Friendly Fill-Ins and Eddy's Sunny Day

Hello and happy Friday, friends! We're ready for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, and we'd love for you to join us. My amazing co-host Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two fill-in statements, and I came up with the second two.


1. The older I get, the _________ I get.

2. I frequent _________.

3. Back in my day, we _________ at school.

4. I _________ during these last few weeks of summer.


My answers are below in bold.

1. The older I get, the more homebody-ish I get.
(I've always been a homebody, but the older I get the more of one I become. And that's pretty much all there is to that.)

2. I frequent the vet.
(This one is mostly courtesy of my sweet boy Evan. While he is my kitty who easily has the most actual vet appointments throughout the year, it's actually more so that his tushie gets bathed and shaved by our vet's groomer every two weeks. That's what we've found is necessary to keep him clean and healthy as his hind limb paralyzed, urinary incontinent self. So, we're at the vet quite a lot, but if that's what my boy needs, that's what my boy gets.)

3. Back in my day, we had things like presentations from yo-yo salesmen at school.
(This is such a specific answer, but my sister and I were just talking about this the other day. We grew up in the '90s, and I assume that's why our school assemblies involved things like yo-yo salesmen. This memory has always stuck with me, probably because pretty much every student's parents sent them money to buy a yo-yo and the school was just filled with the things flying all over the place. In addition to that, we did fundraisers that involved us students selling magazine subscriptions and chocolate bars,  and rewards for doing well in said fundraisers were anything from slap bracelets to limo rides. I don't know if kids these days still have these experiences, but we sure did.)

4. I am gearing up for Halloween during these last few weeks of summer.
(I love autumn and Halloween, and what's getting me through the last few weeks of summer is knowing that's on the horizon. For my own spooky happiness, I've been watching movies like Sleepy Hollow and have been starting on my Halloween doodles for this year. I'll also soon be pulling out all my Halloween decorations and spookifying my house. I know not everyone enjoys Halloween, but I do and that's what's getting me through the rest of summer.)

Now it's your turn!

To add your link to the Friendly Fill-Ins Linky list, just click HERE!

You can also click on the badge below to add your link.

You are also welcome to complete the fill-ins in the comments below,

or in the comments on Ellen's blog, 15andmeowing.

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Yesterday Thimble shared a photo of herself enjoying a sunny day, so Eddy wanted to do the same today.

We're not seeing sun through our windows like that much this week. It's been rainy and storming, and we've lost power twice this week. We were without power for 10 hours on Tuesday and 3 hours this morning. While the rain and storms are supposed to continue throughout the weekend, they're calling for some sunshine next week. The kitties are looking forward to that, and we're wishing you all lots of sunshine!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

Today's doodle is kind of spooky, and it's also some concept art I scribbled up last year for the weird and wacky story I'm writing.

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Tip of the Day

For today's tip on how to decorate your home around your furbaby, we're here to remind you to make sure your kitty or pup has a safe window view. Indoor cats and dogs are of course safe from the dangers of an outdoor life, but it is still important that they get the mental stimulation provided by a view of the outdoors. To allow for this window view, try putting pet-friendly furniture near the window. Placing a cat tree beside the window is a perfect option for cats, for example. Of course, though, you can even simply position a couch, chair, table, or other pet-safe piece of furniture so that a window view is possible for your kitty or pup.

There are a couple of other considerations to make when it comes to window views for your furbabies. First, if it's possible and safe, try to feed birds or squirrels in view of the window, so that your kitty or pup can have the added mental stimulation of having wildlife to watch. What's more, make sure all windows are securely closed and safe from potential escapes. Also make sure that any nearby window blinds or curtains do not pose a risk to the safety of your cat or dog. It is important to ensure your indoor cat or dog has a window view in order to keep them happy and sharp, but it's equally important to ensure their safety.

Thankful Thimble Thursday: Sunshine and Naps

Hello and happy Thursday! As always, Thimble is here and ready for Angel Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.

Today, Thimble is grateful for sunny naps. She loves being able to sit in a sunny room and close her eyes for a snooze.

Thimble hopes you all get to enjoy both sunshine and snoozes today!

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Now, of course, we have the fill-in statements for tomorrow's Friendly Fill-Ins challenge. My amazing co-host Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two, and I came up with the second two.

1. The older I get, the _________ I get.

2. I frequent _________.

3. Back in my day, we _________ at school.

4. I _________ during these last few weeks of summer.

We'll see you tomorrow, friends!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

Today's flashback doodle is a kooky one. It's in the same vein as another one I shared this week, but even more weird. The short story is that a couple summers ago I was in a spooky mood and was doing a rewatch of the first season of the show Wednesday. The severed hand Thing in the Addams Family got me thinking, which resulted in me wanting to create a kitty version of it. So, I drew this severed kitty leg, and though you can't see it in this particular drawing, others I created at the same time prove that the black kitty is suspiciously 3-legged.

Don't mind the armless skeleton. He was inspired by someone I saw online who drives around with a plastic skeleton in their car, except his arms fell off. So, I decided to recreate that here as well.

Oh, and the kitty and its severed leg now make appearances in the current story I'm writing. Because I can.

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Tip of the Day

In case you haven't seen our past couple of tips, we're currently in a series all about decorating your home around the furbabies in your life. Today's tip on this topic is to use couch or chair covers, or even just regular blankets, on your furniture. This can help protect the furniture beneath from excess pet hair, as well as from all varieties of accidents that can happen in a home with kitties or pups. If needed, you can also look into the various moisture resistant couch covers and blankets that are out there, to indeed protect furniture from vomit, urine, and all that jazz. We also mentioned in yesterday's tip that you can use furniture covers or blankets to help protect couches and chairs from kitty claw, or even claws of pups. In addition, some cats or dogs might be a bit more on the greasy side, such as Sphynx cats or furbabies with certain ailments, and furniture covers can also help keep couches and chairs clean in this way as well. There are covers designed to fit and protect entire pieces of furniture, or you can simply place a spare blanket on your furbaby's favorite chair or on their favorite part of the couch. Either way, furniture coverings can help protect your couches and chairs from direct damage. Whereas it's not exactly easy to clean an entire chair or couch, if you use a cover, you can easily remove it and throw it in the wash.

Angel Astrid's Woof Woof Wednesday in the Window

I was looking through old photos and found some cute and funny ones of my sweet angel pup Astrid. These were from quite a few years ago, and they were taken at my parents' house. There, Astrid would climb onto the back of their couch and watch out their big front window.

On this particular occasion, my parents' kitty Flitwick decided to join the big pup.

Flitwick is my girl Tonks's litter mate, as is my sister's house panther Winky.

Angel Astrid hopes you all enjoy a window view today. Happy Wednesday!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

Astrid loved helping me cook and bake in the kitchen, so even though it doesn't star any canines, this old doodle still seems apt enough for today.

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Tip of the Day

We're still in the midst of our series of tips all about decorating your home around your furbabies. Today's tip on that topic involves protecting your furniture from kitty claws. After all, cats do indeed have claws. That's simply part of who they are. That being said, that doesn't mean there aren't safe, humane ways of protecting your furniture from those claws.

To begin, of course place cat scratchers throughout your house in order to give your cats appropriate places to use their claws. Cats often like to scratch as a more or less territorial display, so make sure that at least some of their scratchers are somewhere visible and in the open. You can also place a scratcher near any furniture to which your furbaby's claws gravitate. This way, your kitty can have an appropriate scratching location where you can immediately redirect them should they begin to use the furniture instead.

We recently mentioned this next idea in another tip, but we'll say it again. To protect your furniture from cat claws while also giving your cat a proper place to scratch, you can wrap sisal rope around furniture legs, rails of staircases, and other similar locations. Again, this not only protects those home features from cat claws, but also simultaneously gives your cat another appropriate place to use their claws. Another potential form of protection against cat claws for your furniture is a heavy-duty couch or chair cover.

As we said above, cats indeed have claws. While those claws can sometimes find their way to furniture, there are proper ways to combat this. Simply research types of scratchers for your kitty to use, create your own scratchers using sisal rope, or find another way to protect the furniture while also treating your kitty and their claws in a humane way. When your kitty scratches furniture, calmly redirect them to a proper cat scratcher, so that they can learn where they should and should not sharpen those claws of theirs. Of course, also don't forget to regularly trim your kitty's nails.

A Failed Toesies Tonks Tuesday

It's Tonks Tuesday, and today the calico wanted to show off her toesies. Her attempt was a tad bit of a fail, though, as she ended up itching her ear and tearing out a bit of her own fur, and said fur got stuck on her paw. So, here's a bit of a chaotic attempt to show you Tonksy's toesies.

The camera also decided to focus on that cute little face instead of the toes. I can't say I blame it, though, because just look at that adorable face.

Have a terrific Tuesday, friends!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

Today's flashback doodle is another somewhat spooky one even though we're not technically in the spooky season. It's not an in-your-face Halloween doodle, so I've at least so far held off on starting to share those. That said, this particular drawing in part inspired some of the new spooky doodles I have in the works, so I figured why not share it now.

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Tip of the Day

Our cats and dogs often more or less have free roam of our homes. Sometimes, though, that might become a bit difficult for them, for a variety of potential reasons. If your cat or dog is allowed on furniture, make sure that they can easily and safely access it. This is something to especially take into consideration for cats or dogs with mobility issues. Geriatric, arthritic, injured, and any other specially abled furbabies may require some form of help getting onto couches, chairs, beds, tables, shelves, and so forth. Sometimes all you have to do is put low stools or boxes next to the furniture, as long as said stools or boxes are safe and sturdy. There are also pet stairs and pet ramps available on the market, which can be placed beside beds, couches, and other relevant furniture. So, if your furbaby is allowed on furniture, keep in mind what might affect their ability to get onto said furniture. Age, injuries, and other such factors can make it difficult for your cat or dog to reach elevated locations. Take all such factors into consideration, and help your furbaby adjust as best and as safely as possible.

Mancat Monday: Topsy-Turvy Toesies

It's Mancat Monday, and Evan decided you all need to be reminded how adorable his extra special back legs are.

That's how Evan's paralyzed back legs pretty much always look. No matter what, one is always upside down when he's at rest. I love his topsy-turvy toesies.

Have a magnificent Monday, friends!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

Evan's toesies shot above reminded me of this concept art I scribbled up for my current writing work-in-progress. I drew this well over a year ago, and it shows the Evan-inspired kitty character in the story, and the drawing his human created for him.

If that there kitty and drawing were more accurate, one of those back legs would be upside down with the paw pads showing. I think I omitted that fact in part for sake of ease, though I kind of regret not drawing it in true Evan style. Actually, now that I think of it, I rarely even draw Evan with one back leg upside down. I really need to remedy that.

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Tip of the Day

In a home with a hind limb paralyzed cat, as well as other active kitties, rugs on hardwood, laminate, tile, and other similar floor surfaces do not easily stay put. That being said, today's tip covers just a couple ideas on how you can try to keep rugs in place when you live with playful, active, or special needs furbabies who often just cannot help but move those rugs around. To begin, you can get rugs that come already equipped with a nonslip backing. There are also separate nonslip pads that can be placed beneath a rug. Even these options are sometimes not enough to keep rugs in place, though. For something a bit more heavy-duty, you can try something such as double-sided carpet tape. Similarly, you can use velcro strips, placing one on the rug's underside and one on the floor beneath it, thereby attaching the rug to the floor. I have even heard of people using something such as silicone caulking on the bottom of rugs, which, when dried, will have a nonskid effect. Sharing our homes with furbabies can mean that rugs throughout the house end up in all sorts of disarray. To combat this, you can brainstorm and test out which potential nonskid or adherent methods might work best for you, your furbaby, and your home.

Friendly Fill-Ins and Glamorous Eddy

Hello, friends! We're ready for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, and we'd love for you to join us. My amazing co-host Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two fill-in statements, and I came up with the second two.

1. _________ was money well spent.

2. _________ was a big waste of money.

3. If I became famous, it would most likely be because _________.

4. _________ was the worst hairstyle I've ever had.


My answers are below in bold.

1. Getting gutter guards was money well spent.

(This is such a random answer, and one that proves I'm getting old. That said, my mom and I were talking about it recently, and so here we are. When I had my roof replaced after hail damage a few years ago, I almost didn't get the gutter guards that they roofers recommended. Home insurance covered a good chunk of my roof repair, but I ended up having to fork out a hefty sum for lumber. For that reason, I considered saving money by foregoing the gutter guards, which weren't all that cheap either. I ended up getting them, though, and I am so glad I did. My gutters stay completely clear of leaves and other debris, never clog up, I never have to climb up there to clean them out, and here I am singing the praises of none other than gutter guards.)

2. The warranty on my laptop was a big waste of money.
(Here's the thing—if I'd actually used the warranty, maybe it would have been worth it. However, my computer started having issues quite literally one week after my warranty expired. So, I'd paid for the warranty, but because my computer broke 7 days too late, I spent money on said unused warranty and then also the repairs. Warranties in some cases can be great. For instance, my aforementioned new roof needed a repair recently, and its warranty completely covered it. But, in the case of my laptop, I just wasted my money.)

3. If I became famous, it would most likely be because of Evan.
(I follow a lot of kitties online who have become their own version of famous because of how extra special they are. I sometimes wonder what would happen if I created actual social media pages for Evan, and if I had any skills in said social media. Would my extra special boy be "famous"? The reality is that it doesn't matter, because no matter what the world thinks, my boy will always be the best, most special, amazing kitty to me.)

4. My childhood perm was the worst hairstyle I've ever had.
(I was born in 1989, and my Mom had a couple perms in the 80s and I'd see photos of her like that and all that jazz. I think because of that, even growing up in the 90s, I ended up with at least one if not two perms as a preteen. I guess it wasn't the most awful hairstyle ever, but when I see the photos I just think, why did I want that?)

Now it's your turn!

To add your link to the Friendly Fill-Ins Linky list, just click HERE!

You can also click on the badge below to add your link.

You are also welcome to complete the fill-ins in the comments below,

or in the comments on Ellen's blog, 15andmeowing.

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Who's ready for an Eddy fix? We know you all are. And today the pretty girl has a glamour shot, albeit at an odd angle. Even better, it gives you a glimpse of her adorable snaggletooth.

Eddy and all of us here wish you a happy Friday!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

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Tip of the Day

Today we have the last tip in our litter box series. This tip is to consider using some sort of litter mat or tray, in order to keep your home environment free of as much rogue litter as possible. Litter often comes out of the box when our kitties dig and dig in the litter, or on our kitties' paws when they leave the box. This can ultimately result in litter not only outside of the box, but also throughout the house. To combat this, try placing a litter mat or tray under or outside of the litter box. There are such mats and trays available on the market, which are specifically designed to catch stray pieces of litter so that it can't as easily travel throughout the rest of the house. For a cheaper option, though, you can also use a rug to catch litter, or you can even try something such as a boot tray. Another option is to place the litter box within a larger container, such as a giant storage container or a kiddie pool. This would allow for rogue litter to remain in that outer container, rather than spreading throughout the house.

All of the above being said, litter mats and trays may not always be able to trap every piece of litter. So, to further help keep litter at bay and your house clean, do be sure to sweep up stray litter as often as possible. It's not a bad idea to make a habit of sweeping up rogue litter each time you scoop the box.

There are a number of options for helping keep stray litter from spreading throughout the house. You can buy specifically designed litter mats or trays, you can try a similar makeshift option, and you can of course keep a broom at the ready in the litter area. Of course, do make sure that any mats, trays, or other methods you use do not deter your kitty from using the litter box in the first place.

Thankful Thimble Thursday Cuteness

Hello, friends! It's Thursday, and Thimble is of course ready for Angel Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.

Today, Thimble is again grateful for her adorable nose, and mouth, and just really her whole adorable face.

Need a close-up of that cuteness? Of course you do.

Thimble hopes seeing her downright adorable self helped brighten your day!

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And now we of course have the fill-in statements for tomorrow's Friendly Fill-Ins challenge. My amazing co-host Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two, and I came up with the second two.

1. _________ was money well spent.

2. _________ was a big waste of money.

3. If I became famous, it would most likely be because _________.

4. _________ was the worst hairstyle I've ever had.

We'll see you tomorrow, friends!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

I've been looking into recipes and techniques for making homemade cake donuts, so this old doodle starring my angel Rosie seemed perfect.

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Tip of the Day

Believe it or not, we still have a couple tips left in our litter box series. Today's tip is to consider regularly replacing litter boxes as they grow old and overused. Some cat care professionals recommend brand new litter boxes on a yearly basis. At the very least, do take note of how old your cat's litter box is and what shape it's in, and replace it as needed.

There are a couple of considerations to make when deciding whether or when to replace a litter box. First, keep in mind that plastic litter boxes can become adorned with scrapes and scratches from cat claws, and those scratches on plastic litter boxes can ultimately harbor a variety of microbes. This can, of course, ultimately lead to potentially unsanitary conditions within the litter box. In addition to that, ammonia and other components of excrement can potentially leach into the plastic of litter boxes over time. This can make lingering odors, such as that of urine, more or less permanent, which could very well be unpleasant to those sharp noises of our kitties. The aforementioned are just two reasons why regularly replacing old litter boxes may indeed be a good idea. As we've said before, maintaining a fresh, clean litter box can be crucial to sharing your home with a happy, healthy feline.