Tuesday with Tonks and Thimble

Hello and happy Tonks Tuesday! The calico would like you all to see her enjoying some sunshine. After all, it's getting pretty chilly here, which makes that sunshine feel extra nice.

Can you see that little tongue poking out of Tonks's mouth? Ever since she had 3 of her canine teeth extracted due to resorptive lesions a couple years ago, her tongue sometimes makes little appearances like that. Pretty darn cute, huh?

Tonks will be having another dental this year, in December. We're going into it hoping she's just getting a cleaning to take care of some gingivitis and tartar. Last time around her dental radiographs showed some hidden issues that led to extractions, though, so we'll see if that happens again.

Now, let's give a little update on Thimble. She had some imaging done yesterday. Since her lab work all looked good, we wanted to make sure we weren't missing any reasons as to why she's lost a pound and is a bit of an insomniac at night lately. The good news is that, for the most part, everything looked great on Thimble's imaging.

Thimble was not thrilled about fasting overnight and then being dropped off at the vet yesterday morning, but I promised her it was for her own good. And it gave us good news, so that's another plus. She also did not need to be sedated like some kitties require, because she's such a docile and cooperative little lady.

As for the results, the vet noticed a bit of spinal spondylosis on her spine, but he said that often causes little to no issues or symptoms, and that seems to be Thimble's case, at least for now. The only other things noticed on her imaging was one single slightly enlarged lymph node around her intestines and a bit of inflammation in one small region of her stomach. With everything else looking good and no new related symptoms, Thimble's vet doesn't think any of that is a concern at this time. He believes those abnormalities are likely caused by some localized issues that could resolve themselves. Even so, he did measure both of those areas and we will recheck them in 6 months to make sure nothing has progressed.

Tonks hopes you all enjoy some sunshine, and Thimble wishes you all a vet-less day!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

We have another seasonally confused flashback doodle for today. We often accompanies ones like this with a Happy Hallowthanksmas!

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Tip of the Day

Today's tip in our Thanksgiving series is about pie. As we've said on many occasions over time, plain pumpkin contains fiber and other nutrients that can have benefits for our furbabies and their health. That being said, though, not all components of Thanksgiving pies are as equally beneficial. For example, another popular Thanksgiving dessert is pecan pie, but do be cautious with this around your furbabies. Pecans are not particularly safe to feed your pup or kitty. One reason is simply that pecans can cause an upset gastrointestinal tract, and could also lead to bowel obstruction. Also take into consideration any other pies you make and what ingredients they contain. For example, chocolate pies or those containing raisins are of course dangerous to cats and dogs. What's more, when it comes to any kind of pie—whether it be pumpkin, pecan, or another—added sugars and other potential added ingredients can be less than ideal for our kitties and pups to consume. So, when you're making or eating those Thanksgiving pies, keep dangerous ingredients and the final products well out of the reach of your furbaby.

Thankful Thimble Thursday: Vet Adventures

Hello and happy Thursday, friends! Thimble has a very particular bit of gratitude for Angel Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.

Today, Thimble is thankful that she's back home after being whisked off and stabbed endlessly at the vet yesterday. She was there for her senior exam and lab work. Just—sh!—don't tell her she's going back on Monday. More on that below.

Overall, Thimble's lab work looks pretty good. Her kidneys were showing signs of very early kidney disease last year, so I started her on the renal supplement AminAvast. Her values are holding steady, and yesterday a couple of the values were actually a bit better than her last bloodwork. AminAvast worked wonders for my angel Rosie, so I'm hoping it continues to do the same for Thimble for many, many years. The vet also did a quick ultrasound of Thimble's kidneys, and he noted that the left one is smaller than the right, which at this point likely means the right one is compensating for the left one in her early stages of kidney disease. For now, overall, her kidneys are staying steady, and I'll gladly be continuing to give her AminAvast.

Also, I shared that there picture above for Thimble today because it's one of many photos I have of her choosing to stay up all night rather than sleep. I mention that because Thimble's nighttime sleeplessness is one major thing I spoke to the vet about yesterday. Thimble doesn't wander the house or seem confused at night, but instead stomps on me and pokes at me all night to keep me awake with her. I genuinely don't mind if she just wants attention, but she used to sleep way better at night, so I want to make sure she doesn't have something going on that's causing her sleepless nights. Her vet doesn't think her nighttime shenanigans sound like dementia behavior, and she's also a bit young for that even at 12 years old. Her vet and I were wondering if perhaps she has hyperthyroidism, especially since she also lost a pound. Though she's always tended to have thyroid levels in the upper end of normal, they're still hanging out there and have not inched up any more since her last bloodwork. So, her vet is fairly certain that's not the cause of her weight loss or her all-nighters.

As I mentioned above, Thimble did lose a pound. She's now 10.5 lbs. She's a small cat and that's still a healthy weight for her, but it's still a pound of weight loss that her lab work and eating habits don't explain. Since Thimble is a littermate of my parents' boys Trapper and Talon, who both passed away from rare cancers that did not show up on lab work whatsoever, her vet and I agreed that full imaging of Thimble's abdomen and chest would be a good idea. That way, we can rule out something unseen causing her weight loss or wakefulness at night. I'll be dropping her off on Monday morning for her to get a full workup of radiographs and ultrasound imaging.

All of the above said, Thimble is seemingly doing really good. Even when she stays up all night, she's always happy and purring. So, I'm hoping she's just a happy and active girl and that nothing out of sorts shows up on her imaging.

Oh, and Tonks also went in at the same time as Thimble for her own senior exam and lab work. Tonks got a clean bill of health, except she needs another dental. She has some pretty gnarly gingivitis and tartar. A couple of years ago she went in for a dental for those exact reasons, but back then the gingivitis and tartar were actually hiding some resportive lesions that led to 4 of her teeth being removed. So, she'll be getting another dental this year, and we'll see if there are any more problematic teeth hiding in there like last time. Her vet has a pretty full surgery schedule right now, so she'll be getting her dental on December 9th.

I apologize for all of that rambling above. I just can't help myself when it comes to my kitties.

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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. My November to-do list includes _________, _________,  and _________.

2. _________ never disappoints.

3. If I haven't _________ by this time of the year, then I _________.

4. I'm proud of myself for _________.

We'll see you tomorrow, friends!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

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Tip of the Day

Today's pet cancer prevention tip is to steer clear of products with potentially dangerous chemicals, such as certain lawn treatments and detergents. These types of products can be dangerous for a number of reasons, just one being that some of the chemicals in them have been found to be potentially carcinogenic. This goes for both our furbabies and our human selves. For this reason, always do your research, check ingredients, and when in doubt, simply do not use it.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween to all! In our humble opinion, this is one of the best days of the year. We hope you all a enjoy a day that's not-so-spookily fun and festive!

The other day, I did my annual tradition of carving pumpkins. My sweet boy Evan supervised the event. I don't know what I would have done without his expert help.

While Evan did his inspections of the pumpkins, Thimble and Eddy stayed close to their treat basket. They know it'll be filled soon, so they just can't wait.

As for Tonks, she opted for a cozy time on our Halloween cats blanket. Her favorite image on this blanket is, of course, the calico with a witch hat.

While the kitties all worked on their own spooky preparations, last night my mom and I did our annual Halloween tradition of visiting the display of hundreds of jack-o'-lanterns at a pumpkin farm in a neighboring town. It's always my goal to find as many pumpkins carved like cats and dogs as I can. There were a number of kitty pumpkins this year.

My excitement for the below kitty is one that will likely only make sense to me, but even so, let me ramble for a moment. Just as my mom and I finished our umpteenth and what we thought was our final pass through the jack-o'-lantern display, my mom saw one far away, tucked behind some weeds in a spot we hadn't noticed before. She thought it was an owl, and so I zoomed in on my camera. Turns out, it's the kitty character from that fantasy series I've mentioned here many times on our blog. This pumpkin is carved in the likeness of the magical Persian tortie cat named Princess Donut, who wears a tiara.

Now, we did find a couple of dog pumpkins as well. Just as in the past couple of years, someone carved  none other than Scooby Doo himself.

I'm pretty sure this next one is a dog with one ear up and one ear down, and it's pretty darn cute.

And then there was the classic paw print, to represent all the animals.

Now, how about some random pumpkins with designs that stuck out to me?

That there dinosaur reminded me of pup Astrid in her dragon or dinosaur-ish Halloween costume. I was so happy to see it there, as well as all of the other pumpkins above and below.

Most years we see at least one or two pumpkins carved with Christmas trees or even reindeer. We didn't see those this year, but someone did carve Scrooge McDuck.

Glowing pumpkins weren't the only things haunting the woods at the pumpkin farm, though. We got a sighting of a little something else as well.

Talk about a Halloween scare!

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I'm disappointed that I still didn't finish my new Halloween doodles for today's post on the big day itself. I have 9 frightfully festive drawings all nearing completion, but none fully finished. I started the drawings nearly 2 months ago, but I fell a weeks behind on them when my parents' sweet kitty Trapper fell sick in September and then sadly passed last week. I was helping my parents give him injections and fluids at their house every day, not to mention that I often simply lose motivation to pursue my creative endeavors in times like that. Trapper was priority, though, and I'll never regret that.

I intended on finishing at least a couple or a few of the drawings last night, but I somehow failed to remember that my mom and I usually go through the annual pumpkin farm jack-o'-lantern display many times and so are usually there for a couple hours. I got home so late last night that I worked in my sketchbook for only a short time afterwards.

I'm just rambling now. I'm still debating what to do about this year's Halloween doodles, but for today's Halloween bash I do have some festive flashback drawings to share. I have not yet this spooky season shared a few of my favorite Halloween doodles from the past, and those are ones portraying my kind of Halloween night with my furbabies.

Last year I scribbled up this doodle, with all my costumed kitties watching a scary movie starring pup Astrid on Halloween night.

Below is a similar drawing I created a couple years prior to the one above.

And this one below is yet another similar one from quite a few years ago.

I love scribbling up doodles like those above, because they really do portray how I enjoy spending Halloween night. And that would be at home with my furry family, watching scary movies and eating candy.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

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Tip of the Day

Our final Halloween tip is to use this spooky holiday as a chance to spend some quality time with your furbaby. Whether you're already staying tucked inside on Halloween night, or whether you wait until after handing out candy, do consider getting cozy and festive with your kitty or pup. For example, you can cozy up with your kitty or pup on the couch and read a spooky story, if that's your kind of thing. Another option is to of course watch a spooky movie or TV show, if that strikes your fancy. Of course, as we mentioned yesterday, do keep in mind your furbaby's sense of hearing and comfort when selecting a scary movie and volume level. For something more calm yet spookily festive, consider sitting down with your furbaby to watch It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, or a certain famous orange tabby in Garfield's Halloween Adventure. Halloween night is of course also the perfect time to not only enjoy yourself some treats (of course without sharing anything toxic with your furbaby), but to also give your kitty or pup any festive toys or treats that you got for them.

Halloween may sometimes be considered a night filled with tricks and terrors, but you and your furbaby can instead use it to spend some quality time together in a festive yet safe manner. So, cuddle up on the couch and spend some cozy and festive time with that furbaby. Happy Halloween!

Thankful Thimble Thursday: Boo Brew

It's Thursday, not to mention two days before Halloween, so Thimble is of course here with some festive fun for Angel Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.

Like Evan and Tonks earlier this week, Thimble is grateful to be enjoying a spooky drink brought to her by a ghostly friend.

Thimble says the Boo Brew both smells and tastes fantastically like catnip, and she welcomes you all to take a taste!

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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. On Halloween, I will _________.

2. When it comes to Halloween candy, I will gladly trade my _________ for more _________.

3. If I had to wear one Halloween costume for an entire year, I would dress as _________.

4. I _________ scary movies.

We'll see you tomorrow, friends!

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Spooky Flashback Doodle of the Day

I've drawn my sister's kitties Toby and Winky in Halloween costumes not once, but twice now. Two years ago I drew them as the clown characters from the Terrifier movie series. Even as a horror movie aficionado, I would not recommend anyone watch these movies. They're gory as sin and pretty darn horrendous.

Last year I made a second attempt at Toby and Winky's Halloween doodle, this time in Harry Potter-inspired costumes that were far more to my sister's taste.

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Tip of the Day

Do you want to give your furbaby an extra fun treat for Halloween? We're thinking most of you already know that pet stores typically offer festive toy options around the holidays, including Halloween. Nevertheless, we're reminding you to consider looking for the pet store's festive holiday section, or for festive options in the general toy aisle. If necessary and feasible, you can even use such festive new toys to help distract a furbaby who gets anxious or excited by the sounds and overall hustle and bustle of Halloween night festivities, such as trick-or-treaters visiting the house. Of course, if you are handing out candy, festive new toys should be given in a safe area of the home away from the door. And, yet another caveat is to always check new toys for any potentially dangerous parts and pieces. You know your kitty or pup best, so when picking out new festive toys for them, always keep in mind their tendencies to chew on or eat certain toys. It's fun to be festive, but it's also very important to be safe.

Thankful Thursday with Angel Trapper, Iris, and Thimble

Hello, friends. It's time for Angel Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.

Today, we're thankful for all of the sweet and caring comments you left on our post yesterday, about the passing of my parents' kitty Trapper. This community is beyond amazing, and I'm truly so grateful for it.

My parents, myself, and our entire family are so incredibly thankful for all 12 years (almost 12 and a half years) we got to share with amazing Trapper. He truly was a one-of-a-kind cat, and my parents and all of us will forever be so grateful that he was and always will be such a light in our lives.

You know what else we're grateful for? That my parents' kitty Iris is doing okay. Because since yesterday wasn't already devastating enough, my parents' wild little lady known as Iris started vomiting the night before Trapper passed. And she didn't stop. She couldn't keep anything down. So, while my mom gathered Trapper up to calmly get him ready for his final vet appointment, my dad and I wrangled the wild girl into a carrier. I dropped her off at the vet since I was already headed that way with Evan for his routine grooming appointment. So, while we were saying goodbye to sweet Trapper, Iris was already at the vet, and Evan was over at their grooming facility.

All that said, Iris is fine. She has lost a bit of weight, but the likely culprit of her vomiting was her snacking on all the new, special foods my mom was giving Trapper to get him to eat. Iris is a small lady, and my mom kept finding her gorging on all the new foods. So, that very likely upset her stomach. Though she's a bit of a wilding and I have to scruff her just to help my parents trim her nails, the vet was somehow able to get her blood and urine as well as give her subcutaneous fluids, a Cerenia injection, and an antibiotic injection. They also gave her some mirtazapine to help her appetite, but she's unfortunately one of the kitties who has side effects like vocalization, hyperactivity, and hypersalivation. My parents said that they think those are starting to subside, but if they don't they'll reach out to the vet in case she needs anything to help her get past those side effects. The mirtazapine did at least work very well, though, as Iris ate a lot of food when she got home from the vet, and she was able to keep it down thanks to the Cerenia. 

Here's tiny but mighty Iris for you all to enjoy. She's not a fan of looking at the camera, and she's know to squint her eyes if she catches you looking at her, but she's still absolutely adorable.

Now, Thimble would like to share yet another bit of thankfulness today. We're still trying to enjoy the Halloween season around here, and Thimble of course wants her turn posing with the kitties' used and abused well-loved cat-o'-lantern basket toy. As with Tonks and Evan, Thimble got so excited about the cat-o'-lantern that we ended up with some blurry bloopers. But, of course, she's still downright adorable.

I did indeed put some catnip in the cat-o'-lantern, so I can't blame Thimble for turning blurry in these photos.

Thimble tried really hard to sit still for at least one photo. She is a model, after all, and so she knows she has to snap some non-bloopers to uphold her reputation.

Thimble hopes you're all enjoying a not-so-spookily festive October!

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Now, let's share 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. I have been _________ for _________.

2. _________ bores me.

3. _________ is my main criticism of _________.

4. If I threw a Halloween party, it would include _________.

We'll see you tomorrow, friends!

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Spooky Flashback Doodle of the Day

Since my parents' kitty Iris got to join in on today's post, how about the Halloween doodle I scribbled up last year that included her? This one also stars my parents' kitties Fizzgig and Josie, and all three of these ladies sometimes like to fight. As a result, I apparently thought it would be a good idea to draw the three of them as squabbling witches.

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Tip of the Day

Today's Halloween tip is one we're sure you all know, and it's to practice proper door safety. This is of course most relevant if you are handing out candy on Halloween night, or if you are hosting a Halloween party with a number of arriving guests. Knocks on the door, the doorbell, children or adults in strange costumes, and all of the hustle and bustle of Halloween can scare some furbabies. On the other hand, some cats or dogs might enjoy guests, and so they might be attracted to the door on Halloween. Either way, if you have increased traffic at the door on Halloween, there is always the chance that your kitty or pup could escape if proper precautions are not taken. This is why it is important to practice proper door safety, so that you can avoid escapes.

There are of course a number of options for keeping a cat or dog from escaping out a busy door on Halloween. You can set up a safe room for your cat or dog and keep them in there during the Halloween festivities, so that they have no ability to escape from the house when people show up at the front door. Depending on how your house is set up and how determined your kitty or pup is to reach the door, you can also put up baby gates or pet gates to keep a cat or dog in an area of the house away from the door. If your furbaby is leash trained, and as long as the leash is securely held, your kitty or pup can also be kept safe in the house by attaching them to their leash, with of course someone holding said leash. You best know your furbaby as well as the setup of your home, so use whatever method is the safest, most surefire way of keeping your kitty or pup from escaping out a busy door on nights like Halloween.