Almost Autumnal Adventures with Astrid

Though the weather is starting to cool down, slowly but surely, we're still surrounded by lots and lots of greenery. Astrid knows all about that from her beloved walks.

Don't worry, though, because we have found at least one piece of evidence that autumn is trying to find its way here.

In case you can't tell, that's Astrid's 3-toed back right foot. I love getting photos of her 3-toed foot. She lost that fourth toe to cancer 7 years ago this month, but she kicked that big C to the door and now has an adorable 3-toed foot to show for it. You go, girl.

Happy Wednesday, friends!

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Not So Spooky Doodles of the Day

Today's new Halloween doodles are sort of basic ones, as in they don't have any fun background scenery. Because of that, we're sharing 2 of them. So, here's a cute little kitty zombie and a creepy kitty pumpkin.

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Tip of the Day

As we mentioned yesterday, we're dedicating October to tips all about Halloween. We already discussed keeping wreaths, garland, and other similar Halloween decor either pet-friendly or out of your furbaby's reach. Today, we're expanding on this with a tip that we've covered in a variety of ways in past tips. We're talking, yet again, about candles. This time of year, candles often become more popular because of cool weather, and because of the delicious scents often associated with this season of autumn. What's more, candles often come into play when we carve jack-o'-lanterns. Jack-o'-lanterns can pose just as much of a risk as open candle flames. Curious paws or faces, or even wagging tails, could be burned candles out in the open or those in a pumpkin. Fire could also result if a kitty or pup knocks over a candle, or a jack-o'-lantern containing a candle.

For the above reasons and more, light plain candles or those in jack-o'-lanterns only if they are safely out of reach of your furbaby, even if that means lighting them in a room not accessible to your kitty or pup. It is also of course best that candles or jack-o'-lanterns be left lit only if you are available to monitor the situation. If you are not able to keep an eye on a candle, jack-o'-lantern, and nearby furbabies, then do not leave any flames lit.

Candles and jack-o'-lanterns can make for very festive decor. However, flames can of course pose a risk to your furbaby, and also to your home in general. Therefore, always put the safety of your furbaby and everyone else in the home first when it comes to fiery festivities this time of year.

Tonks Tuesday in the Not So Haunted House

Happy October, friends! Now, have you ever witnessed a scary creature emerging from a haunted house?

Wait, that's not a scary creature. And that's definitely not a haunted house.

That's a cute little Tonks flip-flopping around in her Halloween scratcher house.

That Halloween kitty house of course stays out year round at our house. You might be able to tell in these photos that it also has a Christmas house as a neighbor.

The scariest part of this post is that tomorrow, Tonks and Thimble go in for their dentals. Thimble will be having at least 2 or 3 teeth removed due to yet more resorptive lesions. Tonks has one questionable tooth that the vet is hoping just needs cleaned up and not removed, but that will be determined for sure once he gets in there and has a good look at it.

If you have any purrs and prayers to spare for Tonks and Thimble's dentals to go well tomorrow, we'd appreciate it very much! Have a terrific Tuesday, friends!

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Not So Spooky Doodle of the Day

As I've mentioned a couple times recently, I'm doing my best to share a new Halloween doodle every day in October. Today, we have one starring my sweet angel Rosie.

Until recently, this doodle had been a pencil outline that I sketched up years ago. It started out as concept art for a temporarily shelved Halloween story I was writing with none other than my Rosie as a character. I will be getting back to that story in hopefully the not too distant future, but this doodle fits the season either way.

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Tip of the Day

Given how much we love Halloween here, we're going share a series of tips on Halloween throughout October. We share tips much like these every spooky season, but we don't mind repeating ourselves yet again on this topic. We're going to start today with none other than the festive decorations. Most people might be more cognizant of their decorations and how they might affect the resident furbabies around Christmastime. However, also keep pet-safety in mind if you put up Halloween decorations. Halloween decorations can come in all shapes and sizes, such as wreaths, garland, and all sorts of trinkets and goodies in between. If you're anything like us, you have all sorts of black cats and pumpkins out on display this time of year. No matter what kind of decorations you put out, make sure that anything your furbaby might chew on is out of their reach. Small pieces of Halloween decor, or parts and pieces of off larger pieces of decor, could lead to choking, obstruction, or perforation of the bowel if ingested. So, while you don't have to refrain from being festive and decorating for Halloween (or any holiday), you simply need to take your kitty or pup's safety into consideration when placing out all decor.