Adventures with Astrid and the Letter I

Hello and happy Wednesday, friends! We're ready for another day of the April A to Z Challenge, this time with the letter I.

Our A to Z theme is All Things Cat, which means I'm drawing items in the shape of cats. Today, for the letter I, we have for you an iced drink. As for me, specifically, I would choose iced tea, the sweetened variety.

What's your favorite iced drink? Hopefully you can enjoy that very drink soon, even better if it's in a kitty cup.

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And now we have for you the Adventure with Astrid part of this post. This week, Astrid wanted to take you all down one of her favorite paths in our neighborhood.

For the record, there's a sidewalk right behind us in the photo, which we travel on this path. But, this creek that runs all over neighborhood makes for some nice photos. There will be even prettier photos when more green stuff grows in.

Astrid and all of us here wish you a sunny Wednesday!
 

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Tip of the Day

 

Our parasite talk today is all about ticks. These nasty little guys can find their way onto your kitty or pup (or yourself) from wooded areas, shrubs, and tall grass. They can make their way into your yard, especially (though not limited to) if you live near a wooded or other similar area. This means that animals who go outdoors can always be at risk for ticks. Then again, it is not impossible for animals with limited outdoor activity to pick up a stray tick as well.

Ticks pose more danger than one. First, to put it simply, they suck your furbaby's blood. It would most likely take a good deal of time for a tick to cause anemia in their host, but this is still something to keep in mind. What's more, ticks can transfer dangerous, sometimes life-threatening diseases to a cat or dog (or human, or other animal). Lyme disease is one such disease, and it can cause swelling, pain, and arthritis in the joints. Another disease that ticks can transmit is Rocky Mountain spotted fever, which can result in fever as well as lameness, similarly to Lyme disease.

Obviously, for reasons such as those listed above, you certainly don't want ticks on your furbabies. Especially if your furbaby goes outdoors, and most especially if they visit areas with lots of trees and tall grass, the best way to protect them from ticks is by way of preventatives. There are indeed preventatives on the market that cover ticks, often while at the same time preventing against other parasites we've already discussed, such as fleas and intestinal worms. So, discuss these options with your veterinarian. Again, as we've said before, it is always safest to purchase quality products, such as those offered at your veterinarian's office.

We'll also take this time to note that, if you see a tick on your furbaby, don't just start pulling at it. Ticks can attach themselves, especially their heads, very securely to an animal's body. This means that if you pull on them, you might very well remove their bodies, all while leaving their blood-sucking heads still on your kitty or pup. For this reason, if you see a tick on your furbaby, assess the situation and determine if you know how to or are able to remove it safely and in its entirety. There are some tricks and even products, such as tweezers specifically designed for tick removal, that can assist in removing a tick completely. However, if you are not positive that you can manage this, as it is not always an easy thing, then contact a veterinarian and seek assistance in removal of the tick.

How about a bonus tidbit? Opossums are known to be incredibly efficient tick-eaters. It has even been said that one single opossum can consume over 5,000 ticks in one season. So, if you have opossums in your yard, leave them be. They could very well keep that tick population down, leaving your furbaby and yourself safer for it.