Tonks Tuesday with Evan and an Alphabetical Announcement

It's Tonks Tuesday, and today Tonks wanted everyone to know how much she loves her brother, Evan. Evan is actually the only cat in the house that every other cat likes and gets along with. A lot of the female cats in the house don't get the along all that great with each other, and our housemate Toby also picks on all the girls. But, when it comes to Evan, all the other kitties generally like him. For Tonks, that started way back when she was a kitten. See?

After recently stumbling upon that adorable photo above, I decided to see how many photos I've snapped of Tonks hanging out with Evan over the years. Here are just a few of them that I found...

I always find it funny how Tonks will give a little smack or hiss to most of the other kitties in the house whenever she passes them, yet when it comes to Evan, she'll stop and hang out with him or initiate play. Tonks and her littermate Winky can't even look at each other across the room without exchanging a hiss or at least a glare, but Tonks is totally fine with Evan body slamming her to the ground repeatedly while they play.

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Tonks also wanted to share her love for her brother today because she's helping me finally announce our April A to Z Challenge theme, and it is heavily influenced by Evan.

I'm going to try to make this quick, because otherwise I'm just going to ramble. As always, So, after dragging my feet in fear that others wouldn't enjoy my weird and wacky plans for April, I finally decided to just go for it. So, as I've mentioned a gazillion times before, I love the fantasy genre. Fantasy has always been a form of escape from reality for me, both in terms of reading and writing. I've been writing all sorts of fantastical stories over the years, and most recently I've been working on yet another such tale, this one starring an orange tabby who, like my Evan, is hind limb paralyzed. The name of this fictionalized kitty inspired by my own boy is Hobo. He has that name for a reason, in case you were curious. Anyway, for this year's April A to Z Challenge, I'll be sharing illustrations of Hobo going on his weird and wacky adventures.

Since Evan inspired all of the craziness rather inarticulately explained above, he's starring in today's brand new doodle. And in said doodle, he's hanging out with one way I might envision my current writing work-in-progress if it were actually a book.

I'm sorry if none of the above made sense. I quite frankly never know how to explain my weird writing projects or my freakish obsession with the fantasy genre. Even so, if you're interested in learning about a hind limb paralyzed cat going on fantastical adventures, that's what we'll have for you in April.

Happy Tuesday, friends!

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Tip of the Day

We've given past tips on the dangers of paint products, but we're going to repeat this for National Pet Poison Awareness Month. Unsurprisingly, paint, varnish, and other similar products can be toxic to our furbabies. Lead paints can of course cause lead poisoning, which can cause a variety of severe symptoms, including those of the gastrointestinal and neurological systems. Lead can also be detrimental to red blood cells, brain function, and other important processes in the body. Oil-based paints can also be dangerous, potentially causing diarrhea as well as having serious effects on the lungs. They may also contain heavy metals and thereby cause symptoms similar to those of lead paint toxicity. Products such as varnish can also have similar negative side effects as paint.

Also keep in mind that paint and paint products can emit dangerous fumes, as we're sure you all know. Especially without proper ventilation, inhalation of the fumes can cause irritation of the lungs or symptoms such as dizziness. To avoid emergencies related to the ingestion or inhalation of paint or other paint products, of course keep these items well out of reach of your furbabies. Try to keep your furbabies safely out of areas that are being painted. Should ingestion or inhalation of paint products occur, do not hesitate to seek veterinary assistance.