Tonks Tuesday with Yet More Pumpkins

We have just a couple more days of Halloween wrap-up we'd like to share. For Tonks Tuesday, I really wanted to share some of my favorite Halloween photos I took last year. They're quite basic and don't even look that festive, but they show off my adorable and playful calico with her cat-o'-lantern toy, and I love that. 

As we mentioned yesterday, we also have a couple more jack-o'-lantern photos to share from the event my mom and I went to at a local pumpkin farm. Yesterday we shared a number of pumpkins that were carved like kitties, and today I'm sharing some slightly more random ones that stuck out to me.

For the record, I am not a fan of clowns. That said, the pumpkin below was aptly creepy for the spooky holiday, and so I had to snap a photo of it.

We hope you all continue to have terrifyingly terrific days, friends!

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Spooky Doodles of the Day

Today we're finishing up sharing the doodles I scribbled up of my parents' kitties in their Halloween costumes. Today we have the last of the girls, first up with Gilly. Her glamorous fur earned her the role of The Ring's Samara, a girl who crawled out of a well with her long hair hanging good and creepy over her face. Gilly looks far less scary, though.

The next one stars three kitties, those being Fizzgig (aka Fizzy), Iris, and Josie. It was my dad's idea for these three to be a group of witches, and since they notoriously don't get along, I made sure they all looked good and angry at each other.

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Tip of the Day

It's Pet Cancer Awareness Month, so we have another cancer prevention tip for you today. We're here to talk a bit about vaccines. While vaccines can be important for the prevention of various diseases, especially for those furbabies who go outdoors or are in another way more susceptible to disease, it is still crucial that you be knowledgeable about the potential side effects of some vaccines. In some cases, vaccines can lead to injection-site tumors, commonly cancerous fibrosarcomas. To help prevent these, you can keep furbabies, such as cats, indoors. This could render some vaccines far less necessary, since your furbaby would likely not be exposed to the diseases certain vaccines cover. In other cases, such as if your furbaby does go outdoors or might be exposed to certain diseases, simply do your research. Ask your veterinary office what types of vaccines they use, as some vaccines do not contain the components typically believed to cause injection-site tumors. Vaccines are often a highly debated subject in any case, so always be knowledgeable about them, about what kind your veterinary office uses, and which vaccines your kitty or pup might need.

Caturday Art: Birthday Gift Grossness?

Yesterday was the birthday of my mom (the furbabies' grandma, also known as Gammy). As always, we're now here to share the weird and wacky doodle I scribbled up as my mom's birthday card. It stars one of my parents' twelve cats, this one being Gilly It also stars some oh so considerate gifts that Gilly may or may not have left in the litter box. I'll be the first to admit that there might indeed be a grossness factor to this one, but I scribbled it up and gave it to my mom regardless.

Wasn't that so sweet of fuzzy Gilly to share those with my mom for her birthday? This probably looks like an absolutely wild thing to throw onto a birthday card, or to draw at all for that matter, but this is sort of just how my family and I work. And we're thinking all of you kitty-loving friends of ours might relate to this doodle in one way or another.

Happy Caturday, friends!

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Tip of the Day

Many of us have furbabies who enjoy a cozy bed, and who also enjoy making a bed out of their human's clothes. That's why today's pet parenting hack of a tip is to use your old clothes to make a pet bed for your kitty or pup. You can take on old shirt, for example, and stuff it with a pillow or other type of filling. You can sew it shut, or even just safely and securely tie it shut. Not only will the soft filling make this a cozy bed, but it will also smell like you, something that many furbabies enjoy. There are a great many options for creating beds in this manner, using shirts, pants, robes, and so forth. The options are endless, and you can even find ideas and techniques online for creating a variety of such pet beds.

Sunday Selfies

Yesterday we shared a doodle that was inspired by one of my parents' cats. The short backstory on this doodle was that my parents have a fuzzy cat named Gilly who likes to sit inside a lime green tunnel toy. We decided that she looks like a caterpillar when she sits in this tunnel, which prompted us to start calling Gilly none other than Caterpilly when we find her in the tunnel. I felt compelled to scribble up a doodle starring Caterpilly for yesterday's Caturday Art Blog Hop, which you can see here.

Now, my goal for today was to help Gilly snap a selfie or two in her Caterpilly form. So, I went to my parents' house and attempted to achieve that. Let's just say that Gilly wasn't 100% cooperative, but we tried our best nonetheless.

Is that not the fuzziest caterpillar you've ever seen in your life? In case you're curious, Gilly is indeed as soft as she looks.

Happy Sunday to all!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

We're doing another flashback doodle today, as I gear up to start sharing all of the new autumn and Halloween doodles I've been preparing. Of course it's an autumn flashback we chose for today, because it's September, and that's reason enough for us.

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Tip of the Day

Do you know how to tell apart domestic shorthair, domestic medium hair, and domestic longhair cats? This isn't always the easiest or most straightforward thing, but there are ways to do it. You all very likely know how to determine if a cat is a domestic shorthair. Many cats are indeed shorthairs, with fur that is relatively short and that mostly lies flat against the body. When it comes to medium hair cats, the fur along their back is typically somewhat short and flat like that of shorthair cats, but they generally haver longer and fluffier hair around their mane and on their tail. Then there are longhair cats, with hair that is more consistently longer and fluffier along their entire body. Depending on the cat's breed or even personal genetics, longhair cats can have hair that is anywhere from roughly 2 inches to 5 inches long.

Caturday Art

Today we have for you the doodle that was meant to be shared for the previous Caturday Art Blog Hop. It wasn't shared last weekend, though, because I didn't realize until last minute that I didn't have one of the colors I needed to complete the doodle. So, the necessary marker was ordered, it arrived this week, and I finished the doodle for today.

How about a bit of backstory? This doodle is based off of one of my parents' kitties, a 4-year-old calico who is one of the fuzziest cats I've ever met in my life. Her name is Gilly, and she's a sweet and silly little girl. Remember when we shared these photos of Gilly a number of months ago?

Where am I going with this post about Gilly? Well, there's is a bright green tunnel toy for the cats at my parents' house, and Gilly loves this tunnel. Sometimes, Gilly's head will peek out of one end while her insanely fuzzy tail protrudes from the other end. Given the bright green color of the tunnel, my mom often comments that Gilly looks like a caterpillar when she's in the tunnel. That led us to start referring to Gilly in her green tunnel as none other than Caterpilly. Recently, when I found Gilly in her tunnel when visiting my parents, I felt compelled to doodle up Caterpilly in my sketchbook, and so that's what we have for you today. Meet Caterpilly.

In case you're curious, the marker I had to order for this doodle was the lime green one. I already had this marker in my stash, but I rarely use it and so it had dried up. I have multiple other hues of green markers in my stash, but Gilly's tunnel is distinctly lime green, which is why it reminds us so much of a caterpillar. Though I tested out a couple of my other green markers, I really wanted to get that lime green aspect to it, and so that's why I had to wait to receive the marker to finish this doodle.

Now, as I mentioned yesterday, this will very likely be our last summery doodle. It's September now, which obviously means it's time for autumn to invade my sketchbook. I've been sharing extra flashback doodles these past couple of weeks as I work to prepare lots of new autumn and Halloween doodles for the upcoming weeks. We'll start sharing all of these new autumn and Halloween doodles this upcoming week. Some of them have a bit of backstory to them, so we'll have some fun facts to go with some of them.

Is that enough rambling for this post? Yes? I thought so, too. Happy Caturday to all!

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Did you know?

We're guessing a lot of you cat lovers out there can guess why kitties love tunnel toys. There are a variety of reasons, one simple one being that cats often like to tuck themselves into hidden spaces. In the wild, cats will often find concealed places to sleep, because this offers them a sense of safety and security. Especially in a house with multiple cats or lots of foot traffic, cats might enjoy tunnels to duck into when they need space to themselves. Another aspect of tunnels that cats might very well appreciate is the fact that both ends are open. In the wild, cats often try not to tuck themselves into spaces with only one entrance, because that can get them cornered and trapped. A tunnel offers two open ends, and so a cat can escape either end if needed, such as if a furry sibling is chasing them. Some cats even like the tunnels that have a third hole on the top, for an extra escape route as well as another vantage point. So, if you have the space and you think your cat will enjoy it, try to offer your kitty a tunnel or two in your home. They might very well enjoy playing in it, hiding in it, napping in it, or all of the above.

Guests on Tuesday

As has been evidenced by a couple of our recent posts, I recently did an unofficial and rather low quality photo shoot of my parents' cats when I visited their house. Want to see my parents' two biggest cats together? They're both handsome fellas, and they're both over 20 lbs.

Say hello to Trapper and Foggy! Some of you might remember these boys, as they've both been on our blog before. Strangely enough, despite what that photo there might suggest, these two big boys don't eat a whole lot. Neither of them comes running when the food bowls are filled. So, how did they get to be over 20 lbs? Well, they do like lounging about just as they're doing above, so that might have something to do with it. Honestly, I love hugging both of these big boys, because there's just so much of them to love. Even so, both my parents and myself try to get these boys to play more in order to help them lose weight, but they're just not that into moving around a whole lot.

You know what, how about one more candid shot of these two boys with one of their sisters? Let's add Gilly to the mix now.

First of all, do you like Foggy's yawn in that there photo? As for Gilly, who is in terrible lighting and refused to look at the camera, she kind of looks like a big cat here, but she's mostly fur. She's only something like 8 lbs. Her insane fuzziness makes her look deceptively large. Oh, and she's a total daddy's girl. She has my dad wrapped around all four of her fuzzy little paws.

Happy Tuesday!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

Today's flashback doodle takes place in a weird, wacky, whimsical sort of garden I scribbled up last year. Though it's a weird one, I remember really enjoying creating this doodle.

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Did you know?

Yesterday we mentioned how a cat grooms after eating in order to remove the scent of their prey from themselves, which in turn keeps other predators from preying on the cat because of the scent of the prey they consumed. Today, how about we mention a couple of other reasons why a cat might lick themselves? It goes without saying that general grooming is of course the primary reason for a cat licking themselves. The papillae, or spikes, on their tongue help them remove loose hair and other debris off of their fur.

Aside from the aforementioned obvious grooming, why else might a cat lick themselves? One reason is to help them cool down. This is because evaporation of saliva on the fur can help a cat feel cooler. Cats might also very well lick themselves for any number of behavioral reasons. For example, cats might lick themselves when stressed or nervous, some of them even anxiously grooming enough to cause bald spots. Another behavioral purpose for a cat's licking is social grooming, or allogrooming, during which a cat licks another cat it is close to or trusts. This type of social grooming helps build and reinforce relationships between cats. Your kitty's tongue and grooming sessions can have many purposes. If you notice any abnormal grooming, of course discuss this with a veterinarian.

A Guest Sunday Selfie

Today's selfie stars a guest. Our guest is a kitty, but it's one of my parents' kitties. This kitty asked me to help her snap a selfie while I was at my parents' house the other day. We've introduced this little lady before. She's extremely fluffy, she loves to help with laundry, and her name is Gilly.

Gilly ended up feeling a bit shy when I snapped the shot, so she looked away from the camera. I wish she had shown you all her face, because it's quite adorable. This little calico is quite the daddy's girl, in case you were wondering. She has my dad wrapped around her fuzzy little paw.

Fluffy Gilly's photo is our entry to the Sunday Selfies Blog Hop, hosted by none other than the Kitties Blue over at The Cat on My Head.

Purrs and well wishes to all!

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Doodle of the Day

Today we're in a springtime sunroom.

We had us some glorious open windows the other day. Not this weekend, though, because we're back to freezing temperatures. Spring will eventually show back up again.

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Tip of the Day

Today's National Pet Poison Awareness Month tip is yet another one regarding random yet potentially toxic items that might be found in the the home. Today's household item to be aware of is matches. Matches can contain potentially toxic substances, such as potassium nitrate. It is also possible for matches to contain heavy metals or other dangerous components. Ingestion of matches can lead to toxicity for your furbaby, with the effects depending on the quantity ingested. Poisoning from the ingestion of matches can result in symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea. Consuming items such as matches can also lead to a variety of other problems, such as perforation or obstruction of the bowels. Needless to say, to prevent any such issues, of course keep matches and all dangerous items well out of reach of your kitty or pup.

In this same line of thought, also keep items such as lighters and lighter fluids hidden away. These can also contain components that are potentially toxic to kitties and pups. And what do we always say? It's better to be safe than sorry!

Guest Sunday Selfies

We've been sharing guest selfies every Sunday for the past couple of weeks. We're doing this as a way to introduce you to all 12 of my parents' kitties. We of course have more guest selfies for you today, and these selfies star a little lady named Gilly.

Isn't Gilly one fuzzy gal? Don't worry, Gilly knows exactly how cute she is. If I'm being honest, though, I do wish that Gilly had been a bit more willing to pose for the camera during this photo shoot. She is an incredibly photogenic girl, but she really wasn't into this particular photo shoot.

Now, the story of how Gilly found her way to my parents' home is actually a rather simple one. In short, in the spring of 2016, my twin uncles had a friend who had a cat who had kittens. This friend was trying to find a home for these kittens, and he ended up bringing one of the kittens to my uncles' house. My uncles were not able to home a kitten at that time, though. But that's okay, because my dad saw a picture of the kitten, fell in love with the fluffy little calico, and brought her home literally hours after seeing her photo.

Gilly is by far the fuzziest cat in the entire family. Our housemate Toby is one fluffy boy, but his fur is nothing compared to Gilly's. I'm especially fond of Gilly's stunning tail. So is Gilly.

That photo really does no justice to Gilly's tail. I can't believe I failed to capture a better shot of it for this post. I will most definitely work at getting a shot of Gilly's tail that actually does it justice, so that you all can truly see the fuzzy masterpiece that it is.

I always try to share some fun facts about my parents' cats as we introduce them, so I'll share some tidbits about Gilly now. First, as innocent and sweet as she looks, Gilly is known to stalk the other cats in the family. If you see Gilly sitting all cute and sweet while staring at the couch, that means she has someone cornered behind it.

Another little fact about her is that she is deceptively small. All of that fur on Gilly's body makes her look like a decently sized cat. When you pick her up, though, she feels as light as a feather. Even her veterinarian has commented on how petite Gilly really is, though her layers of fur betray that fact.

Oh, and Gilly talks to lights. If the sun hits your phone or anything else shiny, she'll have a prolonged conversation with the resulting lights that dance on the ceiling or wall. The only other time Gilly really talks is when she's playing with toys, especially if she brings you one and wants you to acknowledge her gift.

We hope you all enjoyed getting to know Gilly today! She is a sweet little lady! Except for when she corners other cats behind couches, that is.

Happy Sunday to all!

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 Flashback Doodle of the Day

I'm going to go against my norm this week and share flashback doodles for most of the next few days. I will most definitely share a new doodle to go with our poem on Thursday, and I'll also have a new doodle for this week's Caturday Art Blog Hop. The rest of the days this week will be flashback doodles, though, and there is one primary reason for this.

My sister and parents are all out of town this week, and I'm taking care of all of their furabies. My sister's cats (Toby and Winky) already live with me, so taking care of them is nothing all that new. But, as I mentioned above in this post, my parents have 12 cats. These kitties are all very well loved and well cared for, and so they're of course used to lots of cuddles, food, and litter scoopings each day. I'll be spending lots of time not only with my furbabies this week, therefore, but also with my parents' kitties. My dad also has nearly a dozen fish aquariums, with more fish than I can even count, and so I'll also be trying to make sure I feed the right fish the food this week. So, since my schedule will be a bit different and perhaps slightly hectic this week, I'm very temporarily cutting back my art time and will therefore be sharing more flashback doodles than usual. Our usual schedule of doodles will resume next week, or more like this upcoming Saturday.

All of the above rambling being said, today's flashback doodle is one that I chose in honor of the fact that I've recently been trying to work through my to-read list. This list is terrifyingly long, but challenges can be fun, right? There's also the fact that crisp autumn days are the purrfect time to read.

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Our Tip of the Day:

We've been discussing the safety of our furbabies when it comes to common Thanksgiving foods. This topic would feel incomplete without a mention of none other than stuffing. Is this Thanksgiving staple safe for your furbaby? More than likely, it is best that you simply avoid feeding any of that stuffing to your kitty or pup. Why? Because many stuffings include ingredients such as onion, garlic, salt, butter (which could especially be a problem for furbabies with lactose intolerance), and other components that could have uncomfortable or dangerous side effects. If the stuffing is plain, without any potentially dangerous ingredients, then a small taste might be fine for your furbaby. But, more than likely, that Thanksgiving stuffing will contain some ingredients that are best avoided in your cat or dog's diet.

Family and Fluff

My furbabies decided to take the day off. They said they were tired, something about working too hard, not enough perks and benefits, something like that like. But that's okay, because who doesn't deserve a day off every now and then? That, and I also have an abundant reservoir of furry cuteness at my disposal. After all, aside from the 3 kitties who own me, pup Astrid, and housemate Toby, my parents have 7 cats that I visit on pretty much a daily basis.

And so, today's post is indeed brought to you by one of my parents' cats. You've met this particular fluffy little cutie before, and her name is Gilly. After Foggy, whom you all met this past Mancat Monday, Gilly is the newest member of the family. She's a giant ball of fluff, ridiculously adorable, and of course knows that and, well, uses it to her advantage with great success. (In other words, she has my dad wrapped around that furry little paw of hers.)

How about a closeup? You know, to get a better shot of that pink little nose?

Gilly asked me to enter these as our contribution for the Sunday Selfies blog hop, hosted by our pals over at The Cat on My Head. I was more than happy to oblige. After all, who wouldn't want to see that level of fluffy cuteness?!?

Now, on to today's art. All I can really say about this one is that I have been overcome with an urge to draw fantastical sorts of creatures as of late. It happens. I guess. (What can I say? I never claimed to be any semblance of "normal".) That probably means there are indeed going to some eccentric pieces coming up. Like this one:

For anyone who wasn't yet familiar with a narwhal, there you go.


We hope you all have yourselves a fantastic Sunday!

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Our Tip of the Day:

Despite their extra legs and different method of ambulation compared to us, keep in mind that our furbabies are still susceptible to the dangers of walking in winter weather. An extra pair of legs is certainly not guaranteed to keep a furbaby from slipping on ice and injuring bones or muscles, such as those of their legs or ribs. Even walking in deep snow can be dangerous to them, such as if one or more legs sinks down into it, or if deep snow collapses beneath them or on top of them. For reasons such as these, always be cautious and careful when walking your pup in icy or heavily snowy conditions (not to mention also for your own safety). Also, perhaps try not to leave your dog or outdoor cats outside in icy or snowy conditions without closely monitoring them, so that you can be there to assist them should they slip or in any way injure themselves or find themselves in trouble.

Sunday Selfies: New Kids on the Block

My furbabies all requested a vacation day today. I granted them that, because everybuddy needs a day off every once in a awhile. Well, that, and also because I had a couple of other models at my disposal for today's always fun Sunday Selfie blog hop, which is of course hosted by our Kitties Blue furiends over at The Cat on My Head.

Now, who are these other models I speak of? Well, do you remember us mentioning in one of our recent Friday Fill-Ins posts that my parents took in two new kittens this summer? That's right, those two little kitties were the models for today's selfies! I only had to chase them around my parents' house for a couple of hours while they played and played and played, groveling and begging for them to sit still for even just half a second. Easy peasy!

So, are you ready to meet some ridiculously adorable kittens

The first of these kitties to make its way to my parents' home this summer was a little calico who was found by one of my extended family members in a gas station parking lot at, believe it or not, roughly one day of age. That was back in May, and this little kitty is now roughly 4 months of age, and named Fizzgig. Strange name, huh? I actually like it, a lot. It's from an '80s fantasy movie called The Dark Crystal. This film contains a sort of vocal and loud little creature of a character named Fizzgig, and since this little kitty is indeed vocal and loud, the name seems to fit her quite well. Anyway, Fizzgig is one of the most playful and active kitties I have ever met (as in, she would even give my girl Eddy a run for her money). Being hand reared her entire life, she also loves humans and is extremely sweet, loves to snuggle, and gives some serious headbutts, not mention she'll drown you in the most adorable kisses imaginable. Oh, and she has this selfie thing down pat.

Not long after Fizzgig joined the family, my uncle informed my dad that there was a kitten at his house that he was trying to find a home for. Apparently it was a friend of a friend's and was in need of a family, or something along those lines. Long story short, my uncle put a picture of the kitten on Facebook for my dad to see, and, well, my dad was sold. My uncle lives 2 hours away, yet my dad pretty much up and drove there that night to get her. She was soon after named Gilly, and she is another calico (we love us some calicoes, and now I need myself one), and her fur is gorgeously long. She is about 5 months old, and, especially when compared to her good buddy Fizzgig, Gilly is relatively relaxed. She actually tends to go limp when you pick her up, and if we didn't know better, we'd say she has some Ragdoll in her. Oh, and she's also ridiculously photogenic, and she knows it.

So now you've met Fizzgig and Gilly! Luckily, my house is not far from my parents' house, so I help myself to visits with these cuties pretty much all the time.

Happy Sunday, everybuddy!

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Our Tip of the Day:
Don't forget the importance of taking new kittens to the vet to start them on a proper regimen of medical care. It is often recommended that kittens be seen by a veterinarian starting at roughly 6 weeks of age, unless, of course, a sickness or any other concerning factors require that they be seen earlier. Starting at that age, or sometimes a little older, kittens will usually be started on their first series of vaccines and deworming. They can also usually first be tested for FeLV and FIV around this time. Be sure to discuss with your vet whether the kitten will be an indoor, indoor/outdoor, or outdoor only cat, whether they will be an only kitty or in a multicat or multipet household, and any other important factors, as these details may affect what vaccines the veterinarian will recommend. And, once a kitten is started on a series of vaccines, be sure to schedule and bring them in for the following boosters in the correct time frame, as some vaccine boosters will be rendered essentially useless if too much time passes between them. And, of course, don't forget to do your part in controlling pet overpopulation by having those little furbabies spayed and neutered!