Thoroughly Poetic Thankful Thimble Thursday

Happy Thursday, friends! We're here to do a bit of rhyming. It is, after all, time for Angel Sammy's Thoroughly Poetic Thursday challenge.

Our host always shares a photo prompt to help us along. This week's prompt is this sweet image here:

Sometimes a certain image will bring to my mind a very particular idea. That didn't happen this time, though, so I just sort of went with the flow on this one. As always, I threw a cat or two in there.

Best Friends

Young Zack did not want to move to the country.

He thought it would be terribly boring and frumpy.

But, alas, his parents discovered their dream home out there,

And so he was forced to move, which he found quite unfair.

Zack tried pleading one last time with his parents.

Leaving their old home would mean living his best friend Terrence!

Though his parents apologized to their son for the inconvenience,

They were still dragging him to the new country home, kicking and screaming.

Zack had to admit the new house was big and sometimes fun,

And the yard was humongous and got tons and tons of sun.

To Zack, though, all was still not well, though.

He didn't have a best friend to play with, no.

Zack wrote his friend Terrence nearly every day,

But that was nowhere near as good as having him around to play.

Zack had no siblings and he missed having a friend around.

Well, he did actually have a very good friend of whom he was proud.

That friend was Happy,

His big ol' orange tabby.

The problem, though, was that Happy was kind of lazy.

He loved to follow Zack around and to watch him playing.

But Happy, well, he wasn't one to really join in.

It's like he thought physical activity was a downright sin.

While Zack enjoyed Happy's company a great deal,

He missed having another little boy around for tag and cartwheels.

"Won't you play just one game of tag with me, Happy?" Zack asked.

Sighing and lying down on the porch was the response of the cat.

After Zack begged just a few more times,

Happy got up and left the boy's sight.

The boy dropped his shoulders and let out a sigh,

Then resorted to sprawling out in the grass and staring at the sky.

Zack did not know how long he was on the ground, bored.

He may have even began to snooze and snore.

Then, though, he heard a strange voice shout, "Hello?"

Zack sat up in the grass and saw another young fellow.

The boy was perhaps his age and had blonde hair of pale yellow.

"Hi," Zack said. "This is my new house."

"I'm Mike," the other boy replied in a near shout.

He then pointed and added, "I live just over there, or thereabouts."

Mike yet again spoke, asking, "Is this your cat?"

He pointed to Happy and then gave him a pat.

"He showed up in my yard and made friends with Kitty Cat.

Oh, by the way, Kitty Cat is my cat."

Zack pieced together the puzzle the boy had spoke.

Happy had gone to Mike's house all alone,

Where he made friends with Kitty Cat,

Who happened to be Mike's friendly cat of black.

Kitty Cat was now weaving between Zack's leg.

For pets and attention the black cat did beg.

"Does your cat need a friend?" Mike asked.

"Because he could be friends with my Kitty Cat."

Zack shrugged and said, "Both Happy and I could use friends.

We just moved here and I'm bored to no end.

Happy doesn't want to play with me,

But he'll play with Kitty Cat, I see."

Happy and Kitty Cat ran after each other in the yard.

Mike said to Zack, "There aren't any other kids around here, near or far.

Why don't we be best friends now?

That would be grand, and how!"

Zack smiled and agreed, quick and blunt.

Mike shouted, "Now that we're friends, want to play scavenger hunt?

I have everything we need at my house.

Come on, I'll show you the route!"

Just like that, Zack had Mike as a friend.

He had Happy to thank for that end.

He gave his furry friend a pat and a pet,
And then for a pet Kitty Cat also did beg.

Mike showed Zack that he lived just down a dusty dirt road.

It didn't look like much, but it thereafter became Zack's favorite place to roam.

Zack, Mike, Happy, and Kitty Cat walked that road day after day.

There was nothing like having best friends with whom to walk, talk, and play.

***

Thimble is now of course here with her Thankfuls.

Thimble is grateful for a warm spot in bed. This girl is a pro at stealing her human's spot in bed, her human's spot on the couch, and you get the idea. Of course, she always gets her way and I always have to find somewhere else to sit.

We are also very thanfkul for our health, the health of our family, and the health of our friends.

***

Last but not least, we have for you the fill-in statements for tomorrow's Friendly Fill-Ins challenge. Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two, and I came up with the second two.

1. My favorite outdoor activity is _________.

2. One positive aspect of social isolation is _________.

3. It's fortunate that _________.

4. I have _________ memorized.

***

Tip of the Day

Yesterday's National Pet Poison Awareness Month tip was about being cautious of the potentially poisonous bites of certain snakes and spiders. In a similar yet also different tip, we are today talking about those critters who contain substances that could be toxic if ingested by our furbabies. For example, there are certain toads that contain substances on their body that can lead to severe toxicity. Two of the most poisonous toads are the Colorado River toad and the Marine toad. A pup or kitty making oral contact with these toads can lead to nearly immediate side effects such as drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, difficult breathing, difficulty walking, and potentially death if left untreated.

Other critters that can poison a dog or cat if ingested include a butterfly or caterpillar that has eaten milkweed, which can be incredibly toxic to our furbabies. In addition to this, there are some caterpillars with hairs or other means capable of injecting venomous toxins, which can spell out trouble if a cat or dog puts the caterpillar in their mouth. Monarch caterpillars and a variety of moth caterpillars are some of those known to have the ability to inject toxins when threatened.

Even fireflies can have poisonous effects on a cat or pup if ingested. Though their less-than-ideal taste is likely to keep a pup or kitty away, if ingested, they can cause vomiting and other gastrointestinal distress. For all of these reasons, especially if you are unsure of a critter's potential effects on your furbaby, simply do all that you can to prevent your kitty or pup's contact with or ingestion of bugs and other critters. As we mentioned yesterday, do your best to be aware of the types of critters in the area, and which ones can pose a risk to your pup or kitty. And, if your furbaby does come into contact with or ingest any bug of which you are unsure, do not hesitate to contact a veterinarian.