Sunday Selfie and Rhyme Time

Our internet is back up and going. Hooray. It felt like we were living in the Stone Age there for awhile, but we're back to the current future now.

Let's go ahead and start with our past due poem for Angel Sammy's Thoroughly Poetic poem, shall we?

As always, our poetic host shared a photo prompt to help guide us. This time around, the prompt was this cold one here:

I've been all about the holiday mashups lately, and so I ended up with this:

A Mountainous Holiday Mashup

I live on the mountain in my humble home,
But don't worry, for I live not alone.
I have for company my four feline friends,
Who keep me entertained to no end.

Living in the mountains is often refreshing,
And then there are times when it is just a tad bit depressing.
Sometimes it is just downright confusing,
And now let me explain that to you.

I decorated for all things autumn on a day that felt like spring.
I put out my pumpkins and all the autumnal things,
Then the festive days of the season came along,
And do you know what happened all night through dawn?
It snowed.
I kid you not, no.

My pumpkins sat outside ready for their glory days,
Only to be covered by snow that was apparently here to stay.
It seemed a depressing sight to see,
But then there was something of which my feline friends reminded me.

The furry little fiends snuck into my storage closet,
Where all dustballs and holiday decor I did deposit.
After breaking into a box of ornaments and breaking one or two,
An idea dawned on me and I just knew.

As a blizzard raged outside on a supposedly autumnal day,
Why not make the most of all the seasons at once, eh?
And so I pulled out the holiday decor just like that,
And I turned my house every form of festive with the help of my cats.

There were pumpkins here and ornaments there,
Of course every last bit covered in cat hair.
My house was littered with pumpkins and scarecrows,
And now also with decorated trees and stockings in rows.
Because why not mix all the holidays together?
That's what I thought as looked outside at the very confused weather.

After all, when in Rome,
Deck out your home.
Or something like that.
Just ask the cats.

***

Now, of course, we're ready for some Sunday Selfies fun, thanks to the Kitties Blue over at The Cat on My Head.

Surprisingly, Eddy snapped for you all an up close and personal, not so blurry selfie. See?

Happy Sunday, friends!

***

Tip of the Day

Today's Pet Diabetes Awareness Month tip is to know and understand symptoms of and potential treatments for diabetic complications such as hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). As we mentioned yesterday, hypoglycemia might result from a cat or dog failing to eat. Especially if they are still given insulin even when not eating, their blood sugar can drop dangerously. Hypoglycemia can result in any number of symptoms, which might include increased appetite, vomiting, rapid breathing, lethargy, and difficulty walking.

One quick trick to potentially help a hypoglycemic cat or dog in an emergency is to have honey, maple syrup, corn syrup, or some form of sugar syrup available. Rubbing a sugary substance such as one of these on a hypoglycemic animal's gum line or in their cheeks can help to raise their glucose to a safer level. Of course, discuss with your veterinarian any questions you have regarding hypoglycemia and reversing it. Also alert your veterinarian of any hypoglycemic events your furbaby has, so that better diabetes management can be achieved. What's more, get a hypoglycemic furbaby to the vet as soon as possible, if needed.

Since we missed our tip yesterday, here's an added Pet Diabetes Awareness Month tip for today. And that is to make sure that you have your diabetic furbaby on a diet suited to them and their health. Many veterinarians will put a diabetic cat or dog on a high protein, high fiber, low fat diet. It is important to balance nutrients in a way to keep blood glucose as normal as possible, and also to help the diabetic furbaby maintain a healthy weight. Of course, when it comes to feeding a diabetic furbaby, do discuss this with your veterinarian. They can help point you to healthy food options, whether they be prescription diets or not. The veterinarian may also calculate the calories your diabetic furbaby will need in a day to stay healthy and fit, so that their diabetes can better remain under control. And, as always, be sure to let your veterinarian know of any concerns you have regarding your furbaby's diabetes and diet.