A Birthday and the Letter Z

Let's begin with the fact that there's a birthday in this house today. Can you guess whose birthday it is? Can you?

It's Eddy's birthday!

Ignore those 4 candles. This here human is a disgrace of a mom and failed to get new birthday cards doodled up this year, so we're using last year's cards for the furbabies' birthdays. That means Eddy is not 4 today, but is instead 5. 5! Can you believe it? I can't.

Eddy came to me as a 10-week-old kitten with neurological issues that left her tilting to the side and running in circles. She overcame that ailment, though she does still have a head tilt and right-sided facial nerve paralysis. She lets neither of those get her down. She's my active and lively girl. Eddy loves running. Eddy loves playing. Eddy loves fishy treats. Eddy also loves her mommy, and this momma loves her so very much.

Happy birthday, my sweet Eddy!

Eddy is very much so our bit of gratitude for Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop today. I am so grateful for this birthday girl of mine. I don't know what I'd do without her.

We also want to thank you all for being our friends, friends!

***

The last day of April is not only my girl Eddy's birthday, but it's also the last day of the A to Z Challenge.

We all know what the last letter of the alphabet is. It's Z, in case you needed a reminder. Rosie is finishing off the dessert portion of "A Day at Rosie's Restaurant", and what could possibly start with the letter Z and be tasty?

That there is zucchini bread. There's a little cream cheese frosting drizzled on top, as well as cream cheese frosting in a bowl on the side, for a little extra sweetness. This whole concoction was a childhood favorite of mine, and Rosie did me a favor by stirring it up. Feel free to help yourself to a slice or two, or three or four. And feel free to dip it in that cream cheese frosting, because in reality that's the best way to eat it.

***

Now, how about the fill-in statements for tomorrow's Friendly Fill-Ins challenge? Ellen of 15andmeowing is the mastermind behind the first two, and I came up with the second two.


1. It is important to learn _________.

2. When I was _________, I was obsessed with _________.

3. I feel _________ about _________.

4. My lucky number is _________.

We'll see you tomorrow, friends!

***

P.S. Our weekly poem for Angel Sammy's Thoroughly Poetic Thursday challenge will be posted on Sunday. This is the last week we'll be doing it this way. Next week we'll be back to our usual Thursday poems.

***

Tip of the Day

Let's talk about zucchini. Is zucchini safe for our kitties and pups to eat as a treat? It is, if fed in a plain form and in moderation. In the form of zucchini bread, the dessert we shared above, it wouldn't be considered as safe. This is because desserts such as zucchini bread often include added sugar, and might possibly contain toxic ingredients such as chocolate or raisins. That's not to say there aren't pet-friendly variations of foods like zucchini bread. Yesterday we talked about making birthday cakes or other goodies for furbabies using safe ingredients, and there are indeed pet-friendly cake recipes using zucchini. If your kitty or pup enjoys zucchini and if you're hoping to make them a little treat in the form of a safe birthday cake or cupcakes, using zucchini as a base might be an option.

The above being said, even when it comes to foods that are safe for cats and dogs, treats should still only be fed in moderation. It's generally recommended that treats only make up 10% of a cat or dog's daily caloric intake. So, for a cat or small dog who only requires 200 calories per day, only about 20 calories should be given in the form of treats.