Wordless Wednesday: Up Nose and Personal

My, Astrid, what a big nose you have!

All the better to sniff a cup of joe with?

Wishing all of our furiends a warm Wednesday!

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Our Tip of the Day:

Although a hot cup of coffee, chocolate, or tea can help keep you warm in the winter, still always remember to avoid sharing these with your furbaby. Coffee and tea contain caffeine, and chocolate contains another similar substance, which can be poisonous to our furbabies. While your furbaby can likely get away with couple licks of warm drink from your cup with little to no effect, always be sure to keep coffee grounds, tea bags, and cocoa mixes out of reach of your furbaby. Signs that your furbaby ingested any of these and might be suffering from caffeine or other similar poisoning include restlessness, increased heart rate or respiration rate, vomiting, tremors, and seizures. If you have any concern at all that your furbaby ingested dangerous amounts of caffeine or other toxin, please consult a veterinarian immediately.

Toesies Lickin' Tuesday

Thimble has been waiting for Toesies Tuesday since, well, last Tuesday. She's been wanting to show off just how much she loves bathing her little toesies,

 

Thimble was a bit perturbed with this mom of hers the other day. Why? Because Thimble also recently had an adorable belly rolling session, but I failed to have the camera handy in order to snap shots of the cuteness. So, to make up for this lack of tummy shots today, Thimble asked me to create this:

There. Although it's not the real thing, I hope this will help Thimble to forgive me.

Warm wishes to all of our furiends!

***

Our Tip of the Day:

As much as we love cuddles and kisses from our furbabies, do be sure to always keep in mind the reality behind them. Both cats and dogs bathe themselves with their tongues, and those baths do indeed include their hind quarters. Our furbabies, perhaps especially our pups, are also prone to eating any assortment of things they might find lying on the ground or outside in the grass. The exposure of their tongues to these environments is why it is always possible for our furbabies to transmit bacteria to us on their tongues. This is also in part why cat bite wounds can be so severe, as a cat's especially sharp teeth can deliver bacteria deep into the tissue of a human hand or other area, which can then lead to infection. All of this being said, it's certainly not that you can't cuddle and coo and kiss on your furbaby (by all means, please do!), but it is most healthy to do so with proper understanding and care.

Mancat Monday

As most of you already know good and well, Evan loves his front door. It's sunny and warm there, and he can keep an eye on those troublesome neighbors, not to mention those squirrels that insist on hanging around outside.

Evan also loves the cozy spot right next to the front door, beneath a little wooden table that sits there. At certain times of the day, that's where the sun puddles are brightest and warmest.

What's more, when sitting beneath that table beside his beloved door, Evan can watch his mom when she's across the room in the kitchen

Since kitchen time means cooking and baking, and since those often mean butter, beneath the table is sometimes simply the place to be.

Speaking of baking, Evan put in a request for today's art, and it looks a little something like this:

Happy Monday!

***

Our Tip of the Day:

Did you know that ginger has been found to assist with upset stomach in cats and dogs, as well as in humans? It can be used in the case of mild upset stomach, such as in the case of motion sickness during travel. Ginger can be spicy, though, so always be careful and cautious if or when administering it to your furbaby, so as not to make matters worse. It is sometimes suggested that, to see if your furbaby is willing to try ginger to alleviate an upset stomach, you can sprinkle a couple drops of ginger root extract in their food, or try a bit of mild ginger tea. Of course, it is always a good idea to check with your veterinarian first, before adding any human food or supplements to your furbaby's diet. What's more, always monitor your furbaby when giving them any new food, to assure that there is no allergy or other reaction.

Sunday Selfie Shenanigans

We've reached another one of our favorite blog hops, which is that of the Sunday Selfies, hosted by our pals over at The Cat on My Head.

Some weeks, I have to beg my furbabies for even one meager selfie to share. This week, though, all of my little creatures decided to snap a shot for this fun blog hop.

Evan, of course, went for a photo by his beloved front door. He loves when the sun shines in, making for a glorious sun puddle, and making him look as if he has no ears...

Thimble, always the model...

Eddy, well, she of course snapped a wonderfully dark and blurry selfie to share with you all...

Astrid went on a day trip with us yesterday to visit family. That made for one tired pup who could barely, just barely stay awake to snap her selfie late last night...

I can't speak for quality, but I sure do love it when all of my furbabies agree on snapping a selfie. How did they do this week?

For today's art, I realized that I simply had not drawn enough of my sweet angel Rosie these days. Obviously, the way to fix that is to draw her all festive and hanging out in a stocking.

We hope everybuddy is having a merry Christmas season!

***

Our Tip of the Day:

Yesterday we gave a tip about always monitoring your furbabies when they are assisting you in helping wrap presents, especially when potentially dangerous items such as ribbon, scissors, and tape are involved. Today we're going to take that tip one step further and advise you to be careful when attempting to assist your furbaby if they have ingested a ribbon or other similar item. Sometimes, if an animal has ingested such an item, you might find a portion of it protruding from your furbaby's mouth or anus. In such a case, be very, very careful and cautious about pulling on the ribbon to remove it. This is in part because ribbon can cause lacerations to the esophagus and intestinal tract, especially if yanked on. Similarly, if your furbay's ingestion of a ribbon is evidenced by it protruding from the anus, you have to again be careful, as simply pulling on it could result in further damage, such as by perforation of the bowels if the ribbon has become lodged somewhere internally. If you find yourself in a situation with ribbon protruding from your furbaby, it is sometimes safe to very gently and slowly pull on the ribbon to see if it is easily removed and therefore only superficial. If you do this, though, and the ribbon is not easily removed or if it proves to be a long piece with no end in sight, or especially if your furbaby is acting uncomfortable or in any way displaying abnormal symptoms, it would be best to avoid risk of damage and to consult a veterinarian for professional advice on removal of the ribbon. Of course, to avoid such issues altogether, keep that ribbon out of reach of the furbabies in your life!

Caturday Art: Merry Mashup

Happy weekend, everybuddy!

For today's Caturday Art blog hop, hosted by the lovely Athena, we have a bit of a holiday mashup. Given that this mashup involves our two most favorite holidays, we're happy campers.

We'll start with our own contribution to Athena's blog hop. The furbabies around here are feeling an awful lot like elves these days, helping their mom wrap gifts, trying to unwrap those very same gifts. You know, all that jazz. Anyway, they asked me to give an illustration of just how good they are at this whole elfing thing.

They sure are pros, aren't they!

Next up, we have a different sort of piece of art to show you all. You see, we were the lucky winners of a Day of the Dead giveaway over at the fantabulous blog of a certain gorgeous tortie named Mudpie and her awesome mom Melissa. We won an adorable Day of the Dead kitty statue, and we are in love with it. Can you see why?

This Halloween decor (which will in fact be year round decor here at our home) was like an early Christmas present, and we are in love with it. It seemed only fitting that we share this lovely loot on none other than the day of Caturday Art itself.

Now, head on over to Athena's blog and check out all of the other beautiful art our furiends are creating!

Happy Caturday to all!

***

Our Tip of the Day:

Although it can be a time of great fun for both us and our furbabies, always be careful when wrapping presents around your furbaby. One of the most common dangers is ribbon, which is especially enticing for our feline furbabies. Not only can our furbabies get caught up in it and get themselves in trouble that way, but, if ingested, ribbon can cause damage to the esophagus and intestinal tract. Other potential dangers at present-wrapping time include scissors, box cutters, and tape. To prevent danger and injury, always monitor your furbaby around such items, and never leave them in their reach. If need be, do not use any ribbons on presents that stay beneath the tree, especially if your furbaby is left unattended with them. Being festive sure is fun, but being safe is even better!

Friday Funday

Today, we have fun.

This time of year, there can be so much hustle and bustle, and it's so easy to exhaust ourselves with it. On top of that are all of the recent losses in this blogging community of ours, with so many angels gaining their wings. Sometimes, in the midst of all of this, one of the most important things you can do is take a deep breath and just let yourself have a little fun. So, that's what we're doing today.

We'll start this off like we always do on Friday, with the fantastic Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, hosted by the fantastic 15andmeowing and McGuffy's Reader.

We were so excited when we first saw the fill-ins for this week, because they're all full of festive fun! Here they are:

1. I love the following Christmas film(s): _________.

2. I don't care for the following Christmas film(s): _________.

3. At the holidays, I cannot resist _________.

4. A favorite holiday memory of mine is _________.

I put on my thinking cap Santa hat, and here's what happened:

1. I love the following Christmas films: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, A Christmas Story, Elf, A Charlie Brown Christmas, and A Garfield Christmas.
(These are just a few of my favorite Christmas movies and specials that I watch every single year, usually more than once. I also love watching some of the older Christmas specials of some of my favorite television shows. Although perhaps I'm one of the few here who might say this, I love watching the Little House on the Prairie Christmas episodes, because they're festive in such a quaint and simple way.)

2. I don't care for the following Christmas film: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
(I feel like such a Scrooge for giving this answer. To be honest, though, Rudolph's story has always been a bit too sad for my taste. And, although I can't quite put my finger on why, and although I feel terrible saying this, this little film just kind of creeps me out overall.)

3. At the holidays, I cannot resist fudge.
(There's not much more I can say about this. I mean, it's fudge.)

4. A favorite holiday memory of mine is when Frost the Snowman made my life difficult.
(This is a weird one, isn't it? This goes back to when I was in high school and did a lot of babysitting, especially around holidays when parents were off at Christmas parties and the like. One such Christmastime night, I was babysitting for a little girl, and we sat down to watch Frosty the Snowman before her bedtime. We made it all the way to the end, to the scene where Santa Claus gives Karen a lift home, at which point he drops her off, well, on the roof. This is where watching TV with kids can get a bit iffy, because the little girl I was babysitting suddenly gasped, wailed "But how is she going to get in her house from up there?!?", and then proceeded to get teary-eyed with worry. Gee, Santa, thanks for that. How was I supposed to encouragingly say, "Don't worry, sweetie, she'll just slide down that steep, snow-covered roof and pop right inside through that tiny window there." Although I found myself in a bit of a jam on that night all those years ago, I now laugh every time I watch that scene of Frosty.)


Now, on to the next bit of fun. As seems fitting, Eddy will be the star of our contribution to this month's Pet Blogger Bloopers Round-Up, hosted by The Lazy Pit Bull.

Eddy's bloopers started off as far more promising than they look. It began with me walking into my bedroom to find her sitting all prim and proper and perfectly calm on my bed. I thought I'd immortalize that rare image by obtaining photographic evidence, but by the time I whipped out my camera, she instead decided it was time to start clambering up to her favorite spot on the post of my headboard.

Given that she's a cat and all, I thought the process would have involved some semblance of grace. She was just a tad bit lacking in that arena, though.

Looks like an awful lot of work, Eddy, especially given that there's a perfectly good window just one room over.

Whew. You made it, Eddy! Bravo!


Well, with that accomplished, what's up next? How about some art? Some Christmas art? Maybe a panda in a Santa hat?

This human here loves her some panda bear, which is probably why this was one of the first ornaments I drew this season. This little guy wishes you a beary merry Christmas!

And you know what other fun news we have to share with you today? We recently got a little something special in the mail!

The furbabies around here think this mom of theirs is a real party pooper, though, because she decided to make them wait until just a little closer to Christmas to open up and delve into the goodies inside that glorious box. That being said, we do now know the identity of our Secret Santa Paws! But, we're going to make you all wait and see who it is, because we're cruel like that. Our Secret Santa Paws know who they are, though, and we want to thank you! Getting this box made our day, our week, our Christmas season! We can't wait to dig in (although we already know that we're going to love what's inside)!

We also got something else fantastic in the mail recently, which you will see tomorrow. So, stay tuned!

We're sending you all warm wishes, and we hope you have yourselves a fun Friday!

***

Our Tip of the Day:
Especially at busy times of the year such as this, always remember that our furbabies can sense and feed off of our own emotions. If you're feeling stressed this holiday season, so will your furbaby. So, although life can sometimes make it tough, always try to stay positive and be happy. After all, that's the best and most healthy state for both you and your furbaby!

Sideways Thimble Thursday

Thimble, ever the experimental model, decided to go sideways for her photo shoot this week.

And of course she wanted to go for a close up shot as well.

There. Thimble hopes all of her furiends like this sideways version of her. (Her mom here sure does!)

And for today's art, Thimble wanted to make sure that you all remembered that she still is the librarian around here. Even if that Christmas tree led to a rearrangement of the little library in our home (can you believe this human moved Thimble's beloved desk?!?), Thimble makes sure everybuddy around here knows that she still reigns supreme over all of those books. That's why Thimble told me to share one of our newest bookmarks with you today, in her honor, of course. So, here you go:

And of course we didn't forget that today is wonderful Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.

Today, we are thankful for soft and furry bellies, snuggle time, good books to read, fantastic furiends (yes, we're talking to you!), and so much more.

Warm wishes to all of you!

***

Our Tip of the  Day:
Our furbabies' belly rolling sessions are not only great opportunities for petting and snuggles, but also good times to check on the status and health of those cute little tummies. It's never a bad idea to do the occasional once-over of your furbaby, checking for hair loss, sores, and any other abnormalities or concerning features. If hair loss is noted on the abdomen, for example, that could be a sign of excess grooming, which could be a result of anything from a UTI to anxiety. The abdomen is just one example of a region of your furbaby's body that is great for a snuggle but that also needs to be checked up every once in a while, though. Don't forget to keep an eye on those toes, and in those ears, and even peek inside that mouth of theirs when the chance arises. So, don't forget, it's always important to not only take the time to cuddle and snuggle your furbaby, but also to do a quick at-home exam on them every once in a while. And, of course, if you have any concerns, don't hesitate to consult a veterinarian.