Mancat Monday with M and N

Hello, friends! We yet again apologize for how chaotic our blog and overall online presence is lately. My laptop and internet at home are just plain disasters, and have been for quite some time now. My internet will be upgraded in a couple of weeks, so hopefully that will sort out that issue. I also need to get a new laptop, but I'm far from tech savvy and admittedly always put off purchasing and figuring out new computers because I just don't enjoy the process. But I won't ramble on about that. I will, however, try to use my breaks at work and my parents' already upgraded internet to do better here on our blog while I wait for my own internet at home to function a bit better.

All that said, it's Mancat Monday, and Evan is here to grace you all with his handsome presence.

Excuse Evan if he looks a tad bit grumpy. I may or may not have woken him up from a nap.

Evan hopes you all get in lots of uninterrupted naps today! Oh, and this orange boy also wants to thank everyone who wished him a happy birthday on Saturday!

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Now, shall we finally get to the April A to Z Challenge that I've neglected for a couple of days?

My A to Z theme this year is "These Are a Few of My Favorite Things". Saturday was meant to be the letter M, though I didn't share it then. Today is the letter N. I'm admittedly cheating and rolling both of those into one doodle, because what I have here works for both letters. For M I had numerous options I was trying to choose from, including the moon, as it is yet another aspect of astronomy that highly intrigues me. I also was thinking of making M stand for magical things, as I am a fan of the fantasy genre. As for N, it also had multiple options I was debating, and the night sky was one of them. This here doodle in some way contains all of those things, so here you go.

If that doodle looks familiar, it's because over the years I've scribbled up at least three different iterations of that imagery. I once long ago saw a painting with the same sort of concept, and I liked it enough that I've created my own version multiple times.

Happy Monday, friends!

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Tip of the Day

The last parasite we'll be discussing in this parasitic series of tips is Toxoplasma gondii, which causes the disease known as toxoplasmosis. Though different animals can be affected, including cats, dogs, and humans, cats are the most prevalent. A cat can get toxoplasmosis from eating the infected muscle or organs of an animal, such as by eating a mouse or uncooked meat. The parasite can thereafter be passed through the cat's feces, and then other cats, dogs, or humans can acquire the disease after coming into contact with and ingesting such fecal matter.

Some cats with toxoplasmosis will display symptoms such as fever, lethargy, respiratory distress, or neurological disturbances. Symptoms are most often seen in cats who are immunocompromised, such as young kittens or the geriatric and sick. In most cases, though, especially in grown, healthy cats, no symptoms are noticed. It is even possible for a cat to indeed have toxoplasmosis for years, but to simply never display symptoms. This can also be the case in other animals, including humans. That being said, developing babies in utero can be at high risk for toxoplasmosis. This is why it is often recommended that women refrain from scooping their cat's litter box when pregnant.

To help prevent the transmission of toxoplasmosis, you can keep your kitty indoors, where they are less likely to come into contact with the feces of an infected animal or to ingest infected tissue from prey. Also ensure that any meat you feed your cat is cooked. Also keep all litter boxes scooped and cleaned. To protect yourself, always wash your hands well after scooping the litter box. Accidental transmission can occur simply from a person scooping the litter, not thoroughly washing their hands, and then touching their mouths or food. Dogs can also acquire toxoplasmosis by ingesting fecal matter, so keep your dogs away the litter box and fecal material they might find outdoors.

We're sure you all know this by now, but if you notice any concerning symptoms in your kitty, of course always have them examined by a veterinarian. Any questions or concerns regarding your cat's risk for diseases such as toxoplasmosis can of course be discussed with your vet as well. Even diseases such as toxoplasmosis, which often give off no symptoms at all, can be lethal in a compromised, untreated furbaby. So, as always, it's always better to be safe than sorry.