Tonks Tuesday

Though Tonks and Eddy still do not get along in the least, they are actually very much alike. Perhaps that's why they so strongly despise each other? Well, anyway, both Tonks and Eddy are very set in their ways, they are both incredibly active and playful, and they both refuse to sit still for the camera. That's why, in order for you all to get a Tonks Tuesday post today, you're going to have to settle for some bloopers. This little calico sure does try to give blooper queen Eddy a run for her money.

This next one actually isn't too much of a blooper. See?

Just look at those whiskers! And that pink nose! Tonks thought you might like yet another closer look, so here you go:

It's been a while since I've given an update on the status of the ongoing feud that is Eddy versus the kittens. The long and short of it is that, though I frequently do and will continue with attempts to get Eddy and the kittens even a bit more used to each other by way of monitored visits, they really just don't like each other. Some days are better than others, some days are worse than others, and some days it's a downright war zone around here.

Eddy has never really liked other cats all that much, except for her mancat Evan, so it's not like I was all that surprised when she displayed her hatred the second the kittens arrived last year. The kittens, especially Tonks, very much so feed off of Eddy's aversion to them, and so when they interact with Eddy, there is a surplus of mutual hissing, growling, swatting, chasing (truth be told, Eddy is so fearful and skittish that it's the kittens who are chasing her in 99.9% of the chase scenes at our house), and all that wonderful goodness that often rears its head in a multicat home. It sure is catty around here sometimes! Luckily, though, Eddy has always been happy to spend the majority of her time in the safety of my bedroom, and a simple baby gate in my bedroom doorway has prevented an excess of cat fights, while also allowing everyone to still be able to see and hear each other.

Have a terrific Tuesday, friends!

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Our Doodle of the Day:

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Our Tip of the Day:

Yesterday, we discussed being aware of your furbaby's safety around potentially hazardous plants. Today, as yet another tip for National Pet Poison Awareness Month, we're giving a reminder to also be careful of other dangers that might come with those plants. When outside with your pup or kitty, always be cognizant of the fact that some areas may have been treated with fertilizers, weed killers, and pesticides. Depending on their ingredients, such garden substances can potentially affect the intestinal tract, respiratory system, the mucosal membranes of the eyes and nose, or the skin. So, try to avoid using such garden treatments in your yard and around your home, or ensure that any treated areas are kept off limits to your pups and kitties. Also be careful when you are away from home and in areas with which you are not familiar, including strangers' yards and public parks, as you do not know what types of plant or lawn treatments may have been used in such places.

In addition, if you do use any form of fertilizer, weed killer, or pesticide, always be cautious where you store it. Make sure that it is in an areas that your furbaby cannot reach. And yet another consideration to make is the possibility of your furbaby or yourself unknowingly walking through a treated area while outside. Therefore, after a stroll outside, you might consider wiping off your furbaby's paws, as well as your shoes, to help ensure that nothing unknown is left lingering and entering the home. We can't say it enough times—it's better to be safe than sorry!

Sunday Selfie

A certain kitten around here wanted to try her hand paw at snapping a selfie. Since this little kitty isn't usually all that eager to sit still, let alone pose for any semblance of a photo, I handed that camera right on over to her.

Given that little miss Tonks's attention span is rarely intact, there was no time for messing around with camera settings for this one. This was a you-get-what-you-get sort of selfie. This was a spur-of-the-moment type of deal. Then again, isn't that how most things are with kittens?

Tonks hopes you all enjoyed her selfie! She also hopes you all weren't planning on getting used to this. After all, Tonks is a busy girl with things to do and places to be. That's probably why she informed me that I shouldn't expect her to be so willing to snap a selfie on the regular.

Well, at least for this week, Tonks is responsible for our contribution to the Sunday Selfies Blog Hop, hosted by the Kitties Blue over at The Cat on My Head.

Have a stupendous Sunday, friends!

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Our Doodle of the Day:

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Our Tip of the Day:

We're still not done with tips for National Cat Health Care Month. Today, we're here to remind you to regularly groom your kitty. Brushing your cat has many benefits, such as removing hair that might otherwise lead to hairballs. Hairballs can not only potentially cause vomiting, but also, in some cases, intestinal blockages, which is certainly something no one wants. In addition, brushing can of course also help prevent painful mats, or remove those that are forming. A well-groomed kitty is a happy and healthy kitty, so keep that brush handy. Regular nail trims would also come into play in this topic of regularly grooming your kitty. Of course, if your kitty does not allow for you to brush him or her or trim his or her nails, then perhaps consider a professional groomer, or asking your veterinarian if they offer grooming services. This is especially important for kitties with issues such as mats or painfully long nails that need addressed.

While we're on this topic, remember that cats are both physically and behaviorally equipped to bathe themselves. Therefore, unless your kitty becomes unusually dirty or for some reason is in dire need of a full bath, putting your kitty in that bathtub for a scrub down is not generally necessary. In fact, bathing your kitty could even lead to dry skin or fur, which is of course not ideal for their comfort or health. So, unless a bath is absolutely called for, leave the regular grooming to brushing, nails trims, and other such tasks that will keep your stay kitty sleek, shiny, healthy, and happy.

Kitten Tuesday

Sometimes, a kitten actually sits still in this house. The other day, my sister caught her kitten, Winky, in a non-blurry state. So, she whipped out her phone and snapped some photos as evidence. Since Winky rarely gets to be seen on this blog because she rarely sits still for the camera, I told my sister to send the photos my way so that I could share them with all of you. So, here's Winky!

Doesn't Winky look so sophisticated? If only she'd pose for the camera more often. When you're a kitten, though, there's just so much to do and so much to see, and photo shoots just get in the way of that. We hope you enjoyed this evidence that Winky can sit still, because who knows when it will happen again.

Wishing you a warm and terrific Tuesday, friends!

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Our Doodle of the Day:

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Our Tip of the Day:

As you all certainly know, cats often seek out heat. Those pups out there sometimes do, too. For this reason, when it's cold this winter, monitor your furbaby around any sort of heat source. This of course goes for fireplaces, which should be sufficiently blocked so that kitties and pups can't directly access it or end up with burns. But, this also goes for various space heaters, radiators, and even floor or wall registers for the furnace. Especially if your cat or dog is known to park themselves incredibly close to, or even on top of, such heat sources, be sure to keep a very close eye on them when heaters are being used, or when the furnace is running. If they are near a heat source, check on them regularly, and feel them to make sure that they, and their fur, are not getting dangerously hot. Depending on the kind of heat produced by various heat sources, burns and other injuries can occur if a kitty or pup sleeps on or near it. If needed, such as if your kitty or pup insists on keeping a heater or furnace register company, consider blocking direct access to them. For example, there are safe, fire-proof covers for furnace registers on the floor or wall. When it comes to space heaters, if needed, place them in areas where your kitty or pup does not have access. In other cases, you might be able to find a way to safely block direct access to heaters and radiators, so that your furbaby can enjoy the heat without the risk of burns. Of course we want our furbabies to stay warm in the winter, but it is also important to ensure that your kitty or pup does not end up with burns or other injuries.

Halloween Giveaway

It has been far, far too long since we've done a giveaway on our blog. And what better time to do a giveaway than Halloween? We don't believe in tricks, so we tried to find some treats to offer you friends of ours.

We of course found some goods to celebrate those black kitties out there this time of the year, as you might be able to tell above. There's a back cat tote, treat baggie, stickers, a perhaps random yet nonetheless fun light-up black cat necklace, and of course cat toys! A couple of items even got left out of the photo, in large part because the human here sort of forgot to grab them before whipping out the camera. We'll just leave those to be surprise mystery items.

During this photo shoot, kitten Tonks thought I called in for backup (I did not). Tonks, therefore, happily showed up to offer some semblance of help. So, would you like to see the (blurry) model showcasing the Halloween giveaway goodies?

Do you notice how the cat toys suddenly disappeared in that there photo? That's because they were no longer safe. Tonks was far too intrigued by them. (Don't worry, she was given her own brand new Halloween toy immediately after finishing up with this photo shoot that she hijacked.)

Entering this Halloween giveaway is easy. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post. There will actually be 3 winners, as we have 3 sets of these goodies to give away. This giveaway will end this Wednesday, the 24th of October, at 6 pm CDT. After that, we will randomly select 3 winners from the comments on this post. On Thursday, we will announce the winners and will contact them for their mailing addresses.

I do apologize, but this giveaway is only open to residents of the United States. If you reside outside of the US and your name is randomly selected, you can choose one of your blogging friends in the United States to receive the giveaway goods in your stead. We don't want to completely leave out our friends outside of the US, though. So, if you do live outside of the United States and your name is randomly selected, we will be able to send you a card with a couple of little goodies tucked inside.

All of that rambling being said, we hope you have fun with this Halloween giveaway! This is our favorite time of year and favorite holiday here at our house, so we wanted to share our festive fun with all of you. Have a spooktacular day, friends!

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Our Doodle of the Day:

Throughout this week, the furbabies around here will be showing off their Halloween costumes in the form of doodles. Given that she was the star model for our giveaway today, Tonks will be the first to give you a preview of her costume. Despite the fact that it looks like Tonks is wearing tie-dyed brains on her head, this little lady cat is in fact wearing a clown wig (and nose).

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Our Tip of the Day:

Yesterday, we mentioned keeping your kitty or pup in a safe area of the home, away from the door, in order to avoid any escapes out the front door during Halloween night festivities. Today, we're offering some additional methods you might be able to use to help keep a furbaby as safe, happy, and comfortable as possible on Halloween night. These tips are the most beneficial to furbabies who are scared of the doorbell, knocks at the door, and any other noises and happenings that Halloween might bring with it.

To begin, you can help make a nervous or uncertain furbaby feel more secure during the hustle and bustle of trick-or-treaters by closing windows and drawing blinds or curtains, to mask some of the sights and sounds of the spooky festivities. In addition, you can play music or turn on the TV or a movie to help further drown out sounds that might alarm a kitty or pup. Some furbabies might even be distracted by some treats, or by a play session with you or an interactive toy. In some cases, a cat or dog with higher levels of anxiety might benefit from the use of calming products like a pheromone spray or diffuser, or even a Thundershirt or similar makeshift item to make them feel secure. Or, some cats and dogs would simply do well to have access to a safe hiding place in a safe area of the home, where they can ride out Halloween night. The important thing is to consider your particular kitty or pup's personality and behaviors, and then, as needed, determine what distractions or other techniques might best help them feel safe and secure on Halloween night.

Tuesday with Tonks

I wish I had some sort of brand spanking new photo to share of new girl Tonks. But, alas, the girl is like a rocket who shoots around the house faster than this human, let alone her camera, can even blink. I am working on having my camera at the ready when she's calm (which is something like 0.0079% of the time). I'm also still planning on getting some video of Tonks and her sister Winky, who owns my sister and lives with us, so that you all can see these crazy happy girls in action.

But, there I go rambling. For today, I do have some extra shots of Tonks that were taken during a photo shoot from which we've already shared a photo or two. We figured you wouldn't mind these old yet also sort of new shots of her.

As we mentioned the last time we shared photos from this particular photo shoot, my sister is holding Tonks in these photos. After all, it's not like I was going to succeed at getting her to sit still on my own. We at least chose the front door as the backdrop, though, so you might be able to see our patriotic red, white, and blue stars that hang from the door. See? We totally had this all planned out ahead of time for the week of Independence Day. (That's our story and we're sticking to it.)

Tonks and Winky, as well as their brother Flitwick (who owns my parents, for those who don't know), all have a date with the V-E-T today. They're in the midst of their kitten series of vaccinations, and are also having fecal retests done to make sure their coccidia is all cleared up. Once they're big enough and old enough, they will of course be spayed and neutered.

Tonks hopes you all enjoyed seeing her cute face today! This here mom of hers will keep working at getting some new photos and videos of the kittens. It may not be an easy task, but they say that nothing worth having comes easy.

Happy Tuesday, friends!

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Our Doodle of the Day:

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Our Tip of the Day:

We've been offering some pet parenting hacks, including ways to save money or space while also having a happy furbaby. Today's tip is another plain and simple one, and that's to consider making your own toys for your cats, or even your pups. For example, if you have an old shirt you no longer intend to wear, you can cut it up and use the cloth to create simple knot toys for your cat. If you have some catnip on hand, you can even include some of that in the knot itself, or let the toy soak up some catnip in a sealed bag prior to gifting it to your cat. You can also use old clothes to make knotted or braided toys for a dog, as long as the dog is not know to eat such items. Even a lone or unwanted sock could be used as a toy, such as simply by rolling it into a ball that a cat or dog could bat around or chase.

You could even try your hand at making an interactive toy for your kitty, or even your pup. One such idea is to take a Tupperware container, cut roughly golf ball-sized holes in its lid, put some of your kitty's toys or treats in the container, put the lid on, and let your kitty use the holes to have fun trying to access their goodies. Then again, a cardboard box might work just as well for this DIY interactive cat toy. Interactive toys such as this can be great for a cat or dog's physical as well as mental health, especially if they are spending extra time closed up indoors due to the weather. It's even better when you can save money by creating such toys yourself.

The options for making your own cat toys, or even dog toys, are endless. You can even take cardboard boxes to make a cheap castle for your kitty! So, if you're looking to save some money, or if you want to find a use for safe yet unused items such as clothing, then consider how they might be used to create something fun for your furbaby. If you want further ideas, there are an astonishing number of ideas online, so look into all of your options if you wish to! Of course, always make your furbaby's health and happiness your highest priority, and do not create any toys that might put them at risk.

Tasty Tuesday (#ChewyInfluencer)

Last week, pup Astrid got to share her thoughts on some new food as part of the Chewy.com Blogger Outreach Program. Today, it's the finicky felines' turn. The kittens, Tonks and Winky, even helped with this one. (Let's be honest, the kittens technically weren't invited to this food review for the big kitties, but they just sort of showed up anyway. For further details, read on.)

So, what did the kitties try out this month?

The finicky felines around here tested out PurinaⓇ Pro PlanⓇ True Nature™ adult cat food. This food comes in multiple flavors, but since the kitties around here tend to lean toward chicken, we of course went with the natural chicken and liver recipe. It's made with real chicken and liver, is grain-free, and contains no added artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.

Even better? This food is of the paté variety. This is a must for the kitties around here, as they don't want chunks, morsels, or anything of that sort in their food. (Well, at least the big kitties don't. The kittens, mainly Tonks, don't seem to care. Food is food for the kittens, and they'll inhale it all.)

So, given that this is adult cat food, the big kids tried it out.

Though Evan is not usually the most picky kitty in the household, he walked up, sniffed the food, and then immediately walked away. The reason this is so strange is that he is the only one who did this. Typically the least picky, Evan was the most picky on this particular day.

Toby and Thimble both made a meal of the PurinaⓇ Pro PlanⓇ True Nature™ chicken and liver food. Though the cats' levels of pickiness seem to change day-by-day, Thimble is often the most picky, with Toby as a close second. (Well, to be honest, Eddy is the most picky. She won't touch even a single canned food that exists in this universe, though, so I didn't even know whether to count her vote.)

Now, can you guess who else showed up to the party and tasted the food?

Perhaps you can't tell in that blur, but up there you're seeing Tonks literally inhaling the PurinaⓇ Pro PlanⓇ True Nature™ food. Honestly, do you see her mouth? It's wide open and the food is practically flying into her gullet.

And she kept at it until the bowl was empty. It's like she hadn't just eaten an entire bowl of canned kitten food.

Though I didn't get photographic evidence, Tonks's sister Winky also had a taste. She enjoyed it, too, but nowhere near as much as Tonks did. I think Tonks may be my first evet non-picky kitty. Perhaps she'll prove me wrong when she ages more, but at present, she has shown no signs of being prejudiced towards any foods.

So, especially in a house of typically finicky felines, the PurinaⓇ Pro PlanⓇ True Nature™ food didn't do too badly for itself.


(Disclaimer: As members of the Chewy.com Blogger Outreach Program, we received PurinaⓇ Pro PlanⓇ True Nature™ adult cat food in chicken and liver in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are our own. We only review products that we believe will be of interest to our readers, and we never recommend a product that we do not believe in.)


Wishing you all a tasty Tuesday!

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Our Doodle of the Day:

As we mentioned yesterday, around here we're the type who like us some fantasy. That's why it would seem that little bits of magic will be making its way into our doodles over the next few days. We hope you don't mind.

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Our Tip of the Day:

We've decided to do a series of tips on life hacks for pet parents, especially cat parents. These hacks may be all sorts of random, and some of them may even be repeats of tips from the past. But, we hope these might offer some pet parenting tips for saving money, saving space, saving time, and, of course, keeping your furbaby happy and healthy.

Today's hack is about those windows, which may or may not be open during the warm summer months. We're here today to ask if you know that there is window screen tape on the market. Did you know that? If you are in need of a quick or temporary fix for a torn window screen, especially if there is any chance that the window might be opened and a furbaby potentially escape, then perhaps look into having window screen tape on hand. This tape can be applied to a tear in a window screen, and is meant not only to hold it together, but is also made to look like part of the screen. Of course, this is likely not mean to be a permanent fix, and may not be able to hold up to a determined furbaby. It is of course still wise to only open windows when they are safe and when the furbaby is supervised, but it might not hurt to have window screen tape on hand in case an emergency quick fix is needed.

Magical Monday Motivation

Since Evan got to show off his handsome self yesterday, on none other than Cat World Domination Day, he agreed to give up his Mancat Monday post so that another kitty could have a turn here on our blog. And what other kitty will you be seeing today?

Tonks! Just look at those sleepy eyes. This is actually a very rare moment of Tonks caught sitting still. What's more, it's not really a very good shot at all. I barely got this photo snapped before Tonks woke up and was up and running amok again.

I think Eddy may have lost her role as the most difficult kitty to photograph in this house. Kitten Tonks and her kitten sister Winky seem to be allergic to sitting still, especially for the camera. If it came down to a competition between Eddy and the kittens over who could take the blurriest photo, I'm starting to think the kittens would now win. I never would have thought any kitty could take that title from Eddy, but I have been proven wrong.

That all being said, we're now going a bit magical on you. In the post in which we introduced Tonks, her sister Winky (who owns my sister), and her brother Flitwick (who owns my parents), we mentioned how they were all named after characters from Harry Potter. The fantasy genre is well-loved in my family, so furbabies named after random fantasy characters has happened on far more than one occasion. Did you know that my angel Rosie and her brother Sammy were named after characters in The Lord of the Rings?

That being said, for the next few days, in honor of the kittens' magical names, our doodles are going to be a bit, well, magical. We know that certainly not all of our friends are fans of the fantasy genre like we are. It is, after all, sort of like an acquired taste. I acquired it from my dad, in fact, who read fantasy stories to me on the regular as a child. But, we do hope that, even if you aren't a fan of fantasy, you might still find some enjoyment in these doodles.

That's not all. This doodle and overall topic of magic inspired the motivational thought we wanted to share with you all today. Though Annie of McGuffy's Reader is taking a well-deserved blogging break, and her Sparks blog hop is therefore on hiatus, we still feel compelled to share a positive thought. So, today's magical words of wisdom are:

"Magic is believing in yourself. If you can do that, you can make anything happen."

-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

We hope all of you friends of ours have a magnificent, magical, motivational Monday!

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Our  Tip of the Day:

Today's summer safety tip for strays and ferals relates to the trap-neuter-release (TNR) practice. TNR is crucial for keeping the feral cat population under control, as well as keeping individual ferals as safe and healthy as possible. This being said, always keep the weather and environment in mind when embarking on a TNR effort.

The summer heat can of course pose an extreme danger to cats being trapped. Potentially fatal overheating or heat stroke can occur if a cat is trapped and left sitting in the trap in the sun. In addition to this, traps are often made of metal, which means that if these traps are sitting on a hot surface, such as asphalt, the trap as well as the cat inside can overheat in this way as well. To combat such issues, try to trap and thereafter keep ferals in the shade. After they are trapped, do not leave the cats sitting out in the sun and heat, but instead transfer them somewhere cool as soon as possible. Also keep in mind the cats' safety when transporting them. For example, as you all surely know, the interior of a car can quickly become like a deadly oven in the summer months, so do not leave any animals, including trapped ferals, inside hot cars.

TNR is of course a very important practice for the safety and well-being of feral cats. That doesn't mean there aren't risks to the cats, though, and that includes the weather. So, if you are assisting in the significant task of trapping ferals, of course always ensure the cats' safety in all weather.

When Newbies Snap Selfies

Yesterday we shared this doodle:

When we shared this yesterday, we asked you all what you thought was going on in the doodle. Some of you guessed that we have some new furry members of the family. Well, if you guessed that, you're right!

Does anyone remember a comment I made a few weeks back about how I knew that, someday, I wanted to be owned by another calico? I have not had a calico companion since my angel Rosie gained her angel wings in 2015. Rosie was so dear to me, and she can never be replaced, but she led me to fall in love with calico beauties. Back when I made that comment about someday sharing my life with another calico, many of you commented that a calico would come into my life again when it was meant to be. You were correct.

Friends, meet Tonks!

That's my Tonks! Guess what, though? Tonks is not the only kitty who has become a new member of our household. My sister, who currently lives with me, adopted one of Tonks's sisters, Winky.

So, not just one, but two kitties have joined our furry family! Actually, it's not really just two. Tonks and Winky's brother, Flitwick, was adopted by my parents.

Though Flitwick does not live with us, he and his sisters have play dates on nearly a daily basis. Oh, and in case you were wondering, the names Tonks, Winky, and Flitwick are all from the Harry Potter series. We couldn't help ourselves.

As always, there's a bit of a story surrounding these kittens and how they joined our family. We'll be sharing that story on Tuesday. For today, we're going to leave it at...Welcome to the family, Tonks, Winky, and Flitwick!

On a different note, tomorrow we'll be sharing with you all how we spent this weekend with Moo, the traveling cow of 15andmeowing's Joanie. The big kitties and even pup Astrid had a great time with Moo, and we can't wait to show you all!

Happy Sunday, friends!

P.S. I need to give credit where it's due. I am not the one who helped Tonks, Winky, and Flitwick snap their selfies today. My grandma helped them snap their selfies in her yard. That will make more sense after you read their story on Tuesday.

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Our Doodle of the Day:

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Our Tip of the Day:

Given that we are currently working on introducing kittens into the family, we feel compelled to do a series of tips on this very topic. We're going to begin these tips with a simple yet important one, and that is, before you bring any new furbaby into your home, no matter the species or age, always take into consideration all factors that might affect this decision. For example, do you have enough space in your home to bring home a new cat or dog? If you rent your home, how many animals does the landlord allow? Also consider finances, and whether the proper medical and general care of a new cat or dog will realistically fit in your budget. How about your health? Are you physically able to care for a new cat or dog? Do you have other animals? Do any of them have medical or behavioral issues that would make it unwise to bring home another animal? How about family or roommates with whom you live? Is it reasonable and safe to bring a new cat or dog to live with the other people in your home? Needless to say, there are great many factors to consider before bringing home a new furbaby, so be sure to thoroughly consider all those that apply to you and your home.

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!