Happy Birthday, Thimble, Toby, Trapper, and Sweet Angel Talon!

Today is a bittersweet day. It's my sweet girl Thimble's 11th birthday. This little tabby girl is one of the sweetest beings I have ever met in my life. I love her so much, and I hope she has the happiest birthday ever.

My parents, my sister, and myself met Thimble and her 3 brothers when they were just 3 weeks old. My grandma discovered that her neighbor had found these kittens on his property, and for some reason he'd put them in a bucket. They ended up with my grandma on that day, and ultimately made their way to us. We bottle fed them, intending to foster them until they were old enough to adopt out. Obviously, we were foster fails.

Thimble's brothers include our chill, fuzzy tuxie housemate Toby, who owns my sister. Since my sister currently lives with me, Thimble (and myself!) gets to spend lots of time with her fuzzy brother.

My parents' boys from the litter are the cool, laidback tabby Trapper and the sweet, social tuxie-ish Talon.

As we mentioned in a recent memorial post, Talon gained his angel wings on April 25th, just 2 weeks ago, from suspected pulmonary carcinoma. My family is very attached to and loves every single one of these sweet kitties beyond words, in no small part because we met these babies and bottle fed them at such an early age. They were our first ever bottle babies. We miss Talon so, so much, but we will never forget him. We love him always and forever, and we hope that he and all of his siblings have the most beautiful birthday.

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I really tried to have Thimble and her brothers' new birthday doodle done for today, but I just didn't manage it. So, here's a flashback from the good ol' days.

Thimble, I am so happy and grateful to be your human mom. I love you so much, sweet girl, and I hope you have the best birthday ever.

Toby and Trapper, you are two handsome, chill fellas whom I'm so grateful to have in my life. Have the best birthday ever, boys.

Sweet, sweet Talon, I love you. We all love you. We miss you, but you will never be forgotten. Not ever. You are and always will be a huge part of us, and I hope you have the best heavenly birthday.

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Tip of the Day

Today's wildlife tip is about those bright-eyed, bushy-tailed rodents we so often seen running about. That is, squirrels. As we've all certainly witnessed, squirrels are not all that particular when it comes to what they'll put in their mouths. They are pretty resilient, but that doesn't mean we should throw any and every food out there for them. For example, bread and starchy foods are not the best diet choice for squirrels, especially when moldy. Even peanuts and corn are not all that ideal for them, again, especially when moldy. Of course, human junk food is also not a great option.

So, if you want to throw some snacks out for the squirrels, such as to enhance that Squirrel TV, try to offer them some foods that are a bit healthier for them. What, then, are some potential foods you can offer squirrels as healthy snacks? Tree nuts are one option, such as walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, and hickory nuts. Vegetables can also be just as healthy for squirrels as they are for us, and some good options for squirrels include carrots, broccoli, and zucchini. Another option is fruit, such as apple, strawberries, and grapes. So, while squirrels may not be picky when it comes to food, if you wish to offer them some choices, there are some healthy ones you can try. Then, you and your furbabies can enjoy a healthy episode of Squirrel TV.