Mancat Monday with a Side of Motivation

Happy Monday, friends! The mancat here with you today is none other than our housemate Toby.

Whoa, it's hard to see Toby past all of that light, isn't it? Nevertheless, this is the photo Toby wanted to share today, because he wanted to show you all just how happy he is that we've finally been having some sunshine. We had days and days of rain, with lots of flooding in our neighborhood. So, some sunny days were much appreciated, by furbabies and humans alike.

You know what else Toby wants to share with you all today? 18 facts about himself! The one and only stunning CK shared these 18 facts about herself, and then invited all of us to do the same. Yesterday Evan shared his facts, today is Toby's turn, and the other furbabies here will be taking their turns this week as well.

As a side note, for those who might not know or might not remember, Toby is my sister's cat (as well as Thimble's litter mate, though they look roughly 0% alike). My sister lives with me, which means Toby is our handsome housemate. Also, I do indeed refer to myself as Toby's auntie, a fact that might help you better understand some of his tips below. Now, on to Toby!

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Hi, guys! It's me Toby. I'm so excited that I get to take charge of this blog again. Because, well, it's pretty cool being in charge. Anyway, my auntie told me to tell you all some facts about myself, and here they are!

1. Favorite smell – Strawberry! I love strawberries. If I smell strawberries, I demand one so that I can roll around in it.

2. Last time I hissed – A few months ago. My mom took me to my Gammy and Pawpaw's house a while back, and I hissed at their cats. I only like the cats I live with, because I sort of have to.

3. Favorite pizza – Is there an olive pizza? I love olives.

4. Favorite flower – I love leaves. They are yummy. Oh, and cat grass. That's the best.

5. Favorite dog breed – Whatever Astrid is, because she's the best!

6. Favorite ice cream – I do like to steal licks of vanilla ice cream. Oh, but is there such a thing as strawberry ice cream? I love strawberries. Did I already say that? 

7. Pet peeve – When my mom talks to other cats. When she tries to cheat on me like that, I have to put a stop to it.

8. Shorts or jeans – I have built-in chaps.

9. Color of your PTU – Black, like me!

10. Color of your eyes – My auntie says my eyes are like mood rings, whatever that means. I think maybe they're amber. Or green. Or both?

11. Favorite food – Temptations! I will never refuse Temptations. I'm hungry. Can I have some Temptations?

12. Least favorite food – Bananas. They smell terrible. They make my nose scrunch up, and then my auntie laughs at me. How rude.

13. Favorite holiday – Christmas, because that means lots and lots of boxes! I love boxes.

14. Night owl or morning person – I can't commit to either. I sleep whenever, wherever, however. 

15. Favorite day of the week – Saturday or Sunday. Can I say both? My mom and auntie are usually home on those days, and that means lots of attention for me.

16. Do you have a nickname? Of course! Let me think, there's Tobe, Tobes, and Toblerone. There's also Toby-Toby-Toby (it has to be said exactly three times or it doesn't count). For some reason, I also get called Sloth and Slowpoke. Oh, my mom calls me Boo-Boo all the time. I really like that one.

17. Favorite music – My my mom sings a song to me called "Soft Toby", and I love that. Apparently it wasn't originally written about me, though. It's really called "Soft Kitty" or something like that, but I like "Soft Toby" way better.

18. Tattoos – That's a secret.

That was so much fun! I really hope you guys enjoyed learning about me. Like CK said, feel free to share these 18 facts about you, too! We'd love to learn more about all of you.

Purrs,
Toby

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It's the human again now. I of course wanted to express our gratitude for an award for which our wonderful pals over at Eastside Cats nominated us. It's the Supawstars Spotlight Award!

Thank you so much, our pawsome friends at Eastside Cats! These friends of ours had such sweet things to say about our blog, and it really, truly made our day to read those lovely words.

Now, the rules of this award say that I am meant to choose five pet bloggers and describe why they deserve this award. Here's the thing, I tried. I really tried. But, I simply cannot pare it down to five. 

So, I'm breaking the rules and saying that any and every one of you who wants this award is welcome to accept it from us. Why? Because we count each and every one of you amongst our best of friends. You are all so incredibly kind, compassionate, and supportive, and we feel so blessed to be part of this blogging community.

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No, this post is not done yet. We of course still have the Sparks blog hop in which to participate!

This wonderful blog hop is hosted by Annie of McGuffy's Readers. With this hop, we are meant to share positive thoughts to help brighten this often negative world. Here is what I felt inspired to share today:

 (I lost a bit of control on this one and quite nearly lost the battle of legibility. 
In case you can't tell what it says, here is the thought for today: 

Your mind is a weapon. Keep it loaded.)

A mind can be such a powerful thing. Don't let it go to waste. Though, we know none of you will!

Now, we're wishing all of you friends of ours adieu for now. A beautiful day to you!

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Our Tip of the Day:

We have three days left of National Cat Heath Month. For these last couple of days, we'll be discussing some methods for administering medication to that kitty of yours. We'll be starting today with oral medications. This is going to be a long one, so kudos to anyone who makes it to the end.

To begin, if your kitty is prescribed a medication in the form of a pill, tablet, or capsule, there are a number of methods for attempting administration. If possible, and if your kitty is open to the idea, you can use pill pockets or another form of treat in which to hide the medication, and then your kitty might simply eat it up that way. Sometimes pills, tablets, or capsules can also be hidden in a bowl of moist food. If it is small enough, the entire pill can be left intact and hidden whole in the food. Or, some pills can be crushed and then stirred in and masked by the moist food. That being said, some pills, tablets, and capsules are not as effective or sometimes not truly safe to crush and expose in this way, so always ask your veterinarian first regarding this method. 

If a kitty will not voluntarily ingest a pill in the above ways, though, then you may very well have to manually pill your cat. First and foremost, be gentle with this method, and make sure your kitty is as comfortable as possible, and of course not harmed. It's also important to ensure that you are not bitten. One of the best methods for pilling a cat involves placing your hand over the cat's head and more or less using their cheekbones as a handle. This way, you can gently tilt your kitty's head back, and they will often then open their mouth on their own. As long as you do it safely, you can also place the tip of a finger on the incisors (not the canines!) of the lower jaw in order to help open the mouth. When your kitty's mouth is open, you can carefully place the pill inside, trying to get it as far back on the tongue as is possible and safe. You can try doing this with the pill plain, or put it in a small treat to better mask it. When the pill is inside the mouth, close your kitty's mouth and gently hold it shut. Sometimes, if needed, blowing on their nose or gently rubbing their throat will prompt them to swallow the pill.

There are also pilling devices on the market. I personally do not prefer to use these, but for kitties who need it, you can perhaps try this method. When using a pilling device, you can use the same methods as indicated above for opening your kitty's mouth, and then use the device to place the pill as far back on the tongue as possible.

For kitties who simply do not tolerate being pilled, there is also the chance that the pill can be suspended in a liquid form. Do discuss this with your veterinarian, though, as this method is not effective with all medications. If the medication at hand is able to be given in liquid form, though, sometimes you can do this yourself, simply by crushing the pill and dissolving it in water or a safe broth or gravy. Other times, pharmacies can prepare a liquid solution for you. For tips on the administration of liquid medications, see below.

Next up, we have liquid oral medications. With these, you use the appropriate syringe or dropper to pull up the prescribed dosage. If your kitty does not sense it and refuse to eat it, you can sometimes mix liquid medication in moist food. If your kitty will not eat food laced with medication, though, then squirting it directly into their mouth is your likeliest option. It is typically recommended that liquid medications be injected into the pocket of space that is between the cheek and the teeth. As needed, you can use the methods indicated above for opening your kitty's mouth for easier administration of the liquid medication. However, do not tilt your kitty's head back when administering liquid medications, as aspiration is possible.

What's more, keep in mind that larger quantities of liquid medications, such as over 0.5 or 1.0 mL of medication, may need to be injected into the mouth in multiple rounds. This is because squirting larger quantities of liquid into your kitty's mouth could be dangerous, such as by potentially leading to aspiration. So, depending on the dosage prescribed, it might be safest to squirt in half or so of the liquid, allowing your kitty to swallow that, and then squirting the rest into the mouth.

Other tips include using having a partner-in-crime to help you administer your kitty's medication. One person can hold the kitty, for example, while the other gives the medication. Whether you are by yourself or have help, you can also use the help of a towel or blanket. You can wrap the kitty in this, to keep them and their legs still during the process.

If you have trouble giving your kitty oral medications, even when using methods such as those discussed above, of course discuss this with your veterinarian. Your veterinarian might be able to suggest other options for medication administration. We will be discussing transdermal medications and subcutaneous injections over the next two days, so if either of those are a solution your veterinarian proposes, we'll be offering tips on those as well.