Woof Woof Wednesday with Festive Angel Astrid

It's time for some more festive fun with my sweet angel pup Astrid. We've shared flashbacks of the big girl in her Christmas sweater before, but how about another one?

That sweater isn't the only festive attire Astrid wore, though. We also always put a Christmas ribbon on her collar. My mom (Astrid's beloved Gammy) made all of Astrid's collar ribbons, and my favorite of her Christmas ones starred the renowned red truck:

Happy Wednesday from my sweet angel Astrid and all of us!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

Today's doodle is indeed another flashback, this one being one of our previous Christmas card images. It of course starred all of the kitties as well as sweet pup Astrid.

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Tip of the Day

Today is another one of our tips on how to travel with your furbaby this holiday season, or any time of the year. When traveling with your furbaby, consider how you will be traveling and what all therefore might be necessary. Are you and your furbaby traveling by car? Plane? Train? For a plane, train, or other public transportation, do your research and understand what all that particular company might require for your furbaby to board and travel. Is a carrier required? If so, how small or big of one? Is a health certificate required, and/or proof of particular vaccinations? Look into all of this and plan well in advance so that all can be squared away before you and your furbaby head out on your travels. Of course, this is all also important to keep in mind when traveling in your own car. Proper, safe restraint is important even in a car, of course. Have secure carriers for kitties and small dogs, or leashes and seat belts for larger dogs. Even in your own car it is also important for your furbaby to be up-to-date on certain vaccines and other medical care, in case you should be stopped and asked for proof of their health status. So, while it is often possible to travel with your kitty or pup, do of course ensure that you allow proper time to find out what all you will need for safe and legal travels.

Tonks Tuesday with Our New Tree

Tonks has been enjoying our new Christmas tree. I mentioned a week or two ago how I won two new trees at a local Christmas tree festival this year. I only got one of them put up in the house, as I wasn't expecting so many new trees. Not to mention the one I didn't set up has a disco ball that spins on top of it, and I haven't yet decided on how to make that work with Tonks.

All that to say, my sweet calico has at least been enjoying our new, Tonks-safe tree.

I not only loved the classic aesthetics of this tree, but I loved that, save for one glass ornament I removed, every other bit of this tree is safe at my house. Cloth ribbons, wooden gingerbread house ornaments, and globe ornaments that are just plastic wrapped in red cloth made this tree immediately safe for my home. And when I won it, they handed it to me still decorated, but wrapped in plastic so that everything stayed in place. I genuinely just carried it into my house, set it on the floor, cut off the plastic, plugged it in, and I was done.

What's amazing is that Tonks actually hasn't tried to climb that tree at all. She bats at the parts and pieces, as you can see in the photos above, but she saves all the tree climbing for our bigger, older tree in which she loves to nap.

Oh, and I did take a picture of that tree when I first saw it at the festival where I won it.

It was one of dozens of trees, and it looked so pretty standing there. It's looking a little more askew now, as Tonks and the other kitties do bat at the ribbons and ornaments, but it's still pretty. It also came with those pretty lantern globes beneath it, and both Tonks and Thimble love watching where their lights glint on the walls.

Tonks and all of us here wish you a festive day!

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Festive Flashback Doodle of the Day

I'm still working on this year's new Christmas doodles. I thankfully got our Christmas card doodle finished early in the month and will finally be sending those in the mail tomorrow. But, Christmas is barely over a week away and I meant to have shared multiple other new doodles by now. But, as you all know, life happens. I'll get them finished, though, and at least the Twelve Days of Christmas only starts on Christmas itself, as that gives me all those days to continue sharing the festive fun. Anyway, all that to say, we're still going with festive flashbacks doodles, and here's an old one starring my sweet calico angel Rosie.

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Tip of the Day

Yesterday, we mentioned how to prepare your furbaby if you are leaving them to travel for the holidays. Today, we are starting a short series of tips on what to do if you are traveling with your furbaby. First and foremost, if you plan to take your furbaby with you on a trip this Christmas, or any time of the year, talk to your veterinarian. Discuss with them your furbaby's health and whether traveling is safe for them. Some furbabies, such as those who are geriatric or who are suffering from an illness, might not be good candidates for traveling, especially long distance. If you are in need of traveling with such a furbaby, though, have a detailed discussion with your veterinarian on what you must do to take all precautions to keep your furbaby as healthy and happy as possible during travels. In some cases, even for young and healthy kitties or pups, some form of sedation might be in their best interest for traveling. This is another detail that you must discuss with your veterinarian. It is always our furbaby's best interest that we must have in mind, so ask your veterinarian any and all questions you have regarding keeping your furbaby happy and healthy during travels.

Mancat Monday with Evan and the Reindeer

In Friday's Friendly Fill-Ins post, I mentioned some new reindeer decor my mom purchased for me at a craft fair. They're reindeer a sweet old man made out of repurposed wood, crafted to look like giant versions of Rudolph clothespin ornaments that were popular back in the day. I also mentioned how I tried to get Evan to pose with the reindeer recently. He sort of did, but he was very excited during the photo shoot and so most of the shots were blurry. And so, here is blurry Evan and his reindeer.

Once Evan settled down a bit, I tried to get a more festive photo, including the Christmas tree, by elevating the reindeer. It turned out a bit creepy, though, as the reindeer kind of look like they're preying on my poor orange boy. But don't worry, as no Evans were harmed in the making of these photos.

Evan hopes you all enjoyed his bloopery photo shoot with our new reindeer!

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Festive Flashback Doodle of the Day

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Tip of the Day

If you are traveling for the holidays without your furbaby, be sure to plan for their proper care while you are away. Be sure to book a pet-sitter or space in a boarding facility well in advance, to ensure that your kitty or pup has scheduled care with a trusted caregiver. Then, of course, also make sure that your furbaby's caregiver has everything they will need for the comfort and safety of your kitty or pup. Whether a pet-sitter is coming to your home or whether your furbaby is staying at someone else's home or at a boarding facility, have plenty of their food in stock, and make sure that their leash, litter, and other necessities are readily available. Also make sure that any medication they take is refilled, and that instructions for medication administration as well as feedings and other care is written down or understood by the caregiver. Other important information to leave for a caregiver is your contact information, your veterinarian's contact information, and your furbaby's medical records, as needed. It is always better to be more prepared than not, so be sure that sufficient preparations are made for your furbaby's care in the event that you leave for the holidays, or any time of the year.

Friendly Fill-Ins and Eddy's Festive Red Ribbon

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. _________ is my favorite Christmas song.

2. _________ is a Christmas decoration that I treasure.

3. Though 'tis the season for _________, I much prefer _________.

4. If I could create a new Christmas tradition, it would be _________.


My answers are below in bold.

1. "Carol of the Bells" is my favorite Christmas song.
(I often give the answer "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" to this questions, and that wouldn't be a lie. If I'm in the mood for a fun Christmas song, I go for the hippo every time. But, if I'm looking for something more powerful, that's when I go for "Carol of the Bells". I've loved this song for as long as I can remember. I'm a huge fan of Manheim Steamroller's version, but I enjoy pretty much any rendition of "Carol of the Bells".)

2. My new wooden reindeer are a Christmas decoration that I treasure.
(I have a lot of Christmas decorations that are sentimental. In trying to decide which one to put as my answer, I couldn't make up my mind and started thinking about a couple of new reindeer I just got this year. I know it sounds weird to already see them as sentimental, but my mom got them for me when she and I were at a craft fair recently. As a kid, I loved those wooden reindeer ornaments made out of old-fashioned clothespins. Do you know the ones I mean? My mom made some long ago and my sister and I would stick them onto the tree each year when we were kids. Well, back to the craft fair from this year, a cute old man was selling giant versions of these clothespin reindeer that he'd made out of repurposed wood. I fell in love with them, and my mom ended up getting them for me, as well as some for my sister, since we share fun memories with the smaller, original versions of the reindeer. I'm pretty sure I snapped a photo of Evan with the new reindeer the other day, so he'll share them with you on Monday.)

3. Though 'tis the season for gingerbread, I much prefer the chocolate goodies.
(Don't get me wrong, because I do enjoy some good gingerbread and each year try my hand at creating such cookies. But, I much prefer chocolate and so also always make at least one dessert of that nature, such as chocolate peppermint bark or fudge or even chocolate pie. I also love me a good peanut butter cookie, even better if it includes chocolate. Each Christmas I make peanut butter cookies decorated to look like Rudolph's face. His eyes are chocolate chips, his nose is a red m&m, and his antlers are broken pretzels. I love those.)

4. If I could create a new Christmas tradition, it would be something to benefit shelter animals.
(I try to make at least a small donation to one or more local animal rescues each Christmastime, but I have yet to create any sort of consistent tradition with this. I really want to. One year I created a box for cats and a box dogs, filled with food and treats and toys, and delivered them to our local humane society. I want to start doing something akin to that each year, but perhaps to also benefit more of the smaller rescues in our area.)

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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Are you ready for your Eddy fix? We know you are. Today, Eddy is of course getting festive, and she's doing so with the new red ribbon on her beloved Christmas tree.

Though her tree climbing chaos has settled down a bit as she's aged, Eddy is still rough on Christmas trees. She prefers to live in my bedroom, as she dislikes most other cats (she loves Evan and tolerates Thimble, but that's it). So, in my bedroom, Eddy has her very own year round Christmas tree. During the festive season, she gets a very loosely hanging strand of battery-operated lights on the tree, as well as a red ribbon topper made of cloth. The ribbon she had for many previous years finally fell apart after much abuse from Eddy. So, this year she has a brand new one. We'll see how long until she's shredded the newbie, but for now it's looking quite festive.

Eddy wishes you all a festive Friday!

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Festive Flashback Doodle of the Day

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Tip of the Day

We previously mentioned being cautious when using lights on your Christmas tree, due to the various hazards they pose, such as electrocution or a kitty or pup getting tangled. That being said, also be sure to keep this same concept in mind when putting up lights or other decorations outdoors. After all, outdoor animals, such as squirrels, birds, or stray or feral cats, can also potentially be put at risk by Christmas decorations. Try to prevent dangerous situations by taking precautions, such as never leaving any parts or pieces of decorations loose, as both indoor and outdoor babies could get tangled up or ingest something dangerous. When it comes to cords, whether indoor or outdoor, try to find a way to safely secure them, such as by taping them to a wall or the ground. You certainly don't have to forego decorations and all things festive, but do keep in mind the safety of both indoor and outdoor critters.

Thankful Thursday with Festive Thimble and a Not-So-Feral Kitty

Hello to all! Today, Thimble is of course here and ready for Angel Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.

Today, Thimble is grateful for how the Christmas tree distracts her calico sister. Remember this photo Tonks shared on Tuesday?

Well, that photo was taken just seconds after this one here:

Do you see Thimble's photobomber in the tree? Do you see that little calico face tucked in there? Thimble is indeed thankful that Tonks likes the Christmas tree so much, as it keeps her calico sister from trolling her all day.

That's not all we're grateful for today, though. I mentioned yesterday how I was able to catch a stray kitty in our neighborhood and transport her to a local no-kill rescue. This particular kitty has been around the neighborhood for a few months, and I myself have seen her pregnant twice. She would only stop in my yard for food, as well as cuddles once she and I both realized the other wasn't feral, and would then move on. Given that she was out at all times of day and night, in the freezing cold and getting pregnant, I am certain no one (or at least no one worthy) would claim her.

Though I don't want to complain or badmouth, our local humane society and animal control have become less than helpful in recent years. They have new "rules" that make it nearly impossible to get them to help you with strays and other such kitties, especially if they find out you've been feeding said kitties. So, I started contacting other rescues. They're all full, which I understand. But, unable to take in this sweet cat myself with all of my own kitties, I was desperate and kept trying. It was breaking my heart seeing her outside. I have a covered shelter in my yard that has a heat lamp as well as a heat bed, but the kitty would hardly ever use it. She'd eat food I put in the shelter, and then she'd leave its safety. I'd instead occasionally find her like this:

Finally, the rescue group from which I adopted my Eddy got back to me. They are full, with 200 cats currently under their care, but like me, they don't want her out there in the elements. Though the kitty had proven herself quite friendly, I wasn't sure how she'd feel about getting into a cage. Luckily, some tuna lured her right in.

She immediately shredded the pee pad I had in there out of frustration from being in a cage, but she was still acting so very sweet and friendly otherwise.

I was afraid she was starting to appear in the early stages of pregnancy again, and the rescue lady I handed her off to confirmed she also believes she's pregnant again. And in the winter nonetheless. But, this time the kitty won't have to fend for herself and her kitties on her own. I donated dry and canned food to the rescue when I took the kitty to them, and I'll also be donating monetarily. The rescue group is called CATsNAP, and I'll include their link there purely because I appreciate them and what they do so much. Not only did they bring Eddy into my life, but they're quite literally the only local organization who has ever stepped forward to help me and my family when we seek assistance with strays and ferals in need. And they've done so many times.

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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. _________ is my favorite Christmas song.

2. _________ is a Christmas decoration that I treasure.

3. Though 'tis the season for _________, I much prefer _________.

4. If I could create a new Christmas tradition, it would be _________.

We'll see you tomorrow, friends!

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Festive Flashback Doodle of the Day

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Tip of the Day

Did you know that poinsettias are not as deadly for your furbaby as is often believed? Of course, that's not to say you should be feeding poinsettias to your furbabies as an afternoon snack, as they can indeed cause irritation of the mouth and stomach. But, poinsettias are in actuality not the most dangerous of Christmas decorations. It's festive plants such as mistletoe and holly of which you should be even more cautious. Mistletoe can cause issues such as vomiting, diarrhea, decreased heart rate, and difficulty breathing. Holly can also cause vomiting and diarrhea, and sometimes lethargy or even death. Needless to say, always be cognizant of what plants and other decorations are in your home. To be safe, it is likely best to simply keep your home free of Christmas plants.

Winter Wonderland Adventures with Angel Astrid

Hello, friends! I'm sorry we're so late to post yet again. I've been working on contacting shelters and rescues about a stray female cat who has seemingly been pregnant multiple times in my neighborhood. Not only do I not want more homeless kitties out there, but we're expecting subzero temperatures this weekend, and I did not want to see her out there in that. I finally got the go-ahead from a rescue to bring her to them if I could catch her, and this morning I got her and so she's now safely with a no-kill rescue. That's been stressful but rewarding, and I'll share a bit more about it in tomorrow's Thankful Thursday post.

Now, it's time for some Christmastime memories with my sweet angel pup Astrid. Since Mother Nature keeps gifting us with major winter weather, I thought it seemed fitting enough to share yet more photos of snow-loving Astrid enjoying some festive walks.

Warm wishes to all!

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Festive Flashback Doodle of the Day

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Tip of the Day

This holiday season, don't forget the dangers that fire can cause. Some festivities include the lighting of candles, and some of us simply like to light candles for their lovely scents. If you do light candles in your home, as you certainly know, do be sure that these are out of reach of your furbabies for safety's sake. Also, as you also surely already know, be aware of the dangers the fireplace can pose. If your fireplace is lit, do be sure that your kitty or pup cannot reach the flames, such as by putting up a barrier, or even blocking them from the room with the fireplace altogether. In addition to this, for everyone's safety, don't forget to stay on top of the care and keeping of your fireplace. Before using it for the season, have the chimney cleaned out, so that bird nests or other potentially flammable objects are not lying in wait up there, making a house fire possible. As always, better safe than sorry.

Tonks Tuesday: Tucked Into the Christmas Tree

On this Tonks Tuesday, the calico is yet again in the Christmas tree. That is, after all, her favorite place to be this time of the year.

There's more to this particular story, which you'll see in Thimble's post on Thursday. But, for today, there's your view of Tonks tucked into the Christmas tree for a nap. Luckily, Tonks is not a cord chewer. She is a tough on ornaments and so those can't be on any tree she frequents, but she's never bothered the light strands. I also put cloth ribbons on the tree, and the calico does chew on those sometimes. She thankfully never ingests them, just gnaws on them or pulls them off of the tree and bats them around the house. You can see the teeth marks in the ribbon on the right side of that there photo.

Tonks and all of us here wish you a festive Tuesday!

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Festive Flashback Doodle of the Day

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Tip of the Day

Continuing with our Christmas safety tips, today we're here to tell you to beware of ribbons. Ribbons, such as the kind often used when wrapping presents, can be dangerous in the same way that tinsel can. If ingested, ribbon can cause dangers such as obstruction or laceration of the gastrointestinal tract. This is why it is important to ensure that your furbaby does not have access to ribbon this holiday season. Avoid using ribbon when wrapping presents, or do not put presents with ribbon where a ribbon-loving furbaby can reach them. Ribbon may seem like a fun and festive part of Christmas, but it can also mean dangerous situations for the furbabies in your life.