The Letter K and Evan's Battle Cry

Hello and welcome to another day of the April A to Z Challenge!

For this alphabetical challenge, I'm sharing my own fan art versions of covers for some of my favorite books. Even better, my covers star cats, or the occasional dog or other animal. It doesn't matter whether the books in question have a kitty or other animal characters. My covers will have furry stars no matter what.

Today we've reached the letter K, and for this one it's not a book title I'm going with. Instead, I'm basing my book choice on the main character's name, and that is Kane. I've mentioned how my dad is a lifelong fan of the fantasy genre, and I inherited that. My dad also shared his old fantasy books with me as I grew up, and I read pretty much all of them. Those included the 1970s books about the warrior named Kane, who had red hair and cursed blue eyes. Karl Edward Wagner's stories about Kane have always been some of my favorite pulp fantasy reads, so I of course had to share at least one of them in this month's A to Z Challenge.

[Reminder/Disclaimer/whatever you want to call it: This is not a real, true cover of this book. My name is also not Karl Edward Wagner, and so I am admittedly not the author of this book. I'm just someone who likes books and cats and so drew this unofficial feline version of the book's cover.]

Though I immensely enjoy the novel Dark Crusade, it's actually some of the anthology books with short stories and novellas starring Kane that are my absolute favorite reads by Karl Edward Wagner. That said, I very loosely based my kitty Kane drawing on the cover art of Dark Crusade, so I let it be the Kane cover I shared.

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Speaking of red-headed warriors, here's a my tough little guy Evan giving his battle cry!

Oh, wait, no. Evan was just giving me an adorable little yawn in these bloopers.

The poor tired boy has to put up with his human of a mom shoving a camera in his face when all he wants is a nap. He's such a sweet boy, though, and is (usually) a good sport about it.

Don't worry. I let Evan take his nap after snapping a couple more photos. Oh, and if you were curious, Evan is a snorer. And a loud one at that.

Happy napping to all!

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Tip of the Day

A few days ago we gave a tip relating to intestinal worms, including roundworms. We failed to mention lungworms, though, which are actually a type of roundworm. Slugs and snails are the common carriers of lungworm larvae. Dogs, therefore, can end up with a lungworm infestation if they eat a slug or snail that is carrying the larvae. It is also possible for cats to acquire lungworms, such as if they eat a slug or snail, or if they eat a bird or other prey that has eaten a slug or snail that is carrying lungworm larvae.

Lungworms, obviously, affect the lungs. Signs of lungworm infection can include coughing and difficulty breathing. In some cases, respiratory failure can occur. Needless to say, if you notice any respiratory distress in your kitty or pup, always have them seen by a veterinarian as quickly as possible. Diagnosis and treatment of any respiratory disorder, including lungworms, should not be delayed.

To help prevent any potential lungworm infection in your furbabies, be aware of their surroundings. Do you have slugs and snails in your yard, or in any areas where your furbaby visits? If so, keep an eye on them and try to prevent their ingestion of such critters. Also, do not leave toys or bowls outside where snails or slugs might be able to inhabit them, as this could result in even accidental ingestion of these critters that can carry lungworms. And, of course, if you have any concerns regarding the risk, prevention, or treatment of lungworms, discuss this with your veterinarian.