Santa Paws Came to Town

Today may be the Fifth Day of Christmas, but on Christmas Day itself the furbabies around here got to open an extra special gift.

Do you know what that is? That's the box from our Secret Santa Paws! The kitties opened it up on Christmas morning, after this here human made them wait for days and days after receiving it. Talk about abuse.

Shall we officially start by sharing who our Secret Santa Paws was? Yes? Okay, we shall.

Do you see that? Our Secret Santa Paws was the one and only, stunning, famous Cathy Keisha, or CK! For years we've been following CK over at her blog, Stunning Keisha. She's a funny, sassy, and of course classy gal, and we were beyond ecstatic to discover that she was the one who sent us such amazing goodies.

Are you ready to see what all Santa CK spoiled us with?

Is that not the cutest stocking? If you can't read it, it says, "Dear Santa, I've been a very good kitty!" And to the right of it is Toby, eating the box like the good kitty he is.

Now, we're actually going to start with pup Astrid. CK and her amazing peep Pattie, also known as The Woman, or TW, were so sweet to send something for the resident canine. We actually had to let Astrid open hers first, in order to get her out of the kitties' hair while they opened their gifts.

While taking Astrid's gift out of the box, this here human accidentally discovered that it squeaks. And boy oh boy did that get Astrid's attention. She loves her a squeaky toy.

Is that not the cutest ice cream cone you've ever seen? It's pretty darn festive, too, and Astrid absolutely loves it! She did think it was pretty darn unfair that I made her impatiently wait and pose with her gift, but soon enough she was off squeaking it and throwing it like the hyperactive pup she is.

Now, on to to the kitties! We hope you're ready for some more bloopers, because certain excited kitties could not sit still for even half a second while they opened their gifts from Santa CK.

As you might be able to see there, Tonks was the first kitty to discover what a purrfect box our gifts arrived in. Here's a closer view of her enjoying the box, in the form of yet another good ol' blurry blooper.

But, back to the actual gifts.

Unlike some years, the kitties weren't about to let me individually photograph each gift. I did manage a couple, though, like this absolutely adorable mermouse that made this here human quite literally laugh out loud.

I often call Evan a mercat because of how he sits with his paralyzed back legs, so seeing this mermouse made me so happy. It also made the kitties very happy, of course.

And I did manage a couple of other individual shots of some big hits.

Not only were the toys a hit, but you better believe the treats were, too. After the kitties tasted them, they chased me around the room during my attempts to limit their intake. Don't worry, though, because I definitely did not succeed at limiting them a whole lot. They're very persuasive. And bossy. And hungry.

Wonderful CK and TW also sent this here human a gorgeous gift.

Every last one of us here is so very grateful to CK and her peep TW. They went above and beyond and sent such amazing gifts that have brought a great deal of joy to the kitties, pup Astrid, and this here human.

Thank you and thank you again, CK and TW! We are so very grateful for you. You are amazing, and of course every shade of stunning!

And thank you to Paula, Truffle, and Brulee of Sweet Purrfections for organizing the Secret Santa Paws exchange! We always look forward to it and appreciate your hard work.

Merry Fifth Day of Christmas to all!

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Festive Doodle of the Day

I have finally topped off, scanned, and uploaded a hefty chunk of Christmassy doodles. I of course meant to share all of these leading up to Christmas, but December took a really chaotic turn and so here we are. Luckily, though, when it comes to the Twelve Days of Christmas, Christmas Day itself is just the First Day of Christmas. And so, the season isn't over yet. If you're tired of Christmas, we apologize. Sort of. Anyway. Did you finally get that hippopotamus for Christmas?

I mentioned in a recent Friendly Fill-Ins challenge that these days I've really been enjoying the song "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas", and so I felt compelled to doodle this up. Now I kind of want this hippo to make cameos in our doodles year round, because I really enjoyed scribbling him up. And now I also need to name him. Any suggestions?

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Tip of the Day

Yesterday we discussed feeding feral and stray cats outdoors in the cold winter months. As we mentioned yesterday, dry food is a good option in the winter, as it will not freeze like moist food. However, moist food still has its benefits, and so today we're here to give some tips on how to feed moist food outdoors in the cold months with at least some success. To begin, you can resort to putting moist food out only when you know the cat or cats you feed are present, so that they will be able to eat it immediately, giving it little to no time to freeze. Sometimes, though, you might not know when a feral or stray cat will show up for a meal. In such cases, there are ways to potentially offer moist food to ferals and strays, without the moist food freezing rapidly.

To begin, you can simply check on the status of moist food as often as possible, and warm or replace food that has become frozen. What's more, a source of heat will obviously help keep moist food from freezing at a fast rate, although you of course have to ensure that this source of heat is safe. This could mean doing something as simple as warming the bowl in which you put the moist food, or warming the moist food itself, to a safe temperature. There are also both electric and non-electric heat sources that can work for keeping bowls and their contents warm. For example, there are microwavable or otherwise warmable heating pads that can be placed under bowls to help prevent the rapid freezing of moist food that is fed to outdoor cats in the winter. There are also electric heated bowls that could keep moist food warm enough to prevent freezing. Other options of course include using a more extensive heat source within an entire feeding station or shelter, details which we will further discuss in upcoming tips. One important detail, though, as we mentioned just a few moments ago, is ensure that any heat source you use is safe and that it will not cause burns or fires. Always do your research before using any item that entails electricity and heating, and choose and use accordingly and wisely.

The last note to make here is that you should still of course make sure that moist food is not spoiling, such as if it manages to get too warm or sits out for too long. If a heated bowl or heat pad causes moist food to remain warm for long periods of time, do be sure to remove any uneaten food prior to spoilage. It might be cold outside during the winter months, but depending on the methods you use and the duration of time that outdoor cats' moist food is sitting out, it is always best to be aware of the potential for gastrointestinal or other issues that could result from the consumption of spoiled food.