Mancat Monday: Evan and the Cat-o'-Lantern

This week I'm sharing photos of all my kitties enjoying their used and abused well-loved cat-o'-lantern basket toy. I didn't realize until now that all of Evan's shots ended up blurry. It probably didn't help that I put catnip in the cat-o'-lantern toy before the photoshoot, and Evan was indeed accordingly active for the camera. All that said, here's Evan and the cat-o'-lantern. Believe it or not, this toy used to be so bright and clean.

I almost pulled all the hair and such off of the poor cat-o'-lantern before taking these photos, but I decided against it so that you all could see it in its far more accurate state. This toy gets played with so often, and it's regularly tossed under couches and into every nook and cranny of the house. Tonks once even threw this thing so high in the air that it landed in the tall kitchen trash can.

I know it doesn't look like it, but the cat-o'-lantern has actually been laundered many times. For some reason, Evan tends to target this toy when he rage pees as I prepare his medications and such. I can never believe how dirty this poor old toy can look despite the number of times it's seen the inside of the washer.

Evan hopes you all enjoyed seeing the blurry side of him!

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Spooky Flashback Doodle of the Day

This weekend ended up far more chaotic than I expected, and so I'm still working on completing this year's new Halloween doodles. That's okay, though, because I have a ton of flashback ones to share in the meantime, such as the series I scribbled up last year. All of those starred my parents' kitties in Halloween costumes.

Though his aggressive, terminal cancer is unfortunately yet unavoidably progressing, my parents' sweet kitty Trapper is still with us. His medications are so far keeping him comfortable enough to slowly and quietly enjoy some of his favorite things. Last year I drew Trapper in a T-Rex costume, in part because of an inside joke in our family. So, here's sweet Trapper as a T-Rex.

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Tip of the Day

Today's Halloween tip is about bats. Bats may be a staple in Halloween lore and decor, but the reality is that they are one of the primary carriers of rabies. What's more, bats leave very small bites that might go unnoticed, especially on kitties or pups with fur that can hide such minuscule bite marks. For such reasons, do be aware and cautious of the presence of bats, such as if you and your furbaby are walking through a park with trees near nightfall.

Bats are not always found outside, though. Bats can sometimes find their way into buildings, including attics or other areas of homes. If you live in a house or apartment where bats are discovered, keep your furbaby away (and also, of course, try to keep yourself safe), and certainly do not allow your furbaby to chase or play with any bats. A bat can bite quickly and without notice, and rabies could potentially be transferred that quickly if the bat at hand is infected with it. If a bat is unable to be safely escorted out through a window, or in another safe means that does not mean direct handling, then contact animal control or another relevant organization for the safe removal of bats.