A Mother's Day and Birthday Bash

Today is a special day for more reasons than one. First of all, there are some kitties celebrating their birthday today. Who might that be? My girl Thimble and her brothers!

For those who don't know, Thimble's brothers are Toby (who owns this here human's sister) as well as Trapper and Talon (who own this here human's parents). How old are these furry cuties today? They're 6 years old! I've known these little ones since they were 3 weeks old, and I am beyond grateful that they came into my life.

Obviously, I want to wish Thimble, Toby, Trapper, and Talon the happiest birthday ever! My girl Thimble will be getting lots of extra cuddles, treats, toys, and catnip today. So will her brothers, of course, because I'll certainly be spoiling them rotten as well.

And of course birthday girl Thimble is our selfie star today.

You better believe this girl will have full control of the remote control today. She is the birthday girl, after all!

Happy birthday to my sweet girl Thimble!

and

Happy birthday to Thimble's handsome brothers, Toby, Trapper, and Talon!

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It's not just a birthday party we're having. We didn't forget about the other reason why today is a special day.

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful moms out there!

Today is Mother's Day in the United States, as well as in many countries around the world. Whether your child is two-legged or four-legged, whether your child is the human sort or the furry and whiskered sort, we want to wish every mother out there a beautiful, amazing day. Mothers of all kinds help make this world go round in more ways than one, and for that we are beyond grateful.

I'm going to share here the Mother's Day card I doodled up for my own mother this year. It's one that is always going to be dated due to its subject matter, but it also depicts some of the many reasons why I'm so proud of my mom. Not only is my mom another cat lover and cat mom, but she's also doing her part to help in the current pandemic state of our world. In our state of Illinois, at least through the end of May, we are required to wear masks when going into stores or other similar public spaces, especially if 6 feet cannot be maintained from others in the vicinity. Since face masks are hard to come by these days, over the past couple of weeks my mom has sewn over 200 masks for people in our local community. She actually might be at over 300 masks by now. She is happy to do it, and she is an amazing woman.

My mom is also a huge fan of Hello Kitty. That's why you're seeing yet another wannabe Hello Kitty doodled up here in her Mother's Day card.

Happy Mother's Day to all the supermoms out there!

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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.