Adventures with Astrid

We mentioned last week that Astrid's going to be doing a series of posts about the adventures she goes on during her walks. She'll mostly be sharing what she finds at her favorite local park. Today, she wanted you all to see what it looks like when we first arrive at the park.

That sidewalk leads to just one of the ways you can enter the park. It also leads to a bridge, which can take you to or from the park.

If you look closely, Astrid is sniffing another dog's urine on that bridge. Lovely, right?

This last photo is misleading, because that's not even the same bridge as the one from the previous photo. Our neighborhood has a number of these bridges to allow pedestrians to travel over the local creek. Even if it's not the same bridge, I asked Astrid to stop so that I could take a photo of her on it, and she ended up looking back at me with this adorably impatient face.

Happy Wednesday, friends!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

Today's flashback doodle is a weird one, in part because it's yet another one from the Harry Potter-inspired series I scribbled up a couple years ago. In this one, Astrid took on the role of a certain character with a magical pink umbrella. Because why not.

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Tip of the Day

We're in the midst of a series of tips all about litter boxes. We'll be continuing that series tomorrow, while today we have a tip inspired by our canine friends. If you ask our humble opinion, having kitties and a pup in the same home can be a wonderful thing. It's even better when they all get along. Sometimes, though, the biggest trick is getting a pup to leave the kitty food alone. There are some methods to try, though, if you find yourself in such a situation.

First, you can try placing the cat food somewhere the dog cannot reach, but of course where the cat can reach it. You can try a counter, cat tree, or shelf, for example, as a cat can often climb to these heights, while a dog typically remains land-bound. Another option is to get some form of sturdy box, setting it upside down on the floor, cutting a hole in it through which a cat can fit but not a dog, and feeding your cat within. There's even a chance that some pieces of furniture would allow for this form of feeding. Of course, this technique primarily works for larger dogs, as small dogs might still be able to access cat food with this method.

A more fail-safe way to feed a cat without a dog's intervention is by feeding them in separate rooms. You can keep the cat's food in a room where the dog does not have access, even if just during feeding time. You can also keep the cat's food in a room that is permanently closed off to the dog, but where the kitty can visit by way of something such as a kitty door. One more similar option is to feed the kitty in a separate room where the door is left ajar, but is kept that way with some sort of door attachment. There are such products available on the market, that allow for a door to remain stuck ajar, so that a cat can pass through, but not a larger dog. You can even rig your own sort of setup, such as by using certain types of brackets, just as long as the setup is still safe for the furbabies. Again, though, these last couple of options will work best if the dog is larger and therefore cannot squeeze through to reach the cat food.

It is more than possible to have both cats and dogs living under the same roof. Once you get past the introductions and everyone is one big happy family, sometimes the main issue then becomes keeping the dogs out of the cat food. This is an important thing to do, though, as eating food not intended for their species can potentially result in gastrointestinal distress. So, if you have both cats and dogs, and food thieves run rampant, simply think on what type of feeding method would work best for you, your furbabies, and your overall home setup. It may take some trial and error, but it is doable.