Happy Birthday, Astrid!

A certain special someone is celebrating a birthday today!

You can probably tell from those big ol' paws, or perhaps from the title of this post, that it's none other than pup Astrid who is celebrating her birthday.

Do you know how old Astrid is turning today? Well, do you? It shocks this here human that sweet, sassy, happy, active, and all around goofy girl Astrid is turning 10 years old. That number doesn't concern Astrid one bit, though. Her only concern is eating that cookie cake of hers.

I try not to let myself be anxious about pup Astrid now entering the double digits. Honestly, I console myself with the fact that Astrid doesn't act her age. Even having torn her CCL and undergoing surgery with a lengthy recovery period late last year, this 10-year-old puppy is still hyperactive and happy to run and jump whenever and wherever she can. Like I said, Astrid doesn't act her age, and that makes me beyond happy.

Happy Birthday, Astrid! All of your humans and kitties love you so much!

All of you friends of ours are more than welcome to join our birthday bash today! There's plenty of cake, cookies, ice cream, and hyper energy to go around.

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Tip of the Day

Today's National Cat Health Care Month tip is all about those litter boxes. Especially if you have multiple cats, make sure that you have enough litter boxes with regard to the number of kitties in the home. It is often recommended that you have as many litter as you have cats, plus one. If there are not enough litter boxes, it is possible that cats might quickly find the litter boxes too filled or dirty, or that there might even be some bullying or battles over use of litter boxes. This could lead some cats to have to hold onto their urine or stool, which in turn could lead to issues such as UTIs or constipation. Or, some cats might simply begin looking for other areas in the house to urinate or defecate outside of the box.

Other litter box issues that might lead to health concerns or unwanted behaviors include litter boxes that are not cleaned enough, litter boxes that are in an area that is too high traffic for some cats' preference, litter boxes that are hidden too far away for certain cats' liking, or litter boxes that contain a type of litter that certain cats simply do not prefer. Obviously, issues such as holding urine or stool, resulting UTIs and constipation, and out-of-box urination and defecation are not ideal. For these reasons, do be sure that the litter box situation is suitable for all cats in the house, so that all the kitties involved can stay as happy and healthy as possible.