Mancat Monday

Hello, friends! I'm going to apologize again for absent and late posts these past couple of days. There was a work emergency over the weekend, and a work emergency this morning. I work as a laboratory technician in a chemistry lab, and the recent emergencies all involve broken machines required for the day-to-day life of the lab. Anyway. I don't want to complain, as I'm very grateful to have an income, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't about to pull my hair out when it comes to my full-time job. That's enough of that, though.

All that said, I'm trying to prep posts to make December on our blog all shades of festive with consistent posts. That's in no small part why this post is late, because I've been focusing on posts that you won't even see for at least a few days. Well, that and work stuff.

Anyway, here's an Evan supervising me as I put lights on one of our Christmas trees.

That's not the only shot Evan has to share today, though. He also wants to show you one of his favorite things about artificial Christmas trees, and that's what great chew toys and toothbrushes they are. 

Don't worry, come December, you'll be seeing Evan in far more festive photos that don't involve rogue light strands or tree branch eating. Probably.

Happy Monday!

***

Festive Flashback Doodle of the Day

Part of the December posts I'm prepping are new Christmas doodles. For today, though, I have this flashback doodle that pretty much depicts what it's like to put up our Christmas trees with some of the kitties at my house. It's all shades of wild and crazy, and I love it.

***

Tip of the Day

Since we have enough Thanksgiving tips to last through the end of the month, we're continuing them. And do you know what holiday food we haven't yet mentioned? Cranberries! This here human loves cranberries, but are they safe for our kitties and pups? In moderation, plain cranberries can be given as a small treat to a dog or cat who enjoys them. That being said, it is best to steer clear of cranberry sauces and juices, as those contain excess amounts of sugar and other potential additives that might not be the best for your furbaby. Also be careful with special cranberry dishes, in case they contain not only excess sugar but potentially also toxic ingredients such as alcohol. As always, when in doubt, simply don't offer it to your furbaby.

Since we're on the topic of fruits, we'll go ahead and run through a couple of other fruity treat options for your kitty or pup. If fed in moderation, berries such as blueberries and strawberries are healthy for cats and dogs, as are bananas. Apples are also generally a healthy treat option, but only if you are careful to refrain from feeding your furbaby the seeds. That being said, keep in mind that when fruits like apples are made into pies, added ingredients such as sugar are not so healthy for your furbaby. Of course, also remember that fruits like grapes and raisins are toxic to cats and dogs, so never feed those. Even cherries can be dangerous, especially if consumed in large quantities, as cyanide poisoning can result due to the contents of the stem, pit, and even leaves. So, to be safe, don't feed your furbaby cherries, cherry pie, and most certainly not chocolate-covered cherries this holiday season. Ultimately, if you are not certain that a particular fruit or other food is safe for your furbaby, simply don't feed it as a treat.