Friendly Fill-Ins

Welcome to Friday, friends! Would you like to join us for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge? You're certainly more than welcome to! My co-host Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two fill-in statements, and I came up with the second two.


1. I will never stop _________.

2. It was a relief to _________.

3. _________ made me feel proud of myself.

4. _________ grosses me out.

My answers are below in bold.

1. I will never stop sharing my life with furry friends.
(I will never willingly not have furbabies. I can't even imagine life without animals.)

2. It was a relief to find out that Sawyer and Bridget are both back home.
(Kitties Sawyer of The Cat on My Head and Bridget of 15andmeowing were both lost until very recently. Early this week Ellen shared that Bridget was trapped and back home after an outdoor adventure that lasted a few days, and just this Wednesday Sawyer's mom Janet shared that he was back home after 24 days on an elusive walkabout outside. I know I was not the only one beyond ecstatic to find out that both of them were both back home where they belong.)

3. Buying my house made me feel proud of myself.
(I bought my house back in 2015, when I was 25 years old. I actually bought it just 3 days before my 26th birthday, so I was only just barely still 25, but I digress. It's a humble home, but it's mine. I'm proud of being a homeowner for a variety of reasons, one of the main ones being that since childhood, I wanted to own a house that I had full control over in which to care for my animals. That's one of the biggest reasons why I started doing odd jobs for neighbors at age 10, quickly moving on to babysitting and pet-sitting, saving all the money I could as early as I could. Even back then, as a kid, I wanted my own space, but mostly to provide a safe home for my furry children.)

4. Human phlebotomy grosses me out.
(A human's blood being drawn is one of the only medical procedures that really grosses me out. I can and have watched human surgeries, and as a former veterinary assistant, I have assisted in animal blood draws as well as surgeries of all sorts. None of that bothers me in the least. But watching a needle go into a human's vein? I cannot watch that. When I have my blood drawn, I have to lie down and look away. As long as I do that, I'm fine. But if I see it happening, I just might puke or pass out.)

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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Your Eddy fix for today comes in the form of yet another festive flashback from last year's Christmas in July festivities. Also in true Eddy form, these flashbacks are blurry. She is, after all, the resident blooper queen.

Happy Friday, friends!

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Festive Flashback Doodle of the Day

How about one last Christmas in July flashback doodle from 2018?

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Tip of the Day

We're continuing on with our litter box tips today by discussing location. When deciding where to put litter boxes in your home, there are a variety of considerations to make. For example, you cat likely won't want to do their business in a high traffic area, where there are many distractions and little to no privacy. At the same time, though, many cats will also likely not want to be hidden away in an small, enclosed area, such as a small closet. Placing a litter box in a small, enclosed area such as a small closet will likely trap the smell, which some cats are averse to. What's more, using the litter box is one way in which cats often instinctively believe they are making a territorial display, and so hiding away the litter box, where no one can see them do their business, might lead to out-of-box behavior for territorial reasons.

All of the above being said, consider where in your home might work best for a box to be both away from heavy traffic, yet close enough to the goings-on for your kitty to still feel included. Dedicated litter box rooms, corners of bedrooms or living rooms, bathrooms, laundry rooms, or even large closets with their doors kept open, can all make for good litter box areas. It really depends on how your home is set up, and where your kitty might feel most comfortable. Just as we've mentioned before, though, it also might simply come down to your cat's preference. Perhaps your cat enjoys using the restroom right in front of you, or perhaps your cat actually prefers to go in a closed closet. In the end, if your cat displays a preference for litter box placement, try your best to stick with that.

We'll also now mention that, when selecting litter box location, also take into consideration how many cats you have. In homes with many cats, it is often ideal to spread litter boxes throughout the house, as best as possible. This is especially the case if there is any bullying amongst your cats. If all of the boxes are in one room, a bullied or timid cat might prefer to steer clear of using the restroom with other cats nearby, and therefore might begin out-of-box behavior elsewhere in the house. They even might simply hold their urine, which can lead to a variety of medical issues. So, especially in multicat homes, do consider the number of and comfort of all cats when deciding how few and far between to place the litter boxes. Then again, this consideration also might be important for even a single cat who is geriatric or has issues with mobility. For such a kitty, having multiple litter box options, in areas of the house where they most often hang out, can help them more easily urinate and defecate when and where needed.

There sure are a lot of considerations to make when it comes to that litter box. You of course have to choose a type of box, as well as how many. Once you have that settled, it's all about deciding where to place the litter boxes in your home. Fear not, though, as you and your kitty, or kitties, will figure it out. If nothing else, trial and error will often lead your kitty to letting you know what he or she prefers.