Mancat Monday

Evan had grand plans for a phenomenal photo shoot, but then the sun came out and he simply couldn't leave its confines. That's why today you all get to see him bathing in sunshine, shadows, and overexposure.

We hope you all have a Monday as sunny as Evan's!

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Doodle of the Day:

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Did you know?

Did you know that a cat leaving their urine or feces uncovered in the litter box, or in the wild, is sometimes a sign of dominance? Cats can indeed be a territorial species, and urine or feces is sometimes used to prove a point. Cats who are dominant might leave their urine or feces on full display for others to see and smell, as a sign of their status and territory. On the other hand, subordinate cats are more likely to bury their urine or feces. Of course, the tendency to bury their excrement could also relate to a cat's preference for cleanliness, but dominance and territorialism could also play a part.

Would it be rude if we asked you a question about your litter box? Hopefully not, because we're curious. Does your cat bury their urine and feces? Or do they leave it on display for all to see?

A Selfie for the Father Figure

The furbabies around here don't have a dad, but their grandpa is one of their most favorite people. A certain someone around here wanted to wish her grandpa a happy Father's Day with a selfie of her adorable face, and that someone is none other than Thimble. Thimble's grandpa has been known to ooh and aww over Thimble, and to tell her she's pretty darn cute. Thimble knew, therefore, that her grandpa would just love to see a glamour shot of her today for Father's Day.

There. Now Thimble's grandpa can ooh and aww over this Father's Day selfie she snapped just for him. Enjoy, Grandpa!

All of the furbabies here are wishing their grandpa a happy Father's Day. Of course, this here human is wishing her dad a very happy Father's Day as well!

We are also wishing all of the dads out there a blessed Father's Day. Whether your kids have four legs or two, whether they're furry or humanoid, happy Father's Day to you!

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Doodle of the Day:

Today's doodle is one I created specifically for my dad. As I've said before here on our blog, my dad used to read J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit to my sister and myself as a bedtime story. That is one of my earliest memories, and it's one I will always cherish. My dad, my sister, and I all still share a love for books and the fantasy genre, of course including The Hobbit. And all of that is why I doodled up this for my dad:

For those who don't know, what's meant to be emerging from that book there is a traditional hobbit house. Also, in case you were wondering, yes, my dad is a cat guy. He is, after all, owned by 12 cats.

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Did you know?

Did you know some sources cite that male Siamese cats are the most likely feline fathers to express an interest in, or fondness towards, their kittens? As is the case with many species, most male cats don't display much interest in interacting with their kittens. As previously mentioned, though, some sources indicate that male Siamese cats are the most likely to break this mold, being the most likely to show affection toward their kittens.

Caturday at the Bakery

I recently saw an artsy image of a whimsical little bakery. That inspired me to create a similar image, but in my own sort of style, and of course starring cats. One thing led to another, and this happened:

Of course, those kitties and their sugary sweets are our contribution to Athena's Caturday Art Blog Hop. Don't forget to visit Athena to see all of the masterpieces our friends have created!

Happy Caturday to all!

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Did you know?

Did you know that the Louisville, KY, cat café known as Purrfect Day Cat Café aided in the adoption of 357 cats in just 3 months after opening its doors in 2018? This cat café formed a partnership with the Kentucky Humane Society, and its goal was to adopt out 300 cats in its first year. It certainly achieved that, with the aforementioned 357 cats it helped adopt out in a mere 3 months. The café also donated $8,200 to the Kentucky Humane Society.

Cat cafés originated in Japan, but in recent years they have been gaining increasing popularity in the United States, and worldwide. These cat cafés often partner with local shelters or rescues, bringing in adoptable cats who would do well interacting with humans in search of coffee and feline companionship. This can lead to wonderfully happy endings for adoptable felines, as Louisville's Purrfect Day Cat Café and others have proven.

Friendly Fill-Ins

Welcome to another Friday, friends! We'll get right to the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge. In case you missed the fill-in statements yesterday, I'll share them again below. Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two, and I came up with the second two.

1. I hope _________ never goes out of business.

2. So far, the highlight of my year has been _________.

3. _________ takes up too much time.

4. If I didn't have to sleep, I would spend that extra time _________.


And below is how I filled these in. My answers are in bold.

1. I hope Target never goes out of business.
(I just really like Target, if I'm being simple and honest. What's more, though, Target often offers exclusive cat toys, cat scratchers, and other cat-centric goodies, especially around my favorite holidays of Halloween and Christmas. One of the first things I do during both of those holiday seasons is visit Target and stock up on things that I don't need but that I really want. Oh, and the dollar spot at Target is one of my favorite places to be.)

2. So far, the highlight of my year has been the inexplicable decrease in my mancat Evan's incontinence.
(Evan's urinary incontinence never angered me. It was simply part of his hind limb paralyzed self. That being said, I was pleasantly surprised when it recently started happening much, much, much less frequently. Evan started having incontinence on nearly a daily basis last year. With all ailments ruled out, it was simply deemed a side effect of his hind limb paralysis. Understandably, I was told he would probably have it for the rest of his life. Just this spring, though, Evan's incontinence suddenly and quite inexplicably started happening far less often. Before, he'd have incontinence anywhere from once to a dozen times per day. Now, though, he might go weeks without having even a single instance of it. Now, hopefully typing that out for all of the internet to read won't bring about a return of my boy's urinary battles.)

3. Worrying takes up too much time.
(Though anxiety and worry does not affect me as much these days as it did when I was younger, it certainly still exists in my life. That being said, I know that when I worry, especially about things that I can't control, I'm simply wasting time. I've shared this before, but one of my favorite quotes is from a character in the movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. In this particular movie, the character says, "My philosophy is that worrying means you suffer twice." Who has the time to suffer twice, let alone once? I need to take my own advice, though, and stop wasting time worrying about things beyond my control.)

4. If I didn't have to sleep, I would spend that extra time reading and writing.
(I honestly would love to use necessary yet valuable sleeping time to do more of what I love doing, but that I often don't get to do as often as I'd like. I'll be the first to admit that my full-time day job takes me away from home and my hobbies far more than I'd like, so I would definitely appreciate being able to use my sleepy time to pursue my hobbies and passions. This would indeed involve reading and writing. It would also involve drawing, blogging, some baking and cooking here and there, and of course snuggling all of the furbabies.)

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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Your Eddy fix today is a bit of a flashback.

What you're seeing there is photo evidence of Eddy telling me I'm not allowed to draw in my sketchbook. I'm supposed to focus solely on her. Obviously.

That's a winter doodle I was working on in those photos, because these shots were taken this past winter. I was going through my photos recently and noticed that I'm pretty sure I never shared these. During the winter months, I love to bundle up beneath loads of blankets when I doodle away in my sketchbook. This always prompts Eddy to come over and steal my blankets, steal my body warmth, and steal my art supplies. As always, whatever Eddy wants, Eddy gets.

Happy Friday, friends!

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Doodle of the Day:

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Did you know?

Did you know roughly 30-50% of cats lack the gene that would cause them to react to catnip? Indeed, anywhere from one-third to one-half of cats don't, or can't, react to catnip. It's also worth noting that even if a cat does have the aforementioned catnip gene, it won't come into full effect until roughly 3 to 6 months of age. Therefore, if you give catnip to a kitten younger than this, they will likely not react, whether or not they possess the gene for catnip reactivity.

Thoroughly Poetic Thankful Thimble Thursday

Hello and happy Thursday! Let's get right to rhyming, shall we? Today is, indeed, the Thoroughly Poetic Thursday challenge, hosted by Angel Sammy.

Each week, our host shares a photo prompt to help us get poetic. This week's photo prompt is this image here:

I've always found twins to be a very fascinating topic. There are multiple sets of twins in my family, but this photo prompt particularly reminds me of my twin uncles. Indeed, I have two uncles who are twins, and at least when they were babies and young kids, they were essentially identical. It's more or less a game in my family that when we find a childhood photo of my twin uncles, everyone has to guess who is who. I can often ultimately determine which twin is which, but the only ones who get it right every single time are my grandma (their mother) and my dad (their older brother).

My dad is roughly 10 years older than his twin brothers (my dad is the oldest of five boys, and boy does that make for some wild stories). When I was born, the twins were still teenagers. Let me tell you, my twin uncles' favorite game was to trick my sister and myself into thinking that we had called one of them by the other's name, and so on and so forth. Funny, huh? By the time they were that age, though, they actually weren't all that hard to tell apart, so they weren't fooling anyone. Not even my 5-year-old self.

In case you were wondering, another one of my twin uncles' favorite games was to take apart my sister's and my toys and reassemble them with parts and pieces from other, totally unrelated toys. Our toy box ended up looking something like Victor Frankenstein's laboratory. This is what you get when your dad is the oldest of five boys and you and your sister are the first grandchildren and nieces.

Anyway. Did you really want my family history? Probably not, but I sure just gave it to you. Long story short, my poem below was sort of inspired by the photo above, sort of inspired by my twin uncles, and is sort of a mess of a rhyme. It's a long and windy one, kind of confusing, and weird and wacky as per usual. Don't worry, though, I still threw some cats into the mix.

Timmy, Tommy, Willy, and Wally

Bobby and Bonnie were happy as could be,

Most especially since they would soon be starting their family.

In fact, their doctor told them they were having twins,

A fact that made them chuckle, clap, and grin.

If we're being honest, though,

Reality soon burst the new parents' happy little bubble.

Bobby and Bonnie were now aware of every parent's struggle,

Except they were learning that struggle in double.

After all, with twins, there was such a thing as double the trouble.

Bobby and Bonnie had brought home two identical baby boys.

They started by trying to give each one his own unique toys,

So that telling them apart would not be such a difficult choice.

Even when they were mere infants, though,

A great deal of orneriness the twin boys did show.

After all, they would oft swap their individualized toys,

So that their parents could not use them to tell apart the two baby boys.

Now, perhaps you'd like to know the twins' names?

Don't worry, their names were not one in the same.

Timmy was the name of one of the brothers,

And Tommy was of course the name of the other.

Timmy and Tommy were not necessarily naughty boys,

But they did enjoy teasing others with ploys.

They oft confused their family and friends,

Of course by making their identities difficult to understand.

Timmy and Tommy's parents tried dressing them in different clothes.

After all, everything else was the same from their head to their toes,

So, their parents thought their clothes could make their identities known.

There was of course just one little catch, though,

And that was that the ornery boys would oft swap those clothes.

Even as infants these sort of games went on.

Timmy and Tommy rarely gave their parents the chance to breathe or yawn.

They would each go as far as sneaking into their brother's crib,

And they were not even above swapping out their namesake bibs.

Indeed, such name games went on for years.

Mixing up their boys was Bobby and Bonnie's daily fear.

One day, though, a solution appeared right there at the front door.

The solution was a pair of visitors, each with legs that numbered four.

Has this rhyme now become as confusing as Timmy and Tommy themselves?

This is more chaotic than a room full of Santa's elves.

Here, let us recap.

This story now has the addition of two cats.

At Bobby, Bonnie, Timmy, and Tommy's front door these cats appeared.

Believe it or not, these felines would soon allay Bobby and Bonnie's fears.

You see, the cats took to Timmy and Tommy right away.

What's more, though, each cat took to a particular boy on that very first day.

This truly was a grand solution to a problem,

Because it would make Timmy and Tommy's identities more solid.

You see, though both felines were tabby cats,

One was grey, and the other far more orange than that.

Willy was grey and the orange one was Wally.

The cats' identities were never a folly.

Bobby and Bonnie were so very grateful for this,

Because now their twin boys' identities were never amiss.

Timmy could no longer claim to be Tommy,

Because the truth of the matter would be given away by Willy and Wally.

After all, there was one boy always accompanied by Willy,

And that boy was none other than Timmy.

And then there was good ol' Wally,

Who of course could be found right alongside Tommy.

For years, Bobby and Bonnie had tried to tell apart their identical boys.

They did not know how to combat the twins' name games and ploys.

The solution, though, was in a pair of non-identical cats,

Who simply showed up at their door and chose their boys at the drop of a hat.

Good golly, who on earth could have imagined that?

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Now it's time for the Thimble and Thankful part of this Thursday. Are you ready? Of course you are.

On this Thankful Thursday, Thimble is grateful that she is cute from any and every angle.

This mom of hers here is equally thankful for Thimble's adorableness. Thimble's face, and her short little legs, and everything about her makes me happy. Thimble hopes she helps you all feel happy, too.

As always, we're also of course so very grateful for all of you. Thank you for being our wonderful friends!

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We wouldn't finish out this post without sharing the fill-in statements for tomorrow's Friendly Fill-Ins challenge. If you'd like to participate, those statements can be found below. Ellen of 15andmeowing is the mastermind behind the first two, and I came up with the second two.

1. I hope _________ never goes out of business.

2. So far, the highlight of my year has been _________.

3. _________ takes up too much time.

4. If I didn't have to sleep, I would spend that extra time _________.

We'll see you tomorrow, friends!

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Did you know?

Did you know that kittens in a litter can have multiple fathers? What's more, did you know you'd be getting a lesson on feline reproduction today? Cats are induced ovulators, which essentially means that the act of mating itself causes eggs to be released from the ovaries of a female cat in estrus. Furthermore, a female cat in estrus will often mate with more than one tomcat in a short amount of time, and any eggs that are released from the ovaries could be fertilized by any given male with which she mates. And that is why kittens from the same litter can have different fathers.

Almost Wordless Woof Woof Wednesday

Yes, we are indeed back to the good ol' window photo shoots with the resident pouty puppy. You're welcome.

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Doodle of the Day:

Don't mind the crooked background in that there doodle, most especially that wonky window. I don't believe in rulers.

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Did you know?

Did you know studies have found that allergies are less likely to manifest in children who are exposed to cats at a young age, such as when the child is less than a year old? Indeed, early exposure to kitties can potentially save a child from a life with a variety of allergies. When discussing studies on this matter, Marshall Plaut, M.D., who is with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, said, "High pet exposure early in life appears to protect against not only pet allergy but also other types of common allergies, such as allergy to dust mites, ragweed, and grass." Bring on those kitties!

Traumatic Toesies Tuesday

Thimble was so eager to show you all her adorable toesies today.

Little did she know, though, that soon after that shot was snapped, the nail trimmers would come out and her claws would be hacked away at. Can you believe it? Can you believe it?!? The horror!

The experience was almost as horrible as having your head cut off like in that photo above. Poor Thimble. What a trauamatic day she had.

Thimble hopes you all have a much better day than she did. Happy Tuesday!

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Doodle of the Day:

Can you guys believe that I'm already eager to scribble up some autumn doodles? It's all of June, and I'm over here itching to doodle up my favorite October art. To tide me over, I thought I'd try my hand at some cozy summer art. Because, you know, everyone loves sitting next to a crackling fire in the heat of summer.

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Did you know?
Did you know scientific studies have found that cats can help you sleep better at night? Sure, cats might hog the bed just a tad bit, and they might stomp all over you while you try to snooze, and they might even demand a midnight snack, but science still says that cats can make your sleep all the better. In one study, 41% of the participants expressed that they sleep better at night with their cat by their side, whereas only 20% of the study participants indicated that their cats disturb their sleep. What's more, more than one scientific study found that the majority of people participating preferred to share the bed with their cat rather than with their human partner.