A Festive Selfie and Secret Santa Paws Purrfection

We do indeed have a Sunday Selfie for you today. What's more, this selfie was snapped on none other than Christmas morning. That being said, there were lots fun and festivities going on Christmas morning, so today's selfie taker asked for help snapping a shot. Why? Because she was just too full of excitement to snap a selfie all on her own.

Thimble wants you all to know that she was forced to snap that assisted selfie while ever so rudely having to wait to open gifts, and that includes the gifts from our Secret Santa Paws. We received our package days and days before Christmas, but the poor furbabies had to wait until Christmas morning to open it. Thimble chased that box from hiding place to hiding place as she waited, because she sensed all the goodies that were in there. So, when that box was finally placed on the floor in preparation on Christmas morning, Thimble was all shades of eager. That shot of her above was taken during one of her breaks from impatiently sniffing and climbing our Secret Santa Paws box. What you can't tell is that she is watching over the box, and she didn't let it leave her sight once after it came out on Christmas morning.

We considered making you wait to know who our Secret Santa Paws was, but we'll go ahead and begin by telling you. Our Secret Santa Paws were a certain lady cat and mancat, of course as well as their mom, all the way over in Scotland. That's right, our Secret Santa Paws were Laser, McLaren, and their mom Carry of Carry Loves Cats! And let me tell you, they know us well, and they spoiled us!

I adored even just the wrapping itself. It's so pretty! I won't even hide the fact that I kept all of those beautiful, classic tags on the gifts, and they're going to be turned into some sort of Christmas craft or decor for next year.

The kitties loved the wrapped presents, too!

Poor kitties, having to wait for this human to snap roughly a thousand photos before they could open their gifts.

Finally, though, we started ripping into the goods! Guess what the kitties got?

Just look at that feathered kicker toy! It's also infused with catnip. Since kickers, feathers, and catnip are some of the kitties' favorite things, this is a hit! But guess what?

The kitties don't have to share a kicker toy. Why? Because each kitty got their very own kicker toy!

In case you haven't noticed, we're including bloopers in this post. There wasn't much choice otherwise, because the kitties were just that excited about the purrfect gifts they received from Laser, McLaren, and their mom Carry.

As if each kitty getting their very own kicker wasn't enough, they also got an entire treasure trove of toys!

There is literally something in that box that every kitty in this house absolutely adores. Needless to say, the kitties emptied that toy box all on their own very, very quickly.

And do you know what else? Laser, McLaren, and their mom Carry even sent a gift for the kitties' pup sister Astrid!

I don't think we've mentioned much on our blog what kinds of toys Astrid enjoys, but Laser, McLaren, and their mom Carry somehow knew that pup Astrid's most favorite kind of toy is a plush ball. Astrid knew it was for her, too, because she swooped right in and grabbed it up. Are you ready for another blooper?

Just like Laser, McLaren, and their mom Carry sent the kitties and pup Astrid some of their most favorite things, they did the very same for this here human.

Let me tell you, that sketchbook is not only all sorts of adorable, but it arrived just as I'm finishing up my current sketchbook. I was just thinking that I needed to order a new one, but now I don't have to. I cannot wait to scribble up all sorts of doodles in this adorable sketchbook!

Oh, but that's not all.

First of all, when I saw that little black envelope, I loved the mere words on it. Since I go by the moniker The Menagerie Mom here in the cat blogosphere, seeing La Menagerie on that little envelope sure made me smile. I smiled even wider when I opened up the envelope.

Is that not one of the most beautiful pieces of jewelry you've ever set eyes on? This is a purrfect piece for a cat lady's collection. I'll be showing it off plenty, that's for sure!

Truly, our wonderful and fantastic and amazing Secret Santa Paws clearly know all of us very well, and we could not be more happy or grateful. Thank you a million times over, Laser, McLaren, and Carry! You made our Christmas so very merry and bright!

If that's not a classic, happy Christmas morning sight, I don't know what is.

Merry Sixth Day of Christmas to all!

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Our Festive Doodle of the Day:

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Our Tip of the Day:

Today's tip on winter feral care is to remember to put water out for ferals and strays you care for. This sounds and often feels impossible, given that water freezes in cold temperatures. However, it is often possible to make water accessible to ferals or strays even in the winter months. Yesterday's tip discussed ways to successfully feed moist food to ferals in the winter, and most of those methods will also work for water. You can start by simply checking the water as often as possible, and removing ice or refreshing the water to ensure that it remains a liquid and not a frozen solid. You can also warm the water bowl, or even put out warm water, to delay its freezing. Other options include putting microwavable heat pads beneath the water bowl, using an electric heated bowl, or using another heat source in the area where the water is kept. With all such options, though, always keep safety in mind, and only choose and use heated products that best prevent burns and fires.

There are a couple of other considerations to make when putting water outside for ferals and strays in the winter months. To begin, as is possible, try to keep water bowls elevated off of the cold ground, to help keep it from freezing rapidly. In addition to this, using a deep bowl inside of a wide bowl will also help it to freeze less rapidly. Another option is to have a source of running water, such as by offering water in some sort of fountain, as moving water does not as easily freeze. And yet another way to help keep water from freezing rapidly in the winter is to put the bowl in the sun.

It also important to note that, as is possible, try to avoid putting water directly in a shelter or other area where ferals or strays might sleep. This is because spills can indeed happen, and a damp shelter and damp bedding material can make warmth and comfort difficult. So, there are many considerations to make when successfully offering water to ferals and strays in the winter months, but it is indeed possible, and of course also beneficial to them and their health.