R is for...

Today seems like an R sort of day. Well, at least it does for the A to Z Challenge.

Most of you are probably tired of being reminded what our theme is. So why not remind you again? Our alphabetical theme is "A Day at Rosie's Restaurant", and for today Rosie has obviously prepared an R sort of food. Can you guess what this meal of the day is?

That there is ratatouille. Rosie prepared this French stew, with French bread on the side, for anyone who might like a bowl or two. Help yourself!

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Our housemate Toby reminded me that he hasn't gotten to star in a post lately. I tried to snap some decent photos of him, but he didn't do a lot to help me catch a shot of him in great lighting. So, what you get today are some photos of Toby in less than ideal lighting.

At least Toby showed off his impressive whiskers for you.

Do you see Toby's dismal whiskers above his eyes, though? This boy is constantly breaking and losing those whiskers. His cheek whiskers are all shades of majestic, and then the ones above his eyes are just sad sometimes. Does this happen to any of our furry friends out there?

Happy Tuesday!

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Tip of the Day

Today's tip is going to start with a comment that is probably silly and petty, but that I thought I'd mention just for the heck of it. My desire to comment on this came about when I was researching ratatouille. Ratatouille is considered a vegetable stew, but in reality, the majority of its common ingredients are technically fruits. In case anyone is curious about fruits versus vegetables, a very basic way of looking at the difference is that fruits have seeds while vegetables do not. Ratatouille most often contains zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, and bell peppers. All of these have seeds, and all of these are technically fruits. I guess fruit stew doesn't sound as good as vegetable stew, though, and so ratatouille is referred to as a vegetable stew.

All of the above being said, we're going to piggyback off of ratatouille and give some examples of fruits and veggies that can be healthy for kitties and pups. Some cat sand dogs love foods in the fruit and veggie categories, and others don't. If your kitty or pup does enjoy these types of foods, obviously only offer them ones that are safe, healthy, and provide nutritional benefits. When it comes to fruit, perhaps offer your furbaby a taste of banana, blueberry, strawberry, or pumpkin (yes, pumpkin is a fruit). When it comes to vegetables, you can let them enjoy a snack of carrots, celery, spinach, or green beans. There are plenty of other fruits and veggies that can make for safe treats for a kitty or pup, but of course always do your research to make sure of the safety of a food. For example, cherries are a fruit and might seem innocent, but their pits, stems, and leaves can be deadly to cats and dogs due to none other than cyanide. Another toxic fruit are grapes. What's more, make sure that even safe foods you give your kitty or pup are prepared in a healthy way, without any dangerous ingredients added. And, last but not least, of course also only offer human foods to your furbabies as a small treat.