A Kinesthetic Thankful Thimble Thursday

Hello and happy Thursday, friends! You know what we're starting with? Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop, of course.

As always, Thimble is here to share her gratitude, and she's of course yet again thankful for sun puddles.

After a few storms earlier this month, we're now enjoying lots of sunny days. And that makes Thimble very, very happy.

Just a bit of FYI, that red thing you can see out that dirty window there is a shelter for stray and feral cats, as well as our neighbor kitty who often visits. In the winter it has a heat lamp and a self-heating bed for kitties to stay warm. In truth, the opossums love it as well.

Thimble's stretch above is actually a decent segue to today's April A to Z Challenge doodle.

My A to Z theme this year is, as I've obnoxiously repeated every day, "These Are a Few of My Favorite Things". Today we've reached the letter K, and to be honest, I somehow forgot to finish the doodle I originally meant to share today. I don't know what my brain is doing these days, but there are random letters of the alphabet that I didn't realized I've neglected while moving on to later ones that I don't even need to share yet. Anyway, my K was supposed to stand for kickboxing, something I've enjoyed doing for a few years now. I'll eventually share that doodle, but to still share something related to that, my K now stands for kinesthetics. This is something I also started learning more about when I got into kickboxing, as moving wrong or using the wrong muscles while kickboxing can result in injury. So, to somewhat demonstrate kinesthetics, and I guess tangentially kickboxing, we have this old doodle of angel Rosie doing this kinesthetic thing called yoga.

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Now, last but not least, we have for you the fill-in statements for tomorrow's Friendly Fill-Ins challenge. My co-host Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two, and I came up with the second two.

1. _________ is like nailing jello to a wall.

2. I could use a break from _________.

3. I'd like to thank _________ for _________.

4. Just in case _________, I _________.

We'll see you tomorrow, friends!

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Tip of the Day

A few days ago we gave a tip relating to intestinal worms, including roundworms. We failed to mention lungworms, though, which are actually a type of roundworm. Slugs and snails are the common carriers of lungworm larvae. Dogs, therefore, can end up with a lungworm infestation if they eat a slug or snail that is carrying the larvae. It is also possible for cats to acquire lungworms, such as if they eat a slug or snail, or if they eat a bird or other prey that has eaten a slug or snail that is carrying lungworm larvae.

Lungworms, obviously, affect the lungs. Signs of lungworm infection can include coughing and difficulty breathing. In some cases, respiratory failure can occur. Needless to say, if you notice any respiratory distress in your kitty or pup, always have them seen by a veterinarian as quickly as possible. Diagnosis and treatment of any respiratory disorder, including lungworms, should not be delayed.

To help prevent any potential lungworm infection in your furbabies, be aware of their surroundings. Do you have slugs and snails in your yard, or in any areas where your furbaby visits? If so, keep an eye on them and try to prevent their ingestion of such critters. Also, do not leave toys or bowls outside where snails or slugs might be able to inhabit them, as this could result in even accidental ingestion of these critters that can carry lungworms. And, of course, if you have any concerns regarding the risk, prevention, or treatment of lungworms, discuss this with your veterinarian.