Caturday Art

Today I wanted to share the next drawing in my goofy art series starring the furbabies in my life. This next piece stars my active girl Eddy. However, for me this was one of those weeks where life just sort of makes plans for you without consulting you first. In other words, the art I wanted to share today didn't get completed.

However, I flipped through some of my slightly older art, and I found one that I don't think I've shared with you before. So, although it's a change of plan, I still have something to share with you for this week's Caturday Art blog hop, hosted by Athena Cat Goddess Wise Kitty!

This piece was inspired by my boy Evan. I was going to give a brief explanation first, but I think that maybe it explains itself:

I think we all know a kitty or two who rolls up that adorably floofy tummy, and so of course we take the irresistible bait, and then we find out that it was all a trap. My boy Evan is my snuggle buddy of a momma's boy, but he nevertheless has been known to throw out that belly bait, and I always fall for it.

Happy Caturday, everybuddy!

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Our Tip of the Day:

A couple days ago I mentioned giving your cat variety by occasionally relocating their sleeping spots. One commenter further noted offering variety by doing the same thing with their toys - moving toys around throughout the house can give our pets new, fun experiences that keep them occupied. (Thanks for the great suggestion, Marg!) Similarly, you can offer your pets some much needed variety simply by rotating through their toys. In other words, don't put all of your pet's toys out in circulation at one time, but instead always have some held in reserve. Have a secret toy box, and on occasion give them some of the toys hidden in there while also retiring recently used toys to it. Even if an animal has played with a toy before, if it's been hidden away for awhile, it'll be like new! Our pets need variety like this, otherwise they run the risk of becoming bored with their day-to-day life.

Not So Tuesday Toesies

On Monday, Evan showed off his favorite snuggle pose. Well, today he's showing of a close-up of his cute, crossed little paws during that snuggle pose:

And of course I couldn't leave out Evan's back feet in this post. These back feet of his may be paralyzed, but toesies are toesies, and I think they're adorable

Happy Friday, everybuddy! We hope all of our furiends and friends on the East Coast are stocked up and getting all safe and sound for the snow storm coming  your way.

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Our Tip of the Day:

For a nail trimming session with the least amount of wiggles as possible, try doing it when your cat or dog is very relaxed or snoozing. Keep a pair of nail trimmers near one of their sleeping spots. If your cat or dog likes to snooze next to you on the couch while you watch TV, keep nail trimmers there. Of course, don't alarm your cat or dog by suddenly grabbing your sleeping pet's foot and cutting away, but pet them a little first, and then slowly start trimming. If after a few claws your animal starts to squirm, stop. Sometimes you have to break nail trimming up in into a few sessions so that your pet doesn't become stressed. That's fine, because you don't want your pet to start becoming suspicious of your or to start associating nap time with nail trimming. Also, don't forget that after a job well done, a reward of treats is always appreciated by your furbaby!

Peek-a-boo!

Someone loves to play peek-a-boo.

How's the weather up there, Thimble?

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Our Tip of the Day:

Give your cat some variety. Like us, cats can get bored if their day-to-day life is the same, well, day to day. One easy way of giving your cat variety is to offer them different places to sleep. Regularly create new sleeping spots for your cat by putting one of their favorite blankets or one of your shirts in different spots on different days. Of course, if your cat has one particular spot they prefer to sleep and moving that spot stresses them, leave that sleeping spot intact. But, you can still offer your kitty a change of scenery by setting up a variety of other new, different spots for your kitty to choose from. You can even create forts on a couch or bed using pillows and blankets - many cats love this!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: Snowy Silhouettes (and Dirty Windows)

We got our first real snow of the season over the weekend.

 

And we woke up this morning to find at least two more inches of the white stuff on the ground!

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Our Tip of the Day:

If there are outdoor, stray, or feral cats in your area for which you'd like to provide shelter, especially in cold winter weather, you can easily and cheaply do this simply by using a Styrofoam cooler. Cut a hole in the side of the cooler so the cat can get inside, where it can find some insulated warmth. Blankets or towels are always an easy means of providing bedding. However, keep in mind that should the cloth get wet with rain or snow, the bedding is essentially rendered useless and the cat won't be able to stay dry and warm. Instead, consider placing a deep layer of straw in the shelter. Straw does not hold in moisture like cloth, and the animal can burrow down into it to stay warm.

Outtakes Tuesday Story Time

I love to photograph my furbabies, which means I certainly have plenty of outtake shots on hand. In fact, going through my recent photos, I found far more blurry, messy outtake shots than nice, clear shots. Let's be honest, though, that's just as much the fault of my lack of photography skills as it is the fault of my furbabies' boundless energy.

So, here are just some of our most recent outtakes. What's more, for whatever reason (don't ask me why, because I'm not entirely sure), these outtakes are accompanied by a script. So, here you go:

Evan: Did someone say, "Cheese?"

Evan: Wait, you didn't really mean it? There's no cheese?

Are you sure? I thought I smelled cheese.

Evan: Where's the cheese?!? I need my cheeeese!!!

Eddy: Hey, big brother, you wanna play? I love to play.

Evan: Play? No. I want cheese. You won't like me when I'm cheeseless.

Eddy: Aaaaahhhh. I just wanted to play.

Evan: Cheeeeeesssseeee!

The Mom: Are you two fighting? Yes? All right, just let me grab the camera. 

 (Sheesh. What a great mother I am.)

Eddy: Whoa. That was scary. I think I'll just hide 

from Evan under this decrepit chair.

Eddy: Or maybe I'll hide from him up here...Oh, no. Is he behind me?

The Mom: Well, Thimble, at least you're being a perfect little 

angel like always. Can I get some pictures of you?

Thimble: Yay! The camera wrist strap is here!

Thimble: Maybe I should be more stealthy and 

sneak up on it. It'll never see me coming.

The Mom: Well, at least I'll always have this picture 

to remember my camera wrist strap by.

The Mom: Okay, Thimble, now that you're finally done ripping 

apart my camera wrist strap, can I get a picture of 

you being all cute while using your scratching post?

Thimble: Oh, no. She caught me being cute again. There 

must be no photo evidence of this. Run!

Astrid: What was that? Did I just hear a kitty run through?

Astrid: Hmmm. Maybe I should make sure the kitty didn't run 

off with my beloved chew bone...Mmmm. Nom nom nom.

Astrid: Now it's this chew bone's turn. Wouldn't want any of my 

chew bones to feel left out. Mmmm. Nom nom nom.

Wait, is there someone creeping up behind me?

Toby: Uh-oh. The dog almost caught me creeping on her. I'll just get 

up here on the kitchen counter. She'll never see me up here.

 Toby: Well, now that I've fooled the dog, how about a photo 

shoot? How's this expression? Flattering, right?

Neighbor Cat: Hi!

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Our Tip of the Day:

If your dog or cat tends to gulp down their food when fed from a bowl, try feeding them on a shallow plate instead. Food on a plate does not pile up like it does in a bowl, and therefore your dog or cat can't dig in so emphatically or take big mouthfuls. Alternatively, when feeding a dog or cat from a bowl, you can slow them down by placing a ball in the bowl with the food. The animal will have to eat around the ball (make sure it's a size that still allows the animal to get to the food), which will thereby slow down their eating. Of course, if using either of these methods, be sure to monitor that your furbaby isn't getting frustrated or discouraged by the measures being used.

Mancat Monday

My momma's boy is the purrfect snuggle buddy. He loves showing off his favorite snuggle pose:

 He also likes to show off what I call his squinty-eyed snuggle face:

Do any of our furiends out there have a default snuggle pose or snuggle face like Evan does?

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Our Tip of the Day:

If your cat likes milk, try yogurt as an alternative treat. Cats can be lactose intolerant, and since milk contains lactose, it can give cats some rather unwanted and uncomfortable symptoms. Yogurt is lower in lactose than milk since, in the process of manufacturing it, bacteria help to break down the lactose. What's more, yogurt contains probiotics that can offer intestinal health benefits even for cats. Plain, low-fat yogurt is often the best option as a treat for your feline furbaby. Of course, just as with any human food or treat, only offer your cat yogurt in moderation. If your kitty likes to join you at snack or mealtime, though, a little dollop of yogurt could make for a happy kitty.

Sunday Selfie Shenanigans

For today's Sunday Selfie blog hop, hosted by the pawesome The Cat on My Head, my furbabies and I had some fun experimenting with various techniques and poses. Of course, plenty of shenanigans ensued.

After plenty of bloopers (which I will share in a future post), lively Astrid finally sat still long enough to snap this perspective shot.

And my photogenic little lady Thimble also gave me another one of her perspective shots.

Evan experimented with some focus techniques, and ended up with this shot of him barely visible over the foot of my bed. I call this his peeping tom pose.

Our housemate Toby wanted to get a shot similar to Evan's, and he decided that atop the kitchen counter would be his photo shoot location. He was so excited that he could hardly sit still, and so this less than focused and far from centered photo was the winning shot.

Eddy couldn't decide what technique or pose to go with, and she also couldn't decide whether or not she wanted to sit still or bounce off the walls. She ended with this shot, which, although blurry, shows off this special girl's winning snaggletoothed smile.

I hope you all had just as much Sunday Selfie shenanigan fun as we did!

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Our Tip of the Day:

Pets come with lots of unconditional love and cuddles. And they also come with lots of fur, including on our furniture and clothes. Fear not the fur, though. To remove fur from your clothing or furniture, you can make use of the adhesive nature of a lint roller or tape. Another option is to use a a rubber glove. With this method, all you need to do is put on a rubber glove and then drag your gloved hand across the fur-covered surface. The static created will help to gather up the hair off of the furniture or clothing and onto the glove instead. So cuddle on, and de-fur later.