Merry Twelfth Day of Christmas!

Merry Twelfth Day of Christmas! To finish off these dozen days of festivity, we of course have some festive photos to share. How about we start with two little kitties sleeping in some Christmas trees alongside yet another Christmas tree?

Do you see Winky and Tonks is the festive kitty beds? That snoozefest of a photo was snapped on Christmas Day itself.

How about this shot of Tonks?

That there is a little calico sleeping on this here human's lap. She didn't just want my lap, though, she wanted the fleece blanket I got from my parents for Christmas. I've been battling to maintain ownership of this insanely cozy blanket. I rarely win. Oh, and can you see the TV in the background of that photo? We've of course still been watching Christmas movies during these Twelve Days of Christmas, and during this photo shoot we were watching my favorite National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

How about a bit of random festive this and that?

That up there is a house my family and I drove by on Christmas Eve. This house became very well-known in our area during the holiday season, as the owner decorated it with countless lights that he also synced to some festive music. He was in the local newspaper, and we waited in a line of cars for nearly half an hour to see it for ourselves.

What else do we have to share?

That photo was snapped on Christmas morning. I simply took it to remember the dusting of snow we got. That seems pathetic, but after 2 years in a row of nearly 70°F Christmas Days in the usually frigid Midwest, I was elated to wake up on Christmas to even the slightest hint of snow.

We did actually get true snow for the New Year, though.

That there is St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals, showing off the snow we got. I actually go this statue from my parents for Christmas, and I love it. It's placed in that spot in my yard for a specific reason, and I'll explain that reason at some point in the future.

 

There's another obligatory snow photo. Because why not?

To finish off this random set of photos, how about the Christmas star that showed up in the sky a couple days before Christmas? I couldn't get a terribly lined up view of Jupiter and Saturn, the two planets that together make up the Christmas star, but it was special to see nonetheless.

Believe it or not, we're still not yet done with Christmas. In Christianity, tomorrow is what is called the Epiphany, or Three Kings Day, which extends the Christmas season for yet another day. So, we'll have a bit more festive fun to share tomorrow. Actually, we still have some leftover festive photos that we didn't get to share, and those may or may not find their way onto our blog over the next couple of days. We're trying to make Christmas last as long as we can, it would seem.

Merry Twelfth Day of Christmas!

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Festive Doodle of the Day

Today's festive doodle is a snowy scene, and it stars some black cats. Because why not?

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Tip of the Day

We are still working through our series of tips on caring for outdoor feral and stray cats in the cold winter months, and we're currently still on the topic of shelters. If you do care for feral or other outdoor cats, if possible, try to offer more than one shelter. These could even be just multiple plain and simple shelters, and even makeshift ones that allow cats to find some form of respite from direct exposure to the elements. Having multiple shelter areas can allow for more cats to find a potentially safe and warm place to spend a cold day or night. Multiple shelters can especially, of course, help reduce competition, especially amongst cats who might not get along and therefore might not readily share shelter space. Putting shelters in multiple locations is also a way to reduce competition and to allow more outdoor cats to find a safe place to stay in the winter. You can also offer varying shelter types, such as those made from different construction materials and those with different internal layouts. This could help cater to feral or other outdoor cats who might be picky about where they are comfortable staying. Offering any shelter at all, even just one, is of course incredibly beneficial to outdoor cats in the cold winter. If you are able to offer more than one shelter, though, do consider this as a way to enable more cats to be safe and warm in the winter.