky for real.

Doesn't she look so happy?

Astrid is very tolerant of me dressing her up, but her expression usually gives away her true annoyance. And what she found extra annoying was the red wig that came with the killer doll costume.

I didn't make Astrid stay in the costume for long, but I'm glad she at least tolerates me putting her in clothes long enough to get some festive photos.

Astrid hopes you all enjoyed seeing her abuse costume!

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Not So Spooky Doodle of the Day

While real Astrid dressed up as Chucky, the Astrid in my notebook dressed up as Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th movies.

I thought it would be cute to add a nose to the hockey mask to help Astrid-turned-Jason look even more dog-ish. After I finished it, though, it took me a bit to realize that it really just made her look like Snoopy Voorhees.

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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.