A Great Big Birthday Bash!

Thimble wants to know if you saw the title of this post? Well, did you?

Thimble is here to announce that we're having a birthday bash today, and she's none other than the birthday girl! While she is indeed the birthday girl, there are also three birthday boys today. That's right. Thimble and her three litter mate brothers are turning 9 years old today!

Two of the birthday kitties are celebrating at our house. Those would of course be my adorable tabby girl Thimble, as well as our housemate Toby, a handsome tuxie boy who owns this here human's sister.

Thimble and Toby's brothers, Trapper and Talon, own this here human's parents, and you better believe there will be a birthday bash at their house today as well. Trapper is Thimble's extra large tabby twin, and Talon is a tuxie like Toby, though far from identical to him.

These four kitty siblings mean so much to not only myself, but of course my whole family. We love them so much, and we can't wait to celebrate them all day today. Feel free to grab a cupcake and roll in some catnip at their birthday party, friends!

Now, how about a little blast to the past with these birthday babies?

That there was the day Thimble, Toby, Trapper, and Talon arrived on our doorstep. Their short story is that my grandma's neighbor found the kittens on his property and, for some reason that makes no sense to me, put them in a bucket. My grandma found out about them, and learned that they had been in the bucket without their mother for at least 24 hours, though probably longer. She snatched them up, and we told her to bring them our way. And so she did.

I found that labeled photo on my computer, so there's that. Of course, we snapped many, many photos on the kittens' first day with us. They were about 3 weeks old at that time. Thimble was by far the runt, and she was not in the best shape, so she was handled with some extra care.

Just look at that face. Did you look at it? Did you? Did your heart melt? Mine did.

Thimble's brothers were a lot more robust and active when they came to us, and we even got some photos of them frolicking in the yard when they first arrived.

In order of appearance, above you see baby Toby, Trapper, and Talon. Thimble didn't get a photo in the grass, because she was so weak that she could barely even stand on solid ground. She was also so tiny that the grass was at risk of swallowing her up. Don't worry, though, because Thimble grew stronger and healthier by the day. Soon enough, she looked like this:

When you look up the word adorable in the dictionary, that's the face you'll see as the definition. Obviously.

As for Thimble's also adorable brothers, they quickly went from tiny kittens to this:

We'll say it again, because we love them so very much...

Happy Birthday, 

Thimble, Toby, Trapper, and Talon!

***

Tip of the Day

Today's wildlife tips is about those bright-eyed, bushy-tailed rodents we so often seen running about. That is, squirrels. As we've all certainly witnessed, squirrels are not all that particular when it comes to what they'll put in their mouths. They are pretty resilient, but that doesn't mean we should throw any and every food out there for them. For example, bread and starchy foods are not the best diet choice for squirrels, especially when moldy. Even peanuts and corn are not all that ideal for them, again, especially when moldy. Of course, human junk food is also not a great option.

So, if you want to throw some snacks out for the squirrels, such as to enhance that Squirrel TV, try to offer them some foods that are a bit healthier for them. What, then, are some potential foods you can offer squirrels as healthy snacks? Tree nuts are one option, such as walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, and hickory nuts. Vegetables can also be just as healthy for squirrels as they are for us, and some good options for squirrels include carrots, broccoli, and zucchini. Another option is fruit, such as apple, strawberries, and grapes. So, while squirrels may not be picky when it comes to food, if you wish to offer them some choices, there are some healthy ones you can try. Then, you and your furbabies can enjoy a healthy episode of Squirrel TV.