Thankful Thimble Thursday

It's Thursday, and Thimble has a bright and shiny thankful to share for Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.

As has been the case a lot lately, Thimble is grateful for her sunshine. She loves basking in it, perhaps in part because she knows it makes her look extra stunning.

In truth, right now we aren't keeping any windows or doors open for whiffies or direct sunlight. After all, it's nearing 100°F outside these days, and I really don't want all of us in the house to melt. When it cools down, though, Thimble can enjoy sitting in the sun at the screen door again.

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And now we'll share with you the fill-in statements for tomorrow's Friendly Fill-Ins challenge. My amazing co-host Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two, and I came up with the second two.

1. I would describe my home as _________.

2. I would never give _________ to _________.

3. I share my secrets with _________.

4. Did I ever tell you _________?

We'll see you tomorrow, friends!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

Yesterday I shared a flashback doodle related to the fact that I've been a fan of the Harry Potter series since it first came out when I was a child. I have another such flashback doodle today, and I'm even planning on creating a new doodle in this genre this weekend. But, for now, here's a doodle of my kitties heading to the wizarding school known as none other than Hogwarts.

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Tip of the Day

As we mentioned yesterday, we're doing a series of tips dedicated to none other than the litter box. Yesterday, we talked about choosing a type of litter box. Today, we're going to talk about the number of litter boxes you might need.

We're going to begin this discussion with a bit of an equation:

(# of cats) + 1 = (# of litter boxes)

That up there is the general rule for how many litter boxes a home should have, for the comfort of the kitties living there. Since we're a broken record, we'll say it again: the number of litter boxes should equal the number of cats, plus one. This general rule helps ensure that all of the cats in a home have plenty of options, something that is especially important in a multicat home. Finding a clean litter box, and not being bullied out of it, is more easily done when there is a sufficient number of boxes. As for single cat homes, the equation above still typically applies. Why? One reasons is that some cats don't like to urinate and defecate in the same box. Another reason is that, again, it gives them more options for a clean box, and can thereby reduce potential out-of-box behaviors.

Now that we have that little equation out of the way, we'll also mention that it's possible that not all of the litter boxes in a home should be or will be the same type. For example, do you have one cat who likes covered boxes, and another cat who prefers uncovered boxes? If so, then you should probably have litter boxes of both of those types. This ensures that each cat has a choice that suits their preferences. So, it's not only important to ensure that there are enough litter boxes, but that the boxes suit the needs of all cats present in the home.