Friendly Fill-Ins

Are you ready for some friendly filling in? After all, it is the day of the Friendly Fill-Ins! In case you missed them yesterday, below are the fill-ins for this week. Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two, and I came up with the second two.

1. My favorite scent is _________.

2. I hope to _________ this weekend.

3. _________ is music to my ears.

4. Home is where _________.


I took my turn to fill these in, and here's how I did:

1. My favorite scent is caramel.
(I had a tough time picking just one scent. I love anything that smells like some sort of baked or yummy goodness. I don't own many candles, but the ones I do have are all pretty much food-scented, my very favorite one being vanilla caramel. I like the scent of vanilla by itself, too, but when you add caramel to it, yum!)

2. I hope to catch up on housework this weekend.
(This seems to be a generally failed plan every weekend.)

3. A cat's purr is music to my ears.
(Duh! My angel Rosie used to sleep on my bed and purr almost every night as I fell asleep. Talk about a purrfect lullaby. Now, Evan, Thimble, and Eddy often take turns, though Evan is my most common lullaby kitty.)

4. Home is where your heart is set in stone.
(I cannot take credit for this one. "Home is where your heart is set in stone" is a lyric from the song "Home" by Gabrielle Aplin, and I have adored that line ever since the first time I heard the song. I feel like it speaks volumes, and expresses how, no matter how far you go, there will always be some place where your heart really belongs. Of course, I almost put the obvious answer of, "Home is where the furbabies are." While that statement is 1000% true, I thought I'd be a little less predictable with this one. Besides, my furbabies are my rock, so I think they easily apply to this lyric anyway.)

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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For the past few weeks, Eddy had been allowing herself to be photographed when sitting still and in focus (gasp!). Don't worry, though. The old Eddy is still alive and well.

Yep, that's more like true Eddy.

Happy Friday, friends!

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Our Doodle of the Day:

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Our Tip of the Day:

The past couple tips in our summer safety tips for strays and ferals have been all about water. Guess what? Today's tip is about water as well. Since water is such a crucial aspect of survival, especially in the heat of summer, we thought we'd give it one last hoorah. Today, we're specifically talking about water bowls.

Water bowl preference can of course play a part in any cat's life. We've talked before about whisker fatigue, for example, and how this often causes cats to prefer wider bowls, as these won't cause them to bump their whiskers while getting a drink. That being said, though, when it comes to offering water outdoors in the heat, keep in mind how the shape and size of the water bowl can play a part. For example, did you know that evaporation happens more rapidly when water has a large surface area? This is why water in wide, shallow bowls will evaporate relatively quickly in the heat. To combat this, try to offer water in bowls that are narrower and deeper. Of course, do try to ensure that the bowl is not so narrow that it makes drinking impossible or difficult, but also try to ensure that a bowl has a decent chance of combating evaporation.

In addition, consider the material out of which the bowl is made. This one can be a bit tough when it comes to offering water to strays and ferals to hot and sunny days. We've talked before about how stainless steel bowls are often a good choice over plastic bowls, since plastic bowls can get scratched and thereby more easily harbor microbes. But, as you all surely know, metallic surfaces can get pretty darn hot in the summer heat. Especially if a bowl is in the sun or on a hot surface, a metallic bowl might not only cause the water to become uncomfortably warm, but the bowl itself might also become painfully hot to the touch. This is best prevented if the bowl is placed in a cool, shaded area. You can also, if possible and safe, try using sturdy glassware as outdoor bowls. This is of course only reasonable if breakage is unlikely to occur, though, as broken glass is indeed a danger.

In short, take anything and everything possible into consideration when trying to help strays and ferals remain safe in the summer heat. This does indeed include their water bowls. Aim for bowls that will prevent rapid evaporation, but that will also be easy and safe out of which to drink.