Woof Woof Wednesday

Today, we have for you a couple of candid and bloopery shots of what happens when pup Astrid and a little tabby girl named Thimble battle over the window seat.

More often than not, Thimble wins the window seat. Astrid may have something like 75 lbs on Thimble, but the pup still just can't seem to win. Luckily, Thimble is usually willing to share, so Astrid can sit next to the little tabby.

Happy Wednesday, friends!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

I was going through old doodles and found this one from 2019. I remember scribbling it up as silly commentary on how there's so little time for all of the things I want to draw, write, and read. That still goes today, but I've been trying to use the last couple days of June to try to get ahead on both creative and business endeavors so that come July, that being tomorrow, I can hopefully be well on my way to sort of having my life together.

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Tip of the Day

Is your kitty a chewer? Do they put anything and everything in their mouth? While we're sure you all know to keep potentially dangerous plants out of your home, do you have safe or fake plants on which your kitty chews? If your cat goes outdoors, do they tend to eat grass on the lawn? If the answers to any of these are yes, and if medical issues have been ruled out for any abnormal behaviors, do perhaps consider keeping some cat grass growing in your home. Even if any of the above statements aren't true of your cat, you can of course still offer cat grass. Cat grass is a safe plant on which many cats enjoy chewing, and which also serves as a source of fiber than can help keep things moving sufficiently through the GI tract. For example, cat grass might be able to help prevent issues with hairballs.

You can purchase cat grass that has already been grown and is ready for your kitty's chompers, or you can grow your own. It is relatively simple to grow, and is also typically cheap. So, do consider looking into keeping cat grass in your home, both for your kitty's entertainment as well as for their health.

Tonks Tuesday

I asked Tonks to smile for the camera, but instead she gave me her most annoyed pose possible.

I hope nothing annoys you on this Tuesday as much as I annoyed Tonks.

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

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Tip of the Day

We've been offering some pet parenting hacks, including ways to save money or space while also having a happy furbaby. Today's tip is another plain and simple one, and that's to consider making your own toys for your cats, or even your pups. For example, if you have an old shirt you no longer intend to wear, you can cut it up and use the cloth to create simple knot toys for your cat. If you have some catnip on hand, you can even include some of that in the knot itself, or let the toy soak up some catnip in a sealed bag prior to gifting it to your cat. You can also use old clothes to make knotted or braided toys for a dog, as long as the dog is not know to eat such items. Even a lone or unwanted sock could be used as a toy, such as simply by rolling it into a ball that a cat or dog could bat around or chase. You can even fill it with or soak it in catnip for a kitty.

You could even try your hand at making an interactive toy for your kitty, or even your pup. One such idea is to take a Tupperware container, cut roughly golf ball-sized holes in its lid, put some of your kitty's toys or treats in the container, put the lid on, and let your kitty use the holes to have fun trying to access their goodies. Then again, a cardboard box might work just as well for this DIY interactive cat toy. Interactive toys such as this can be great for a cat or dog's physical as well as mental health, especially if they are spending extra time closed up indoors due to the weather. It's even better when you can save money by creating such toys yourself.

The options for making your own cat toys, or even dog toys, are endless. You can even take cardboard boxes to make a cheap castle for your kitty. So, if you're looking to save some money, or if you want to find a use for safe yet unused items such as clothing, then consider how they might be used to create something fun for your furbaby. If you want further ideas, there are an astonishing number of ideas online, so look into all of your options if you wish to. Of course, always make your furbaby's health and happiness your highest priority, so do not create any toys that might put them at risk.

Mancat Monday

Mancat Evan is here to let you know how he really feels about Mondays.

Is that how you feel about Mondays too? Either way, Evan and all of us here hope you have a magnificent Monday!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

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Tip of the Day

We're continuing with our pet parenting hack tips. So, yesterday we mentioned wrapping sisal rope around furniture legs in order to create money-saving scratching posts that also save you extra floor space. That's not the only way furniture can be used to create something special for your kitty, though. We all know that cats love cozy places to relax, including, of course, hammocks. If you yet again want to save money and floor space, you can suspend a hammock from beneath an end table or other similar piece of furniture. You would start with some cloth, which could be securely attached to or tied around the legs of the table. You could use velcro, some safely tied rope, or even just the corners of the cloth to suspend the hammock. In this way, you could create a cheap, easy, space-saving DIY hammock in which your kitty could snooze.

Sunny Sunday Selfie

Here's a sunny Evan for you on this sunny Sunday.

Evan and all of us here wish you a wonderful day!

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Doodle of the Day

In today's bookish kitty doodle, a nap was needed in the library.

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Tip of the Day

Are you interested in saving the money or space that is required for store-bought cat scratching posts? One simple option is to securely wrap sisal rope around table legs, chair legs, banisters, or other similar furniture or home features. This also can spare said furniture from damage from kitty claws. Therefore, this sort of DIY cat scratcher is not only simple and easy, but can also save you money, space, and damage to certain pieces of furniture or areas of the home.

Caturday Art

Hello, friends! My internet is being sorted out this weekend, since it's still having trouble after the storms and resulting technological mayhem that occurred last weekend. I'm just now posting for the day, at midday, because this is the first time since yesterday that I've been able to use the internet at home. You're supposed to be seeing a new doodle of a kitty napping in a library today, but since it's so late, we'll post that tomorrow and for now show you this weird little fairy tale doodle from 2019.

Bookish doodles will resume tomorrow, hopefully alongside functioning internet here in our corner of the world. By the time July rolls around, I am beyond determined to have my internet and pretty much my whole life back on track.

Happy Caturday, friends!

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Tip of the Day

Is your kitty one of those who likes to play with the toilet paper roll? You know, the kind of kitty who unravels the entire roll, and maybe shreds it a bit, or trails it all throughout the house? If your kitty is any semblance of a toilet paper fiend, we have a plain and simple pet parenting hack for you today. Perhaps the easiest way to combat a furry toilet paper fiend is to turn the roll upside down. I know that to some people this is something like a felony, but turning the roll so that it unravels under rather than over will help ensure that a cat cannot simply walk up, dig at it, and unroll the entire thing with little to no effort. Another option is to try tucking the end of the toilet paper into the roll itself. This way, if your furbaby tries to dig at the toilet paper, it won't immediately start unraveling. Of course, not every cat is intrigued by the concept of toilet paper. If your kitty is, however, then it might be worth it to try tips such as these to prevent torn and strewn toilet paper in your home.

Friendly Fill-Ins and Photo Fails

Happy Friday! We're ready for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, and of course you are more than welcome to join us! My co-host Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two fill-in statements, and I came up with the second two.


1. If I were one of the 7 dwarves, I would be _________.

2. I think television is _________.

3. _________ is a rule that I regularly break.

4. I can't believe _________ isn't more popular.

My answers are below in bold.

1. If I were one of the 7 dwarves, I would be Grumpy.

(I had this answer in mind for myself for this reason and that, but I also asked my sister and one of those omniscient online quizzes for their opinion. Both of those sources immediately answered with Grumpy. So, hello, my name is Grumpy.)

2. I think television is a distraction.

(This can be both a good and a bad thing. Sometimes we all need a distraction from reality, and TV can be great for that. Sometimes, though, TV is a distraction that keeps me from getting important stuff done. Luckily I'm not much of a TV watcher these days, so I don't get too distracted, but it still happens here and there nonetheless.)

3. Follow the rules is a rule that I regularly break.

(Don't get me wrong. I'm not walking around breaking laws and turning into a criminal. If a rule is in place to legitimately keep people safe, I follow it, because I'm not a monster. But the older I've gotten, the more I realize that some rules really were meant to be broken, or at least to be bent. )

4. I can't believe common sense isn't more popular.

(I was certain I'd come up with some sort of physical item or something of that sort as my answer for this question. That was certainly my intent. As I was trying to rack my brain for such an answer, though, the concept of common sense not being popular enough just popped into my head, and so here we are.)

Now it's your turn!

To add your link to the Friendly Fill-Ins Linky list, just click HERE!

You can also click on the badge below to add your link.

You are also welcome to complete the fill-ins in the comments below,

or in the comments on Ellen's blog, 15andmeowing.

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And now it's time for Pet Photo Fails Blog Hop, hosted by none other than Melissa and Mudpie of Melissa's Mochas, Mysteries, & Meows.

As always, our resident blooper queen Eddy is all ready for this event. In today's bloopers, Eddy refused to look at the camera, instead slowly but surely turning into a headless entity.

Have a fantastic Friday!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

Though we're technically in the middle of a series of bookish doodles, because of Friendly Fill-In #1 above, I just had to share this 2019 flashback today. It could be considered kind of bookish, I guess, since it does stem from a fairy tale.

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Tip of the Day

Does your kitty every try to help you when you're using the computer? Does he or she make a bed out of the keyboard? Does your kitty take your computer chair right out from under you? If you truly need to use your computer, but also want to let your kitty hang out with you, try putting a cardboard box next to your work space. You could put it on the computer desk, at your feet, on a chair beside you, or anywhere near where you're working. As you all know, many cats live for boxes, and so that might be tempting enough to draw them away from the computer, so that you can properly do your work alongside a happy kitty. Of course, if your cat is not a box cat, near your work space you could instead set up for them a cat bed, a blanket, a piece of your clothing, or anything else they might enjoy. Believe it or not, it might be possible to have a happy kitty, and to also use your computer.

Thoroughly Poetic Thankful Thimble Thursday

Hello and happy Thursday! Let's have some fun with Angel Sammy's Thoroughly Poetic Thursday challenge.

As always, our host shared a photo prompt to help guide us. This week's prompt is this delicious one here:

After I drooled a bit over that photo, I thought about what type of poem I could turn it into. Since I like having my poems star feline characters, I decided to dramatize an actual experience I've had with one of my parents' kitties. So, here we go.

Once Upon a Time

Once upon a time, I fired up the grill.
It was the perfect day to relax and chill.
I cooked myself up a big, juicy hamburger,
And then I topped it with everything, and extra mustard.

One upon a time, I sat my hamburger on the table.
In my diet, this meal was a true staple.
But the very second I took my seat,
I realized I forgot to pour my beloved sweet tea.

Once upon a time, I had my sweet tea in hand.
In my seat by my hamburger I was ready to land.
There was just one tiny, little problem, though.
My thief of a cat stole my hamburger right out from under my nose!

Once upon a time, I searched high and low.
Where did my thieving cat and stolen hamburger go?
Finally, I found my cat.
Behind the couch she bathed and sat.

Once upon a time, my cat's face was covered in mustard.
In ketchup and hamburger crumbs she also was covered.
Not a single bite was left for me to even nibble,
And so I found myself yet again firing up the grill.

In the true story on which this poem is based, a certain kitty actually stole a slice of pizza rather than a hamburger. Said kitty also did not manage to eat the whole slice, but they did get a good deal of the crust eaten, since they seemed partial to that for one reason or another. My parents actually have at least three cats who are notorious food thieves, though, and I have indeed had parts and pieces of hamburgers stolen from me, as well as pasta, cereal, and even entire carrots. They will also steal ice cubes out of your drinks, because why not.

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Now, let's give some thanks. After all, it is time for Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.

Today, Thimble is grateful that we found our, well, thimble!

This here human thought she had misplaced this item that is Thimble's namesake. I don't sew, and so I own a thimble simply because of my girl Thimble. After a cleaning session a few months back, though, I could not find the thimble. But, finally, we found it. Now, to keep Thimble from losing it under a couch.

.

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Last but not least, let's share the fill-in statements for tomorrow's Friendly Fill-Ins challenge. My co-host Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two, and I came up with the second two.

1. If I were one of the 7 dwarves, I would be _________.

2. I think television is _________.

3. _________ is a rule that I regularly break.

4. I can't believe _________ isn't more popular.

We'll see you tomorrow, friends!

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Tip of the Day

Yesterday we gave the pet parenting hack of using rubber gloves to remove furbaby hair from sofas, car interiors, and so forth. We failed to mention another option, and so we'll go ahead and do that today. If your clothing, bedding, or similar item is covered in pet hair and you're looking for a quick fix, you can try tossing it in the dryer with a dryer sheet. The anti-static nature of dyer sheets will help keep the hair from sticking to the clothing, bedding, or whatever item is in question. The hair will instead make its way to the lint trap. You could also try just rubbing a dryer sheet on the hairy item, as that sometimes will also help remove hair with the aid of its anti-static nature.

That all being said, though, please do keep those dryer sheets out of your furbaby's reach. This is because dryer sheets often contain potentially toxic components. So, keep those dryer sheets well hidden, and find and toss stray dryer sheets before dispersing the laundry. Of course, if you have any concern for your furbaby's safety, then simply refrain from using this method altogether.

Woof Woof Wednesday

We're here to share our usual Wednesday thing. That is, here's yet another photo of pup Astrid pouting in her window.

Have a wonderful day, friends!

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Doodle of the Day

We're finally able to share one of our new bookish kitty doodles. I've been experimenting in my sketchbook with what different home libraries might look like, and I saw somewhere online a pretty bookshelf that I simply had to draw in one of my doodles. So, here it is.

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Tip of the Day

Do you have furbaby hair on your sofa? What about in your car? Surely not on your clothes? Our pet parenting life hack for today is to keep some rubber gloves on hand. Why? Because, aside from the more commonly used lint roller or piece of tape, rubber gloves can be a reusable tool for removing furbaby hair from surfaces such as sofas and car interiors. You just put on a rubber glove and run it over the hairy sofa or other surface. The rubber glove will help lift the hair from the surface, and the hair will instead stick to the glove. When you're done using the glove to remove furbaby hair from your furniture, one easy way to get said hair off of the glove is by submerging the glove in water. The hair will float off of the glove, and then you can dip the hair out of the water and toss it. So, if you're looking for a quick, easy, reusable tool for removing your furbaby's hair from your furniture, consider giving the rubber glove trick a try.

Tonks Tuesday

Hello and happy Tuesday! Here's a Tonks all curled up for you.

Tonks is wishing you all a terrific day!

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Doodle of the Day

As I mentioned yesterday, today I'm sharing with you the doodle I scribbled up for my dad for Father's Day. My dad is not only father to myself and my sister, but he's also a cat dad to 12 felines. He has more than a few ornery little kitties, and he loves them all very much. He caters to their every whim, even when they rip the curtains off the walls, and even when they refuse to clean their own bums and my dad has to chase them down with baby wipes.

This doodle very likely makes far more sense to those in my family than it does to you poor souls. But if you had ever seen my parents' victimized curtains, and if you had ever witnessed my dad chasing down his cats to check and clean their dirty butts, you'd get what this doodle really means.

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Tip of the Day

I was going through old posts the other day, trying to recall some of the older tips we've given in the past. My search found me a series of tips that we first shared in 2018, and which I'd completely forgotten about. It's a series of tips of life hacks for pet parents, especially cat parents, and I've decided to reshare them now just for the heck of it. I'd even forgotten about some of these pet parent hacks. These hacks may be all sorts of random, but we hope these might offer some pet parenting tips for saving money, saving space, saving time, and, of course, keeping your furbaby happy and healthy.

Today's hack is about those windows, which may or may not be open during the warm summer months. We're here today to ask if you know that there is window screen tape on the market. Did you know that? If you are in need of a quick or temporary fix for a torn window screen, especially if there is any chance that the window might be opened and a furbaby potentially escape, then perhaps look into having window screen tape on hand. This tape can be applied to a tear in a window screen, and is meant not only to hold it together, but is also made to look like part of the screen. Of course, this is likely not mean to be a permanent fix, and may not be able to hold up to a determined furbaby. It is of course still wise to only open windows when they are safe and when the furbaby is supervised, but it might not hurt to have window screen tape on hand in case an emergency quick fix is needed.

Mancat Monday

Hello, friends! After a weekend of major thunderstorms, power outages, and an internet modem frying up in said power outages, we've reached Monday. Talk about adding salt to the wound.

Really, though, happy Monday! Evan is here to be your majestic mancat for the day.

What a hunk, right? I sure think so.

We hope you all have a magnificent Monday!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

I already have a handful of the doodles done in our new bookish kitty series. They're just been sitting around, waiting to see the light of day, but my plans to start sharing them got derailed this weekend with the aforementioned power outages, deceased internet modems, and even a temporarily dead laptop. Since I had to wait to finish up this post until I could use the internet at my workplace, this post is going up so late in the morning that I decided to just go with a flashback doodle for today. So, here's another sort of bookish doodle from last summer.

Tomorrow I'll actually probably share the doodle I scribbled up for my dad for Father's Day. It stars a couple of his ornery kitties, of course. After that, we'll finally move on to the bookish doodles that have just been sitting around, impatiently waiting to be shared.

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Tip of the Day

Today's summer safety tip for strays and ferals relates to the trap-neuter-release (TNR) practice. TNR is crucial for keeping the feral cat population under control, as well as keeping individual ferals as safe and healthy as possible. This being said, always keep the weather and environment in mind when embarking on a TNR effort.

The summer heat can of course pose an extreme danger to cats being trapped. Potentially fatal overheating or heat stroke can occur if a cat is trapped and left sitting in the trap in the sun. In addition to this, traps are often made of metal, which means that if these traps are sitting on a hot surface, such as asphalt, the trap as well as the cat inside can overheat in this way as well. To combat such issues, try to trap and thereafter keep ferals in the shade. After they are trapped, do not leave the cats sitting out in the sun and heat, but instead transfer them somewhere cool as soon as possible. Also keep in mind the cats' safety when transporting them. For example, as you all surely know, the interior of a car can quickly become like a deadly oven in the summer months, so do not leave any animals, including trapped ferals, inside hot cars.

TNR is of course a very important practice for the safety and well-being of feral cats. That doesn't mean there aren't risks to the cats, though, and that includes the weather. So, if you are assisting in the significant task of trapping ferals, of course always ensure the cats' safety in all weather.

A Flashback Father's Day

We want to begin this post by wishing a Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there! Whether your children are the human sort or the furry and four-legged sort, dads help make this world go round.

The furbabies here don't have a human dad, but this here human has a dad. He is a wonderful father to me, my sister, and to all of his 12 kitties. He's also a fantastic Pawpaw to the kitties and pup here at my house.

My dad is a lifelong animal lover, and he's obviously one of the reasons I was blessed enough to grow up with cats, dogs, birds, and all sorts of furry, feather, and finned friends. He's also probably the main reason why there are so many cats at his house as well as my house, as he's responsible for bringing home a large majority of the cats in our lives. That all started with the litter of kittens that not only included my Thimble and our housemate Toby, but also my dad's boys Trapper and Talon.

In honor of Father's Day, the photo we're sharing today is the same fatherly flashback one we shared last year. It's from 7 years ago, to be exact. It stars my dad as well as a couple of tiny kittens named Thimble and Trapper.

I could not be more proud of my dad's kindness to animals, and I could not be more happy that he helped instill in me a love for animals. Thank you, Dad!

Oh, and thanks for being our grill master, Dad!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

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Did you know?

Today, we're going to share the same quick little piece of trivia we shared last Father's Day. It's a sweet little tidbit, and it's that some sources cite that male Siamese cats are the most likely feline fathers to express an interest in, or fondness towards, their kittens. As is the case with many species, most male cats don't display much interest in interacting with their kittens. As previously mentioned, though, some sources indicate that male Siamese cats are the most likely to break this mold, being the most likely to show affection toward their kittens.

Caturday Art

You know how when you're an adult in this 21st century, you're taught and should kind of just know to keep your electronic devices charged? Especially if you're expecting storms that might cause you to lose power? Well, this here grown adult straight up ignored that common sense. When my laptop's battery died yesterday, I didn't charge it. No siree, I did not. Then we lost power during a nasty storm with intense winds, and I've been waiting it out, but I'm still sitting here in the dark with nothing but my phone charged.

All that to say that today you're getting a bit of art you weren't supposed to get today. You're supposed to be seeing one of my new bookish kitty doodles, but said doodle is sitting on my laptop's hard drive. You know, the laptop that is currently dead because I let its battery die and now can't access any files on it because we have no power. I didn't even upload the doodle to my Google Drive let alone put it into a draft of this post, and I didn't transfer it to a flash drive, because that's the level of my adulting skills. So now today I've just decided to share a doodle I can access in my blog archive while using my phone, which I'm admittedly terrible at using to draft posts. This all sounds like a bunch of First World problems, though, doesn't it? Honestly, cry me a river.

Anyway. For today, how about a sort of bookish yet also just sort of weird and random tree house doodle from last summer?

I would love to have a tree house some day. I don't know if that's a weird thing to say or not, but I think a tree house office or getaway would be so quaint yet fun. Am I the only adult who thinks these sorts of things? 

Happy Caturday, friends!

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Tip of the Day

We have discussed in past tips the battle that sometimes rages between our furbabies' food and these little things known as ants. As we've all surely seen at some point, ants often flock to easily accessible sources of food. This means that our furbabies' food, which is often at ground level, can make for an easy target. This can be an especially tricky issue when it comes to feeding strays and ferals outdoors. There are, however, some potential solutions.

As we've mentioned in our past ant tips, you can try using chalk or tape to draw a square or circle around outdoor food bowls. Ants will often see this is as a barrier, and will therefore often be unable to make their way into the bowl. Another option is to use something such as baking soda to create a circle or square around the base of outdoor furbabies' food bowls, again so that ants will see this as a barrier and will leave the food alone. Yet another option is to create a moat that ants cannot cross. You can do this by setting strays' and ferals' food bowls in a low dish of water, so that the ants cannot get to the food through the water. Then again, there are also ant-proof bowls on the market. Some of these offer their own moat-like feature, or other features that help keep ants at bay.

So, if you are combating ants in food bowls that you put out for strays and ferals, perhaps do some research and try various options. The important thing is to ensure that whatever ant-proofing method you use does not deter or frighten the furbabies. It is not impossible to keep ants out of strays' and ferals' food, you simply have to use a method that does the job without affecting the furbabies' ability to eat.

Friendly Fill-Ins

Welcome to the Friday edition of, well, our blog! As always, we'll kick things off with the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge. You are more than welcome to join in! My co-host Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two fill-in statements, and I came up with the second two.


1. If I could trade places with someone for a day, I would trade with _________.

2. I would like to own a _________ someday.

3. I can't stand _________ this time of the year.

4. _________ is my favorite thing about this time of the year.

My answers are below in bold.

1. If I could trade places with someone for a day, I would trade with no one.

(I honestly did rack my brain for this one, but ultimately all I could think was that I just want to be me. I don't know if that sounds cheesy or not, but I don't spend much time thinking about how others live their own lives. Is that self-centered of me? Maybe it is, but I kind of just don't think about that sort of thing, and I like my life and where it's going, so I'll just stay in my own skin.)

2. I would like to own a log cabin in the woods someday.

(I had a couple of ideas for this one, but I decided to just go with this one. I wouldn't want to live freakishly far away from society, or where WiFi isn't a thing, but a little log cabin just inside the woods would be amazing, at least to me. Woods and forests are my favorite form of nature, and I find log cabins to be wonderfully quaint, so hence my answer.)

3. I can't stand the heat this time of the year.

(Perhaps I'm wrong, but I doubt I'll be the only person putting this as my answer today. Our high for today is 98°F. Send help. Better yet, send us a cold front. A really, really cold one.)

4. Eating s'mores is my favorite thing about this time of the year.
(This is probably one of the most random answers I could have put here, but I'm not a big fan of summer and so I had to dive deep into my brain for an answer. And this answer is completely true. My family always starts up our fire pit for holidays like Memorial Day and July 4th. Over said fire we make hamburgers, brats, and s'mores. Summer nights with the fire pit going is the only time I eat s'mores, and I love s'mores, so I had to put this for my answer.)

Now it's your turn!

To add your link to the Friendly Fill-Ins Linky list, just click HERE!

You can also click on the badge below to add your link.

You are also welcome to complete the fill-ins in the comments below,

or in the comments on Ellen's blog, 15andmeowing.

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Are you ready for your Eddy fix? You better believe we've got it for you.

Sadly, the windows have not been opened for quite a few days. I'm not interested in letting myself or my furbabies melt into a puddle.

Happy Friday, friends!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

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Tip of the Day

We're continuing on with our tips on summer safety for outdoor strays and ferals. Today we're moving on to the topic of food. When feeding furbabies outdoors, you of course have to take into consideration the heat of summer. Food can spoil in extreme heat, as you all surely know. Dry food is often the best one to feed strays and ferals on hot days. After all, moist food will spoil far more quickly, and will also quickly dry out in the sun and heat. You can try adding additional water to moist food to keep it from drying out too quickly, but even this method won't be able to combat the heat for long. No matter what type of food you feed to strays and ferals, do try to keep it in a shaded area or under a shaded shelter. What's more, remove old food and offer fresh food as often as is possible and needed.

It's also worth noting that though dry food is easier and safer to feed to outdoor cats in the heat, you still have to take precautions. Not only can dry food lose its freshness and safe status in the heat, but also think of instances such as rainy days. Dry food that gets wet will swell, become unappetizing, and can easily spoil if not cleaned up. So, when feeding dry or even moist food, of course keep in mind not only the heat, but other environmental factors such as rain. All in all, keep those strays and ferals healthy this summer with fresh food that is in the shade and protected from spoilage and other issues as best as possible.

Thoroughly Poetic Thankful Thimble Thursday

Happy Thursday! We're here to rhyme, which is easy to do thanks to Angel Sammy's Thoroughly Poetic Thursday challenge.

I failed to finish my poem for last week's prompt, and so this week I tried to make my poem fit both last week's photo prompt as well as this week's photo prompt. Those two prompts are these images here:

Cutting right to the chase, here's the weird little poem I scribbled up to try to meld those two prompts together:

Matilda

Young Matilda had an errand to run.
It was going to be a great deal of fun,
But it was also, to her, a serious one.
It was a task that really just had to be done.

Her intended destination was neither near nor far,
And so Matilda jumped into her pink car.
It did not matter that she was a girl aged only 5,
Or that her car only traveled on the sidewalk at a height knee-high.

Her parents would not let her travel without a chaperone,
And so with her went her babysitter of a cat named Tyrone.
After some number of minutes driving in her plastic car,
Matilda and Tyrone arrived at their destination that was neither near nor far.

She parked in front of the brick building,
The front of it adorned with a sign that read LIBRARY.
"Come on, Tyrone," Matilda said as she walked to the entrance.
"Mom and Dad won't let me go inside with my babysitter present."

And so Matilda and Tyrone made their way inside,
The library offering the sight of books upon books to their eyes.
The little girl could not help but smile.
Who wouldn't be happy when presented with books spanning miles?

An old man of a librarian with a smile of his own appeared,
Saying, "Well, hello there! How can I help you, dear?"
Not one to waste time, Matilda cut right to the chase.
She said, "I need a book with a good story and a quick pace."

After a few more questions here and there from the old man,
Matilda further explained, "I'm here because I have a plan.
I have a little sister who is 1-year-old and named Jan.
The problem is that she never wants to sit and read.
But if she doesn't read, how will she succeed?"

"Ah, I see," the nice old librarian said.
He turned to face a certain bookshelf, nodding his head.
He added, "So you need a book that your baby sister will enjoy?
A book that will enthrall her more than even the most exciting toy?"

Matilda was glad the old man understood what she needed,
That he seemed keen on making sure she and her sister succeeded.
That is, until he brought out his choices,
Which caused Matilda to let out some startled noises.

"The Lorax?" she shrieked when he handed it over.
She added, "This book is about all sorts of sad horrors.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of good ol' Seuss,
But this will make my sister cry and feel quite blue."

And so the librarian handed her another option,
Which Matilda also approached with caution.
Frowning, she said, "The one where the poor little pig loses all of his friends?
Does the sadness and trauma have no end?"

As the librarian tried yet again to pick a book from his shelves,
Tyrone the babysitting cat trotted to his side, as if to help.
The librarian brought over another book, and it was bad.
Matilda said, "I want books to make my sister feel happy, not sad."
That was when Tyrone pawed a book off a shelf and slapped it across the floor,
Almost hard enough for it to fly right out the door

Picking up Tyrone's book choice with a smile,
Matilda thanked the old man, who she learned was named Giles.
She said, "For your time I want to thank you,
But now I must bid you farewell and say too-da-loo!"
Holding up the book in her hand, she said, "This one will do.
And so goodbye, for I'm off to read my sister Everyone Poops."

I'm not the only one who read the book Everyone Poops as a child, am I?

***

Let's get right on with Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop now, shall we?

Today, Thimble is yet again grateful for the summer sunshine!

We sure do appreciate the sun, but we wouldn't mind if it didn't bring with it 90°F temperatures. We're melting over here.

***

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

1. If I could trade places with someone for a day, I would trade with _________.

2. I would like to own a _________ someday.

3. I can't stand _________ this time of the year.

4. _________ is my favorite thing about this time of the year.

We'll see you tomorrow, friends!

***

Tip of the Day

The past couple tips in our summer safety tips for strays and ferals have been all about water. Guess what? Today's tip is about water as well. Since water is such a crucial aspect of survival, especially in the heat of summer, we thought we'd give it one last hoorah. Today, we're specifically talking about water bowls.

Water bowl preference can of course play a part in any cat's life. We've talked before about whisker fatigue, for example, and how this often causes cats to prefer wider bowls, as these won't cause them to bump their whiskers while getting a drink. That being said, though, when it comes to offering water outdoors in the heat, keep in mind how the shape and size of the water bowl can play a part. For example, did you know that evaporation happens more rapidly when water has a large surface area? This is why water in wide, shallow bowls will evaporate relatively quickly in the heat. To combat this, try to offer water in bowls that are narrower and deeper. Of course, do try to ensure that the bowl is not so narrow that it makes drinking impossible or difficult, but also try to ensure that a bowl has a decent chance of combating evaporation.

In addition, consider the material out of which the bowl is made. This one can be a bit tough when it comes to offering water to strays and ferals to hot and sunny days. We've talked before about how stainless steel bowls are often a good choice over plastic bowls, since plastic bowls can get scratched and thereby more easily harbor microbes. But, as you all surely know, metallic surfaces can get pretty darn hot in the summer heat. Especially if a bowl is in the sun or on a hot surface, a metallic bowl might not only cause the water to become uncomfortably warm, but the bowl itself might also become painfully hot to the touch. This is best prevented if the bowl is placed in a cool, shaded area. You can also, if possible and safe, try using sturdy glassware as outdoor bowls. This is of course only reasonable if breakage is unlikely to occur, though, as broken glass is indeed a danger.

In short, take anything and everything possible into consideration when trying to help strays and ferals remain safe in the summer heat. This does indeed include their water bowls. Aim for bowls that will prevent rapid evaporation, but that will also be easy and safe out of which to drink.

Woof Woof Wednesday

Just another pouty puppy in a window.

Happy Wednesday, friends!

***

Flashback Doodle of the Day

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Tip of the Day

Today's summer safety tip for strays, ferals, and other outdoor furbabies revolves around water. Water is, as you certainly know, incredibly important for all life. It's especially important for staying hydrated and cool in the summer heat. That being said, today we have some quite logical albeit important tips for helping strays, ferals, and other outdoor furbabies stay hydrated this summer.

Not only is it important to keep water in a shaded area or shaded shelter, as we mentioned yesterday, but it's also important to keep fresh water available in abundance. Especially in the summer heat, it is not possible to offer too much water. Strays and ferals may very well drink, and need to drink, far more water in the heat. Not to mention, in the heat, water can evaporate very quickly. For these reasons, try to offer extra bowls of water.

Furthermore, try to keep those bowls of water as fresh and clean as possible. Refill them as often as you can, and clean them as needed. Bugs, leaves, and all sorts of other outdoor debris can find their way into water bowls. Sometimes, cats and other animals may be unable to or unwilling to drink from a bowl that has debris floating in it or that is in another way dirty. In some cases, it's also unhealthy and dangerous to drink water this has been contaminated by certain debris. So, do try to keep those bowls and the water inside them fresh and clean.

For extra chill in that water, and perhaps even to give it a bit tad bit more ability to combat evaporation in the heat, you can also try putting ice cubes in the water bowls that are available to strays and ferals. Of course, do keep in mind the furbabies' preferences when doing this. Some animals will not drink from water that has something floating in it, so if this is the case, then refrain from putting ice cubes in at least some water bowls.

All in all, never forgot that fresh, clean water can of course be crucial to comfort and survival in the summer heat. So, offer lots and lots of water for those strays, ferals, and other outdoor furbabies. What's more, keep an eye on those water bowls, and try to ensure that they remain full and free of debris.

Tonks Tuesday

Sometimes you get really cute shots of your kitties. Other times you just get a camera full of whiskers and ears.

That's okay. I happen to still think Tonks is downright adorable.

Happy Tuesday, friends!

***

Flashback Doodle of the Day

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Tip of the Day

We are working through a series of tips on how to keep strays, ferals, and other outdoor furbabies safe and sound in the summer heat. We began this series of tips yesterday by discussing the importance of offering shaded areas, where outdoor cats or even dogs can stay cool. In this same line of thought, today we want to remind you to put necessities for outdoor furbabies in said shade. Whether you have shaded areas beneath trees or bushes, a table that offers shade, a summer shelter that offers shade, or something else similar, be sure that you place food and water in those shaded areas. This will ensure that animals outdoors can have food and water that is as cool and fresh as possible, and that they can eat and drink out of the sun.

In addition, try to offer somewhere comfortable for strays, ferals, and outdoor furbabies to rest in their shaded area. For example, you can place bedding or even a chair in the shade, so that strays and ferals can get comfortable while also remaining as cool as possible. Then again, keep in mind that many furbabies will not want to sleep on blankets or other potentially insulating material in the heat. So, also take this into consideration, and make sure that shaded shelter truly allows for cool and cozy safety and relaxation. All in all, in the hot summer months, don't just offer shade to strays and ferals, but also food, water, and other necessities in that shade.