Calling Birds and Chewies (#ChewyInfluencer)

I'll admit, I don't like posting reviews two days in a row. So, I really do apologize for doing just that. But, I failed to promptly request our items from Chewy.com this month, as part of their Blogger Outreach Program. That means, by no one's fault but my own, our items arrived a bit late. And since we want to get them both done by the New Year, and Wednesday is typically pup Astrid's turn to post, here we are again with her review.

Astrid's reviews are, generally, easier than that of the finicky kitties around here. Don't get me wrong, Astrid is one picky pup herself. I've mentioned before how we have yet to find a fruit or veggie, in any form, that she'll actually accept as worthy. Honestly, the girl won't even eat a potato chip. Who doesn't like potato chips?!? She also refuses pasta, bread, you know, pretty much everything that makes our mouths water. But, I digress.

Luckily, though, unlike with the kitties around here, Astrid has a not so picky love of treats. That is, as long as they are soft and chewy treats. Those are just about her favorite thing. That, and cat food. Anyway, that all being said, I knew I had found a sure winner with Nutro™ Moist-n-Chewy Bites in hickory smoke BBQ.

These treats are 100% natural, with genuine chicken being the first ingredient. What's more, these seriously soft treats looked like they were made just for chewy-loving Astrid.

As if I wasn't already pretty darn sure that Astrid would love these, she let me know her early vote by breathing down my neck during the above photo shoot.

Talk about puppy dog eyes. Who could say no to that face? I sure couldn't. Astrid got that very treat (and plenty more) immediately after I snapped this shot.

And what does Astrid have to say about these hickory smoked BBQ Nutro™ Moist-n-Chewy Bites? She thinks they're just about the best thing since sliced bread. Except, she won't eat bread. So, I guess it's more accurate to say that she would rank these delectable chewies right up there with cat food.


(Disclaimer: As members of the Chewy.com Blogger Outreach Program, we received Nutro™ Moist-n-Chewy Bites in hickory smoked BBQ 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.)


Though Astrid loved her delicious chicken BBQ treats, she's not so sure about today's bit of art. It's the Fourth Day of Christmas, which brings us to the calling birds. After mulling over what on earth to do with this one, I settled on the following, and neither Astrid nor I really know what to make of it.

Well, tin can callers or not, we wish you a very merry Fourth Day of Christmas!
 

***

Our Tip of the Day:

Although healthy birds often pose little to no threat, always be aware of your furbaby's activity around unknown birds and their feces. Bird droppings can potentially be a source of a variety of fungi or bacteria, which can most commonly pose a threat if inhaled. For this reason, always be especially cautious when you come across bird droppings on walks or other outdoor excursions with your furbaby, or even when around unknown pet birds. Of course, such diligence should be employed when around any animal unfamiliar to you.

French Hens and Food Snobs (#ChewyInfluencer)

This month, because this here human was a bit slow on the uptake, the furbabies' Chewy.com goodies for review more or less served as supplementary Christmas gifts. As part of this Blogger Outreach Program, the kitties got to try out a new moist food this month. Knowing that chicken with a little side of carrot has been one of the very few accepted flavors of moist food for the kitties around these parts, we went for none other than that flavor of Muse® by Purina®.

I always wonder if my kitties are ever even a fraction as excited as I am about trying out a new moist food. Finding a moist food that passes the refined taste test of these kitties of mine is a challenge, to put it mildly, and who doesn't love a good challenge? Perhaps that's why I always feel like a gold medal Olympian when a food is actually eaten by the felines around here.

I was especially excited to try this Purina® Muse® food because of its promising formulation. Chicken is indeed the first ingredient, with no chicken by-product meal. It also contains no grain, corn, wheat, or soy. And, it has added vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. That all sure sounded great to me, but, I wasn't the one to be eating it.

So, eager to have the kitties test it out, I started divvying it out. As you can see below, I chose the paté food, as my kitties consider chunks in moist food to be the root of all evil, or something like that.

To me, the food seemed promising at this point. It was indeed a soft sort of food, and just moist enough that I did not even have to add water to make it into the usual consistency of my furry felines' requirements. Even better was that food finicky Thimble came jaunting into the room, as if she had smelled it and was enticed.

The question, though, is did Thimble eat it?

She did lick it a few times, which is always a good sign for her. But, that was it. That's not to say this food is a total fail in Thimble's book, though. Thimble has been known to give a new food only a passing consideration one day, only to scarf it down the next.

On a good note, somebody else loves the food, and that would be my boy Evan!

I would honestly consider this a major plus for this food. Evan tends to ignore most moist foods these days, yet he swooped in and started gobbling this one right up.

Eddy, as always, paid no mind to the moist food whatsoever. Housemate Toby was too busy slapping around one of his new Christmas toys (which you'll see later this week!) to partake in this review, so he doesn't get a vote.

If we tally it up, Evan gives Purina® Muse® chicken and carrot moist food four paws up, and Thimble gives it something along the lines of two. At our house, that is not a bad rating at all. After all, we are a home of food snobs, and any paws up at all is a win.


(Disclaimer: As members of the Chewy.com Blogger Outreach Program, we received Purina® Muse® chicken and carrot moist food 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.)


It's opportune that we tested this food out for today. After all, it's the Third Day of Christmas, that of the three French hens, and festive poultry goes with this review quite perfectly.

Merry Third Day of Christmas!

***

Our Tip of the Day:
Whether it be a primary portion of their diet or even just a treat, always be aware of the differences between types of meat when feeding your furbaby. When it comes to white versus dark meat, keep in mind that white meat is leaner and would likely therefore be ideal if weight control is an issue, or even in the case of stool consistency. In other words, dark meat tends to have a higher fat content, which could potentially lead to weight gain or symptoms such as diarrhea. Always be cognizant, therefore, of which type of meat you might be offering to your furbaby. Of course, should you have any questions or concerns regarding your furbaby's diet and health, please do consult your veterinarian.

A Merry Mancat Monday

We hope everybuddy's Christmas Day was very merry and bright!

Now, though, do you know what makes Christmas even better than it already is? The fact that it is not confined to just one day! Christmas is a season, an entire season to be merry and happy and grateful for that with which we are blessed in life.

Evan, for one, sure loves that Christmas isn't just a one-day event. He loves the days and days of extra baking that come with this holiday (because, well, butter!), and he loves having all sorts of wrapping paper to roll on and eat, and don't forget those gift boxes (because, well, boxes!). And, of course, that tree is a real hit.

What I'm getting at even more so right now, though, is a little something known as the Twelve Days of Christmas. Do any of our longtime readers remember our posts from last year regarding the Twelve Days of Christmas? Well, in case you don't, we'll give a little refresher on this topic.

So, who all already knows that Christmas Day itself is only just the First Day of Christmas? That means that on December 25th, we're only just starting the merry celebration known as Christmas. Isn't that fantastic!

We love Christmas, and twelve days of it is more than fine with us. That being said, just as with last year, we will be celebrating the Twelve Days of Christmas with a piece of art each day. Unlike last year, though, we're actually going to try and make all of the Christmasy pieces reflect on the very jingle known as "The Twelve Days of Christmas". Our Christmas Day post yesterday had a bit of art starring a partridge and, yes, a pear tree. Now, today, on the Second Day of Christmas, we have those two turtle doves.

So, you see, we're only just beginning Christmas!

On another note, since we first posted it on the busy day of Christmas, we wanted to take quick moment today to repeat our announcement that the winner of our festive cat toy and surprise art giveaway is Suzanne of P.S. Annie. The cat toys are all ready for their new home, and Suzanne's surprise art is already in the works. We hope to do another giveaway soon, and in fact hope to make a regular habit of this, so stay tuned for more!

Merry Second Day of Christmas!

***

Our Tip of the Day:
Remember that our furbabies enjoy a little variety and novelty in their life. Nobody likes a repeat of the same ol' same ol' every day, and our furbabies are no exception to this. Toys, for example, can get boring if it's always the same ones sitting around day after day. That's not to say, though, that you have to constantly go out and buy brand new toys. Rather, rotate the toys your furbaby already has, by putting some out for a while, and then picking them up and putting out other ones that have been in temporary hiding. Even an old toy can be like new and a complete blast if it suddenly reappears after an absence. That being said, Christmas is a perfect time to do a fun little rotation of your furbaby's toys. If your furbaby got themselves some new toys from Santa Paws, take that opportunity to give them those fun and festive new ones, while at the same time picking up some of the older ones to hide away for resurfaced fun at a later date. 

Merry Christmas!

First and foremost, we are here to wish all of you dear friends the most merry and blessed Christmas! If you don't celebrate Christmas, then we wish you the happiest of holidays! We are so grateful for each and every one of you, for this wonderful community of bloggers.

Now, on this day of merriment, we have a festive selfie to share for the Sunday Selfie blog hop, hosted by our pals over at The Cat on My Head.

Believe it or not, the kitty who offered the selfie for this wondrous Christmas Day is none other than elusive Eddy. Not only does she have a selfie, though, but also a little jingle to go with it. So, are you ready for a special little Christmas carol?

♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ ♫

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree,

I see you have met Eddy.

♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ ♫

♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ ♫

I apologize

for your demise.
Branch by branch,
it's an avalanche!

She shakes you to your very core.

No, seriously, there goes Eeyore.

♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ ♫

♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ ♫

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree,

I see you have met Eddy.

♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ ♫
 

Oh, Eddy, you and the tree sure have gotten to know each other quite well this Christmas season. And the ornaments, well, you're certainly well acquainted with them as well. Speaking of which, where'd I put the glue after I fixed the last casualty ornament?
 

And, before I forget, the winner of Friday's giveaway, the winnings being a set of festive cat toys and a surprise piece of art, is Suzanne of P.S. Annie!
 

Now, we're off to spend time with family, to enjoy some festivities, and to stuff our faces full of food. We know we're not the only ones. Right?
 

Before we go, though, we would yet again like to wish all of you dear pals a wonderful Christmas! We hope your day is filled with family, friends, fun, and good food. And maybe a partridge in a pear tree?
 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!
 

***

Our Tip of the Day:

Our Christmas Day tip is, well, to have yourself a merry little Christmas! Take today to give extra special thanks for all of the blessings in your life. Cherish and spend time with your family, friends, and of course those furbabies! Count those blessings, for they are many!

Dashing Through the Snow

We've finally reached that wonderful day known as Christmas Eve! That means Christmas itself is officially just around the corner, and we hope all of our furiends are having the merriest of seasons!

We ourselves have been keeping busy wrapping and cleaning and baking and wrapping some more (in other words, this here human has been trudging her way through all of the tasks that she's been putting off, with the furbabies doing lots of snoopervising). Even so, we always make time for one of our favorite blog hops, and that's Athena's Caturday Art blog hop.

This week, it being Christmas Eve and all, it seemed only right that we create something extra timely and festive. So, we channeled our inner Santa Paws and doodled our way to this:

Is anybuddy out there making dashes through the snow these days? Or, are you just dashing in general?

Also, don't forget to leave a comment on yesterday's post to be entered into our very first ever official giveaway! You have until 11:59 pm CST tonight to enter to win some festive kitty toys and a little bit of art created just for you.

That all being said, we'll be here tomorrow with a Merry Christmas post. What's more, it will indeed involve a festive selfie. Can you guess which kitty snapped the Christmas selfie that we'll be sharing tomorrow? Here's a hint: It may or may not be the last kitty you'd guess.

Merry Christmas Eve!

***

Our Tip of the Day:

Today's tip is a simple one. Christmas is a busy time when we're so often dashing from here to there. But, please don't forget to take a moment every once in a while to relax and, of course, snuggle on those furry babies of yours. Especially at crazy and chaotic times like this, they need and crave that attention, and us humans need and crave that therapeutic love our kitties and pups have to offer. So, do be sure to take a breather and get those cuddles on!

The Magic of Christmas

Today is the last day in our series of Secret Santa Paws posts. It's Eddy's turn to show off that last bit of fun and festive loot we received from fantastic Jean and furbabies.

Those of you who know us well are aware that getting a viable shot of Eddy is like catching yourself a sighting of Sasquatch. More than likely, it's just not going to happen. That doesn't mean Eddy didn't receive any goodies to show off, though.

Just one of the fun gifts Eddy received (and which I barely managed to snap a shot of before Thimble swooped in) were these lovelies:

Although Eddy, always the elusive adventurer, was off scaling the Christmas tree while the rest of us opened presents, she indeed loves these! Like Thimble, she's a whapper and slapper, and these balls get lots of that. Eddy of course loves everything she received, including that wonderful duck wand toy she and Thimble were gifted!

The pawesome Santa Paws they are, Jean and her furbabies even sent something for this human here! Right on top of our box of goodies was a pretty white box with a lovely "L" sticker atop it.

Since L stands for Lorianne, I got perfectly excited. Honestly, the box itself was all I needed. For whatever reason, I've always been a fiend for stickers and pretty little trinket type things, which is probably why I sat there oohing and awing over this box for roughly an eternity.

See how pretty?!?

And then I actually managed to open the box.

Since I love me some owl, this lovely ornament was the icing on the cake. It was immediately hung, although not actually on the tree, because, well, Eddy.

Oh, and I failed to show you our adorable card from Jean and her furbabies.

Jean and her furry crew sure knew what they were doing. I love chickadees, so even down to this cute card our Santa Paws picked the most perfect gifts for us!

From Eddy and all of us, thank you, Jean and furbabies!


Now, don't worry, we didn't forget the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, hosted by our pals at 15andmeowing and McGuffy's Reader. (And be sure to visit 15andmeowing today to join in on their Festivus party!)

Our hosts created some more festive fill-ins for us this week, and that makes us very happy! Here they are:

1. I still need to _________ before Christmas.
2. My favorite episode of Seinfield is _________.
3. What I would really like for Christmas is _________.
4. My favorite part of Christmastime is _________.

And here is what this here human managed with those:

1. I still need to finish up my baked goods before Christmas.
(I have happily been in charge of bringing the pies to holiday gatherings for the past couple of years. I will be making 4 pies for our family Christmas gathering this year, and I plan on finishing them up tonight. I will also be making gingerbread men and the Nutter Butter Santas I mentioned last week. Don't worry, though, the fudge is already done!)

2. My favorite episode of Seinfield is the one with the soup Nazi.
(I'll admit that I don't watch a whole lot of Seinfield. My parents used to watch it, though, and I would sometimes watch it with them. Although I don't remember a whole lot of the episodes all that well, I do remember enjoying the one with the soup Nazi. I have no idea what the title of that episode is, or even what season it's from, but I do remember that soup Nazi.)

3. What I would really like for Christmas is to see all homeless furbabies in forever homes.
(Especially this time of year, when I see or hear of homeless furbabies out in the cold fending for themselves, I just wish there was something I could do to land them all in the forever homes they so very much deserve. Of course, this wish also extends to those furry babies in shelters awaiting their homes.)

4. My favorite part of Christmastime is the magic in the air.
(This is probably a strange answer to some, but to me there really is a feeling of magic and whimsy in the air this time of year. Everywhere you go, there are lights and festive decorations and so many fun things to see and do. Have you ever been outside at night on a street where nearly all of the houses are decorated and lit up for Christmas? That is pure magic to me.)


The festivities don't end there! We have something else festive going on today. In light of this wonderful season of giving, we are doing our first genuine giveaway. Included in this giveaway is a bundle of festive crinkle toys that my mother (the furbabies' beloved Gammy) created out of some leftover Christmas cloth.

I'll admit, Thimble discovered the hiding place of these giveaway toys (honestly, I can't win with that girl) and tested them out. She says they're great fun.

In addition to those festive toys, the winner of this giveaway will also receive a surprise piece of art from me. I'll be creating and personalizing this piece to suit the individual winner, which means I don't have a picture to show you, as I haven't created it yet. But, there will be a colorful doodle of a prize included in this giveaway!

To be entered into this giveaway, all you have to do is comment on this blog post sometime before 11:59 pm CST tomorrow, Christmas Eve. I will announce the winner in our Christmas Day post. (Don't worry, though. I know that Christmas is a busy day and should be filled with family and fun, so if you're the winner yet don't make it to our blog on Christmas Day, you will still get the goods! I will announce the winner again on Monday, December 26th, as well as contact the winner directly.)

And, as for our art of the day, here's a frosty little fox for you.

Merry eve of Christmas Eve to all!

***

Our Tip of the Day:

We have another repeat holiday tip for you today. When your furbaby shows up at Christmas dinner, don't forget that while it's of course unhealthy for your furbaby to indulge in too much human food, there are also foods that are downright dangerous for them to consume. When it comes to your kitty or pup, steer clear of foods such as chocolate, onions, garlic, grapes, and raisins, and of course alcoholic beverages. Due to the fatty content and potential risk of pancreatitis, it also perhaps wise to avoid feeding your furbaby turkey and even nuts, such as almonds and pecans. Instead, as long as if given within reason and as long not seasoned with potentially dangerous ingredients, give your furbaby a little taste of carrot, corn, or sweet potato. Of course you can give your furbaby the gift of a taste of Christmas dinner, so long as you keep it healthy!

Thimble loves Santa!

Here we are with our fourth day of sharing the amazing loot sent to us by our fabulous Secret Santa Paws (none other than Jean and her furry ones!). Today is Thimble's turn, and let me tell you, she has a lot in store for you.

Thimble is, to put it very simply, a playful little kity. She loves to bat, whap, slap, knock stuff over, run, and then repeat. That being said, Thimble knew something good was going on the second I popped open the wondrous box of goodies from Santa Paws. (Who am I kidding. Thimble knew something was going on the second that box showed up at our doorstep in early December. She hunted that thing down relentlessly, and she is indeed the reason why this human finally gave up the fight and let the furbabies indulge in their gifts early.)

For fear that Thimble would start claiming each and every gift for herself, I immediately started doling hers out to her.

Look how cute!

Thimble thought it was cute as well, but she also thought I was taking far too long opening it. A girl only has so much patience! So, what was inside that goodie bag?

Mousies! With a little help from Toby, Thimble started showing those mousies who's the boss around here..

That there purple mousie is one of this human's favorite things from all of this loot. It's just so fuzzy and cute, not to mention that it's purple! Oh, and it's so very whappable, too!

That certainly wasn't all, though. Thimble, the nip fiend that she is, also got some niptastic feather toys that she fell in love with immediately.

Still, though, Thimble wasn't through with these goodies. There was a special gift (seen in the blurry shot below) that was for both Thimble and Eddy.

Since Eddy refused to get out of the Christmas tree to participate at this time (kids these days), Thimble was happy to open the gift all on her own. What was inside made all of the kitties (and this human) so very excited.

It's a duck wand toy! How cool is that! And it was love at first sight whap for Thimble, that's for sure.

Honestly, this girl wouldn't even let me hold the end of the wand. She wanted it all to herself, thank you very much.

Thimble even took that little duck into her lair. You know, to give it a proper welcome into the family.

Thank you, Santa Paws!

And, of course, this is Thimble's entry into Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop!

Stay tuned for Eddy to finish up our Secret Santa Paws posts tomorrow. Until then, we are sending all of our furiends the warmest of wishes!

***

Our Tip of the Day:
This is the time of year that mice most commonly find their way into homes. It's cold outside and warm inside, and to get to that warmth mice can fit through even the smallest points of entry. That being said, if you find yourself with mice, please be aware that they are a potentially hazardous animal to both your furbabies and yourself. Your kitty is a hunter and may want to catch that mouse, but don't forget that mice often carry fleas and other parasites, not to mention they are hosts for bacteria and disease. When in your home, mice leave behind feces, urine, and any number of health risks. Not just that, but if your kitty catches a mouse, there is always the potential risk that an attempt to eat it could lead to a blockage, such as if said kitty tries to eat the mouse whole. So, if you suspect or know of mice in your house, it would be wise to pursue a solution to this problem. In such a case, though, be careful not to use chemicals that could poison your furbaby, or traps that could injure them. Research the best options for your situation and home. You can even do live traps, and release the mice out into the wild (far away from your home, though, so that they don't return). Mice may be a natural part of the environment, but be aware that they aren't as innocent as they look!