Friendly Fill-Ins and a Birthday Bash

Are you ready to fill in some fill-ins? We're ready to fill in some fill-ins. The Friendly Fill-Ins, that is. In case you missed them yesterday, we'll share the fill-in statements again below. Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two, and I came up with the second two.

1. _________ was a very good year.

2. There is nothing quite like _________.

3. If I had a talk show, I would want to interview _________.

4. There is nothing I wouldn't do for _________.


My answers are below, in bold.

1. 2014 was a very good year.
(Why? Because this was the year my sweet Thimble was born, and today is her and her brothers' birthday! Below, after the fill-ins, we're be having us a birthday bash. Stick around a tad bit longer to join us!)

2. There is nothing quite like a home-cooked meal.
(I was lucky growing up, because my mom has always been a great cook. All throughout my childhood, I learned the importance of, and gained a fondness for, a good ol' home-cooked meal. When I was a kid, every evening, my family all sat down and ate supper together. Except for a few rare occasions here and there, the meals were always home-cooked, and of course delicious. I'm certainly not the cook my mom is, but now that I'm an adult living on my own, I still far prefer cooking my meals from scratch at home over anything else.)

3. If I had a talk show, I would want to interview cats and dogs.
(I'm actually serious about this. My local news channel frequently brings adoptable animals onto their show, and asks questions to help the community get to know the cat or dog better. Obviously, their human minions answer most of the questions for them, but I still think it would be wonderful to have a talk show completely dedicated to getting shelter or rescue animals adopted into their forever homes.)

4. There is nothing I wouldn't do for my furbabies.
(Did you see that answer coming?)

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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What's next? Oh, that's right. BIRTHDAY BASH!

Today is indeed the birthday of my sweet girl Thimble.

That means it's also the birthday of Thimble's brothers. One of those brothers is Toby. As some of you very likely already know, Toby lives with us and owns this here human's sister.

Talon (the handsome tuxie in the image below) and Trapper (the tabby hunk in the image below) own this here human's parents. They live just down the street from us, so this here human visits these boys very, very often. As in, every day. I'm clingy like that.

These four adorable siblings are 5 today. 5! Can you believe that? I can't believe that.

When they came to us, Thimble and her brothers were 3-weeks-old and had been found and put in a bucket by my grandma's neighbor. This neighbor, apparently not much of a cat person, left them in this bucket without food or water. Luckily, my grandma found out about them, snatched them up, and brought them to us. We were going to get them healthy and then find good homes for them. See how well that plan went?

Back when we first met these kitties, Thimble was the runt and weighed in at barely 0.5 lbs. We bottle fed them and nursed them back to health. They've all sure come a long way. Thimble no longer weighs 0.5 lbs, but instead averages somewhere around 10 lbs these days. Talon is a tall, lean fella who weighs in at roughly 12 lbs. Toby easily outgrew Talon and weighs in at 16 lbs. And then there's Trapper, who takes the cake at 21 lbs. 

Happy birthday, Thimble, Toby, Talon, and Trapper!

We love you!

Of course, all of you friends of ours are more than welcome to join in on the birthday bash! We have plenty of yummy goodies to go around. Even better, Thimble's a nip junkie, and she's sharing her stash today in honor of her birthday. So, grab yourself some tasty treats, sniff some nip, grab a toy or two, and party away! If you get tuckered out, the birthday babies are more than willing to share their favorite napping spots, which of course include plenty of boxes here, there, and everywhere.

***

For those of you who are eager to see Eddy, who usually stars in our Friday posts, fear not. She will be starring in a selfie on Sunday. And it's not even a blurry one!

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Tip of the Day:

Our parasite talk today is all about ticks. These nasty little guys can find their way onto your kitty or pup (or yourself) from wooded areas, shrubs, and tall grass. They can make their way into your yard, especially (though not limited to) if you live near a wooded or other similar area. This means that animals who go outdoors can always be at risk for ticks. Then again, it is not impossible for animals with limited outdoor activity to pick up a stray tick as well.

Ticks pose more danger than one. First, to put it simply, they suck your furbaby's blood. It would most likely take a good deal of time for a tick to cause anemia in their host, but this is still something to keep in mind. What's more, ticks can transfer dangerous, sometimes life-threatening diseases to a cat or dog (or human, or other animal). Lyme disease is one such disease, and it can cause swelling, pain, and arthritis in the joints. Another disease that ticks can transmit is Rocky Mountain spotted fever, which can result in fever as well as lameness, similarly to Lyme disease.

Obviously, for reasons such as those listed above, you certainly don't want ticks on your furbabies. Especially if your furbaby goes outdoors, and most especially if they visit areas with lots of trees and tall grass, the best way to protect them from ticks is by way of preventatives. There are indeed preventatives on the market that cover ticks, often while at the same time preventing against other parasites we've already discussed, such as fleas and intestinal worms. So, discuss these options with your veterinarian. Again, as we've said before, it is always safest to purchase quality products, such as those offered at your veterinarian's office.

We'll also take this time to note that, if you see a tick on your furbaby, don't just start pulling at it. Ticks can attach themselves, especially their heads, very securely to an animal's body. This means that if you pull on them, you might very well remove their bodies, all while leaving their blood-sucking heads still on your kitty or pup. For this reason, if you see a tick on your furbaby, assess the situation and determine if you know how to or are able to remove it safely and in its entirety. There are some tricks and even products, such as tweezers specifically designed for tick removal, that can assist in removing a tick completely. However, if you are not positive that you can manage this, as it is not always an easy thing, then contact a veterinarian and seek assistance in removal of the tick.

How about a bonus tidbit? Possums are known to be incredibly efficient tick-eaters. It has even been said that one single possum can consume over 5,000 ticks in one season. So, if you have possums in your yard, leave them be. They could very well keep that tick population down, leaving your furbaby and yourself safer for it.