Thankful Thursday: Secret Santa Paws Came to Town

It's Thursday, which means we're here for angel Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.

Usually, Thimble shares her own personal piece of gratitude on Thursdays. Today, though, all the kitties want to share how thankful they are for the amazing goodies we received from our Secret Santa Paws this year. We're way later to post this than we wanted, but the kitties did open their gifts on Christmas and have been enjoying them since.

Our Secret Santa Paws were Puffy, Black Cat, Fang, and their mom Patty of Books, Cooks, Looks.

All of the kitties here are so very grateful for the fun and tasty gifts they received from our wonderful Secret Santa Paws.

Evan loves these treats, and so he knocked over the open bag so as to help himself to a bigger snack than this stingy mom of his was doling out.

The kitties find all of the little bird toys so fun. This here human finds them absolutely adorable. I'm a huge fan of robins, but I managed to not steal that one from the kitties. I also received plenty of wonderful gifts myself. I have never seen a cup cozy as cute as the kitty one I opened up. Do you see it up there? It's too cute for words!

Oh, and Evan also wanted to let everyone know that the box our gifts arrived in is also quite cozy.

For anyone who might not know or remember, my orange boy Evan is hind limb paralyzed and also gets his back end regularly shaved to help keep him clean despite his urinary incontinence. That might explain some of what you're seeing in these photos.

Thank you so much, Puffy, Black Cat, Fang, and Patty! We're enjoying our gifts so very much.

Merry Eleventh Day of Christmas to all!

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That's not all, though, because now we have for 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. If you looked in my closet, you'd see a lot of _________.

2. When I'm having a bad day, I like to _________.

3. _________ is the best remedy for _________.

4. It's no secret that I _________.

We'll see you tomorrow, friends!

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Festive Flashback Doodle of the Day

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Tip of the Day

As we mentioned yesterday, today's tip regards what type of bedding to put in an outdoor cat shelter, such as for feral cats. We'll start by cutting right to the chase and saying that an ideal form of bedding for an outdoor shelter is straw. A cat can burrow down in straw in order to stay as warm as possible in the cold. Unlike blankets and towels, straw will not hold moisture, and therefore will less likely freeze or become uncomfortable in rain, snow, and so forth. This is one huge reason why straw is often a better choice over cloth bedding material, because it can repel moisture, and can therefore allow for a consistently dry, warm form of bedding for outdoor cats. Straw can also be easily replaced or replenished. That being said, do make sure you know the difference between straw and hay. They are not the same thing, and hay will hold onto moisture, become wet and uncomfortable for outdoor cats, and can also become moldy when wet. Go for straw, not hay.

If you do put out cloth bedding for outdoor cats, check it regularly. If it is wet or dirty, be sure to replace it, clean it, and so forth. Try to keep all cloth bedding in areas where it is least likely to get wet, so that feral or other outdoor cats can use it comfortably. Cloth bedding works best in shelters that are free of leaks and that are in some way heated, as that will help it remain dry and comfortable.