Merry Tenth Day of Christmas!

Hello, friends! We're battling some technical difficulties again, but one of our early 2023 goals is to sort those out for good. That said, here we finally are on this Tenth Day of Christmas. You better believe Tonks has some festive shots to share with you.

Tonks is glad that we keep our Christmas trees up at least through January 6, that being Three Kings Day, and often past that. Tonks loves her Christmas trees, and she loves napping by them and in them. 

Don't worry, though, because the Christmas tree cat beds stay out year round. The kitties wouldn't allow the alternative.

Merry Tenth Day of Christmas!

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Festive Flashback Doodle of the Day

Our technical difficulties have extended to our scanner again, though the root cause is the dying laptop that the scanner tries and fails to connect to. For that reason, we yet again don't have any of our new festive doodles to share today. We do have this flashback, though. I've still been watching Christmas movies, one of those of course being A Christmas Story, and I remember scribbling this doodle up years ago while very vaguely being inspired by all the kids in that movie looking into the toy store window. Of course, though, a kitty had to be involved in my version.

I hope you all don't mind that, to make up for technical difficulties and lost time, we'll likely be sharing some of our long-lost new Christmas doodles at least through this weekend. Here at our house we're still watching Christmas movies through the Twelve Days of Christmas and beyond, but we know a lot of people are done with Christmas the day after. I'm still in the festive spirit, though, not to mention the Christmas doodles I've been scribbling up during this season have been severely neglected. So, I apologize ahead of time for anyone who is not looking forward to our continued Christmas posts. I'm sorry, but I'm also not sorry.

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Tip of the Day

Something that comes along with offering outdoor ferals and strays shelter, which we discussed yesterday, is warmth. There are a great many considerations to make when it comes to offering warmth to ferals on cold winter days. We'll start with considering the size of the space the cat will be occupying, such as the size of the shelter you have for ferals and strays, as that affects how heat is trapped. Shelters should of course be large enough to fit one or a couple cats, or even a few cats if you care for that many that get along. At the same time, though, the shelter should be small enough that cold air does not easily circulate throughout it. A shelter that is not too large will better trap and insulate heat. Another consideration to make when it comes to the shelter's construction and heat retention is the doorway. Though you don't want to block entry or exit or make ferals feel trapped inside a shelter, try your best to block drafts from entering through doorways. If possible, keep entrances faced away from the wind and drafts, such as by facing the doorways toward a wall of your house or other building, so that the shelter's entrance won't directly face open air.

In addition to the warmth that a shelter itself can offer, there are more direct heat sources that can be put out for ferals and strays. One simple option includes heating pads or beds that do not directly produce heat themselves, but that instead contain material that allows the bed to radiate heat. There are beds on the market that are said to warm to approximately the animal's body temperature when they are lying on it. There are also electric heating pads and heated beds that do indeed produce heat, allowing for immediate access to a warm place to sleep. Of course, always be cautious and aware of the dangers of burns and fires when electricity and heat comes into play, and go the safest route possible. That being said, also keep in mind that any bedding made with fabric, whether heated or not, can become and remain wet as well as dirty, and therefore can prevent a cat from wanting to use it. For more information on bedding material in an outdoor shelter, visit us for tomorrow's tip.

All of the above being said, you can also go for heating lamps or some form of space heater to use inside an outdoor cat shelter. This is of course yet another option you have to research, though, to ensure that you get one that is safe for outdoor use, and that will be the most practical to prevent burns, fires, and so forth. All in all, when it comes to providing heating sources for outdoor ferals and strays, do your research and take all precautions possible. Always be aware of the dangers of burns or fires when it comes to electricity and heat, and choose and use heating sources accordingly and wisely.