Another Merry Mancat Monday?

Hello, friends! We didn't mean to yet again disappear this weekend. It was for a good reason, though, because this here human got to visit with her grandma. My grandma and her husband were sick with the flu during the weeks surrounding Christmas, and so we hadn't yet celebrated the holiday with them. So this weekend turned into a last-minute yet lovely visit with them, though it meant I didn't even look at my computer, hence yet another absence from us. 

With our continued Christmas celebrations with family, and given the fact that our Christmas decor is indeed still up and will likely be up until next weekend, we're still feeling pretty festive. That, and tired, much like Evan looks here.

For anyone truly done with Christmas, we do apologize for the next couple of posts. Sort of. Tomorrow we'll finally be sharing who our Secret Santa Paws was and what all wonderful gifts we received from them. We waited to open all the gifts until Evan was home from his hospitalization for his urinary blockage, and until he was feeling like himself again so that he could enjoy the fun. That means we opened the amazing gifts last week, and we intended to share that all with you this weekend, but that got a bit derailed, as mentioned above. So, tomorrow's post will be good and festive yet again. We also still have a couple neglected Christmas doodles to share so that they don't go to waste, like this one.

It may not technically be the Christmas season anymore, but have a merry Monday anyway!

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Tip of the Day

Today's discussion on shelters for outdoor ferals in the winter is to make sure you regularly check said shelters, to ensure that they are in good condition. Such checks should include looking for leaks and making sure that the shelter is dry inside. It is also, of course, important to look for broken or loose parts and pieces. These sorts of checks are especially important after storms or high winds, in order to ensure that no parts of the shelter broke loose or are posing a risk to the cats using the shelter.

In addition to regularly checking outdoor cat shelters for damage, also check to make sure that the shelters are clean and as sanitary as possible. If you are using straw as bedding in the shelter, regularly check it for dirt or excrement, and determine if it needs replaced or replenished. If cloth bedding material is being used, regularly check to make sure that it is dry and clean, and remedy it if it is not. There are many factors that go into maintaining a comfortable and clean shelter for ferals, also of course including food availability. So, if you are caring for outdoor cats, try to regularly check shelters to ensure that all is well and safe for potential inhabitants.

Another tip in this same line of thought is to ensure that shelter doorways do not become blocked by snow or anything of this sort. If it snows, check the shelter and clear away any snow that might threaten to block the doorway. This will ensure that the feline inhabitants can enter and exit safely and without feeling trapped. Also check for anything else that might block the shelter entrance or cause a similar issue, such as if a thunderstorm or wind knocks down or blows around tree limbs or other debris. In such cases, of course ensure that the shelter entrance is not blocked, but also that the shelter did not suffer any damage. When you are caring for ferals and other outdoor cats, offering them shelter might mean you have yet another little home to look after, but it will be for a very good cause.

Friendly Fill-Ins

Hello and happy Friday, friends! We're ready for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, and we'd love for you to join us. My amazing co-host Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two fill-in statements, and I came up with the second two.


1. January is a good month to _________.

2. My favorite kind of pizza is _________.

3. The new year just began and I'm already _________.

4. My typical weekend involves _________.

My answers are below in bold.

1. January is a good month to plan ahead.

(This is obviously a personal decision, but I myself am a big planner. I use a planner and all that jazz to organize as many aspects of my life as I can. All sorts of hiccups and derailings absolutely happen along the way, of course, but I at least try to plan ahead, and January is my favorite time to do that for the year. I even try to brainstorm and plan out doodles and blog posts for upcoming week and months, but sometimes those are the types of things that take the back burner when all those hiccups and derailings happen, and so that's when this blog turns into a hot mess, which you've probably noticed.)

2. My favorite kind of pizza is Monical's thin crust with sausage.

(This is a very specific answer, but it is indeed my favorite pizza ever. Monical's Pizza is a chain here in the Midwest, and it's been my favorite since I was a kid. It shocks even me that my favorite pizza is a thin crust, because I'm a carb freak and enjoy me a deep dish, but Monical's thin crust pizza has always tasted extra flavorful to me. I also generally go for pepperoni pizza at other restaurants, because I find most sausage pizzas quite bland, but Monical's is a different story. I also appreciate that they have thin crust gluten-free crusts, since I'm gluten intolerant. I'll stop rambling about pizza now and move on.)

3. The new year just began and I'm already planning this year's Christmas.
(Remember my answer to #1? This is one of the ways it comes into play. Especially when it comes to Christmas, I plan and shop all year long. I have lists in my planner for ideas on what to get my family members for Christmas, often using things they mention or have an interest in throughout the year, and I keep track of what I've bought and all that jazz. I've already created these pages in my planner, and so Christmas 2023 is already on my mind. I also plan on sketching out this year's Christmas card image and getting that all planned out soon, since I'm still in the spirit for Christmas doodles.)

4. My typical weekend involves chores.
(I can and do get some chores done before and after work during the work week, but sometimes I just don't have the time or bandwidth to get all the chores done around work, which means some chores pile up until the weekend. It's usually a lot of the vacuuming and mopping, as well laundry and that darn bathroom cleaning, that gets left for the weekend. I'm trying to stop doing that by planning my typical chores more efficiently during the week, though, because sometimes I just crave a weekend where I don't have to do much.)

Now it's your turn!

To add your link to the Friendly Fill-Ins Linky list, just click HERE!

You can also click on the badge below to add your link.

You are also welcome to complete the fill-ins in the comments below,

or in the comments on Ellen's blog, 15andmeowing.

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Today is Three Kings Day, or the Epiphany. In short, in Christianity, this celebrates when the three kings, also known as the the three wise men or the Magi, traveled to find baby Jesus and gift him gold, frankincense, and myrrh. In some cultures and regions of the world, gifts are also swapped amongst family and friends on this day, in honor of the gifts the three kings men gave to Jesus. I give a couple of extra little gifts to my family, both human and furry, just to keep the Christmas spirit alive as long as possible.

All that said, Eddy of course has some festive shots to share with you all yet again today. This time around, she wanted to show you all why this here human has to rebuild her Christmas tree pretty much every day.

See that sad little tree? With some of its branches thrown this way and that?

Eddy's quite proud of her work, and she even modeled the dilapidated tree, of course only in the form of blurry bloopers, though.

This here human did fix the tree back up, with the understanding that it will probably be in pieces again within minutes.

We hope your entire Christmas season was merry and bright, friends!

Though this is technically the end of the Christmas season, we will be extending the celebration a couple more days. Not only do we have a couple severely neglected Christmas doodles to share still, but we also will finally be sharing our Secret Santa Paws gifts this weekend. The kitties have been enjoying everything they got, so they can't wait to show you all!

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Festive Doodle of the Day

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Tip of the Day

Today's tip on caring for ferals and other outdoor cats yet again relates to shelters. If outdoor cats aren't using a shelter you've put out for them, first look it over and make sure nothing is off with it. Make sure it is not too confined or that its entrance isn't too small, as such things might make a cat feel trapped or cornered inside. If need be, such as if you do think an unused feral cat structure is being avoided due to confinement, add extra doorways or in another way make the shelter less likely to make cats feel trapped.

In some cases, outdoor cats just need a little extra help realizing that a shelter is safe and for them. If you have not already done so, put food and treats inside the shelter to tempt feral and other outdoor cats into the shelter. You can perhaps similarly tempt a feral into a shelter with bedding and a heat source, if you have found a workable, safe way to provide that in the shelter. If further tempting is needed in order to get cats into outdoor shelters, you can even try sprinkling some catnip, or silver vine or valerian root, inside in order to entice them.

Merry Twelfth Day of Christmas!

Today, on the Twelfth Day of Christmas, we of course have some festive gratitude to share for Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.

You better believe our Christmas trees are still up, and you better believe that's what little Thimble is thankful for on this Twelfth Day of Christmas.

That shot is a bit blurry, but Thimble just couldn't contain her excitement for the continued festive season. This next shot is probably blurry as well, but even so, it's Thimble modeling Eddy's year round Christmas tree in the human's Eddy's bedroom.

Thimble and all of us here wish you a Merry Twelfth Day of Christmas!

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Now we of course have for you 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. January is a good month to _________.

2. My favorite kind of pizza is _________.

3. The new year just began and I'm already _________.

4. My typical weekend involves _________.

We'll see you tomorrow, friends!

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Festive Flashback Doodles of the Day

I had hoped to have my scanner up and going before this Twelfth Day of Christmas so as to properly share at least one of our new festive doodles for the occasion, but that didn't get accomplished yet. If everything goes to plan today, I (or someone far more tech savvy than myself) will have the scanner back up and running today and will likely be sharing two new doodles tomorrow, which is Three Kings Day. And, as I mentioned before, I'll be extending our Christmas festivities at least through this weekend so that we can share a couple more of our severely neglected new doodles.

All that said, since I don't have a new doodle for the Twelfth Day of Christmas, I thought I'd share a number of flashback doodles. This first one is so old that it pre-dates 4-year-old Tonks and Winky, which is why they are absent from it.

The next two are both about 3 years old and don't have too much explanation to them, except that my love for the festive red truck showed up in the windows of both of them.

The next two are a bit more odd, I guess you could say. I believe they were both illustrations for poems I scribbled up for some of Angel Sammy's past Thoroughly Poetic Thursday challenges (which I plan on finally starting to participate in again this month).

Again, Merry Twelfth Day of Christmas! We'll see you tomorrow for Three Kings Day and yet more festiveness.

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Tip of the Day

We are still working through our series of tips on caring for outdoor feral and stray cats in the cold winter months, and we're currently still on the topic of shelters. If you do care for feral or other outdoor cats, if possible, try to offer more than one shelter. These could even be just multiple plain and simple shelters, and even makeshift ones that allow cats to find some form of respite from direct exposure to the elements. Having multiple shelter areas can allow for more cats to find a potentially safe and warm place to spend a cold day or night. Multiple shelters can especially, of course, help reduce competition, especially amongst cats who might not get along and therefore might not readily share shelter space. Putting shelters in multiple locations is also a way to reduce competition and to allow more outdoor cats to find a safe place to stay in the winter. You can also offer varying shelter types, such as those made from different construction materials and those with different internal layouts. This could help cater to feral or other outdoor cats who might be picky about where they are comfortable staying. Offering any shelter at all, even just one, is of course incredibly beneficial to outdoor cats in the cold winter. If you are able to offer more than one shelter, though, do consider this as a way to enable more cats to be safe and warm in the winter.

Merry Eleventh Day of Christmas!

Today is the Eleventh Day of Christmas, and pup Astrid wants to share with you all how festive she looked on her Christmas morning walk.

Honestly, that sweater wasn't just a fashion statement on Christmas morning. It was frigid outside, and so though we were just going for a short walk to get Astrid's wiggles out and to let her do her thing, I insisted she wear the sweater. Though she isn't a huge fan of wearing it, she complied. And she enjoyed the freezing cold walk a lot more than I did.

Merry Eleventh Day of Christmas!

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Festive Flashback Doodle of the Day

This flashback doodle seems apt enough for today.

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Tip of the Day

As we mentioned yesterday, today's tip regards what type of bedding to put in an outdoor cat shelter, such as for feral cats. We'll start by cutting right to the chase and saying that an ideal form of bedding for an outdoor shelter is straw. A cat can burrow down in straw in order to stay as warm as possible in the cold. Unlike blankets and towels, straw will not hold moisture, and therefore will less likely freeze or become uncomfortable in rain, snow, and so forth. This is one huge reason why straw is often a better choice over cloth bedding material, because it can repel moisture, and can therefore allow for a consistent, dry, warm form of bedding for outdoor cats. Straw can also be more easily replaced or replenished, as opposed to cloth bedding, should it get dirty. That being said, do make sure you know the difference between straw and hay. They are not the same thing, and hay will hold onto moisture, become wet and uncomfortable for outdoor cats, and can also become moldy when wet. Go for straw, not hay.

If you do put out cloth bedding for outdoor cats, check it regularly. If it is wet or dirty, be sure to replace it, clean it, and so forth. Try to keep all cloth bedding in areas where it is least likely to get wet, so that feral or other outdoor cats can use it comfortably. Cloth bedding works best in shelters that are free of leaks and that are in some way heated, as that will help it remain dry and comfortable.

Merry Tenth Day of Christmas!

Hello, friends! We're battling some technical difficulties again, but one of our early 2023 goals is to sort those out for good. That said, here we finally are on this Tenth Day of Christmas. You better believe Tonks has some festive shots to share with you.

Tonks is glad that we keep our Christmas trees up at least through January 6, that being Three Kings Day, and often past that. Tonks loves her Christmas trees, and she loves napping by them and in them. 

Don't worry, though, because the Christmas tree cat beds stay out year round. The kitties wouldn't allow the alternative.

Merry Tenth Day of Christmas!

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Festive Flashback Doodle of the Day

Our technical difficulties have extended to our scanner again, though the root cause is the dying laptop that the scanner tries and fails to connect to. For that reason, we yet again don't have any of our new festive doodles to share today. We do have this flashback, though. I've still been watching Christmas movies, one of those of course being A Christmas Story, and I remember scribbling this doodle up years ago while very vaguely being inspired by all the kids in that movie looking into the toy store window. Of course, though, a kitty had to be involved in my version.

I hope you all don't mind that, to make up for technical difficulties and lost time, we'll likely be sharing some of our long-lost new Christmas doodles at least through this weekend. Here at our house we're still watching Christmas movies through the Twelve Days of Christmas and beyond, but we know a lot of people are done with Christmas the day after. I'm still in the festive spirit, though, not to mention the Christmas doodles I've been scribbling up during this season have been severely neglected. So, I apologize ahead of time for anyone who is not looking forward to our continued Christmas posts. I'm sorry, but I'm also not sorry.

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Tip of the Day

Something that comes along with offering outdoor ferals and strays shelter, which we discussed yesterday, is warmth. There are a great many considerations to make when it comes to offering warmth to ferals on cold winter days. We'll start with considering the size of the space the cat will be occupying, such as the size of the shelter you have for ferals and strays, as that affects how heat is trapped. Shelters should of course be large enough to fit one or a couple cats, or even a few cats if you care for that many that get along. At the same time, though, the shelter should be small enough that cold air does not easily circulate throughout it. A shelter that is not too large will better trap and insulate heat. Another consideration to make when it comes to the shelter's construction and heat retention is the doorway. Though you don't want to block entry or exit or make ferals feel trapped inside a shelter, try your best to block drafts from entering through doorways. If possible, keep entrances faced away from the wind and drafts, such as by facing the doorways toward a wall of your house or other building, so that the shelter's entrance won't directly face open air.

In addition to the warmth that a shelter itself can offer, there are more direct heat sources that can be put out for ferals and strays. One simple option includes heating pads or beds that do not directly produce heat themselves, but that instead contain material that allows the bed to radiate heat. There are beds on the market that are said to warm to approximately the animal's body temperature when they are lying on it. There are also electric heating pads and heated beds that do indeed produce heat, allowing for immediate access to a warm place to sleep. Of course, always be cautious and aware of the dangers of burns and fires when electricity and heat comes into play, and go the safest route possible. That being said, also keep in mind that any bedding made with fabric, whether heated or not, can become and remain wet as well as dirty, and therefore can prevent a cat from wanting to use it. For more information on bedding material in an outdoor shelter, visit us for tomorrow's tip.

All of the above being said, you can also go for heating lamps or some form of space heater to use inside an outdoor cat shelter. This is of course yet another option you have to research, though, to ensure that you get one that is safe for outdoor use, and that will be the most practical to prevent burns, fires, and so forth. All in all, when it comes to providing heating sources for outdoor ferals and strays, do your research and take all precautions possible. Always be aware of the dangers of burns or fires when it comes to electricity and heat, and choose and use heating sources accordingly and wisely.

Merry Ninth Day of Christmas!

Hello and happy Monday, friends! On this Mancat Monday, which also happens to be the Ninth Day of Christmas, Evan is here to share another festive photo of himself chilling out under the Christmas tree.

Exactly one week ago today, I was rushing Evan to the emergency vet because he started straining to urinate and was passing large amounts of blood. He spent two days there being treated for a urinary blockage, but is luckily now home and recovering. The vet also sent out a urine culture, and on Friday I got a call saying that the culture came back as showing a UTI despite that they initially thought he was free of one. So, in addition to the other medications Evan is on, he is also now taking antibiotics. Luckily this boy is pretty tolerant when it comes to taking medications.

Evan continues to urinate on his own very well now that he is home. I mentioned last week that when he first came back home he was showing no signs of his usual urinary incontinence, but he is indeed back to being a urinary incontinent little guy. I'm fine with that, as long as the urine is coming out and he's not blocked. Though Evan was a bit off and not totally acting like himself for a couple of days after being hospitalized, Evan is now fully back to his usual happy, playful, hungry self. We are doing our best to keep him on foods that are low in ash content and other factors that can affect urinary tract health, though so far it's taken a lot of research on food types since this boy is not a fan of really any of the veterinary diets for his condition.

All that said, I am so grateful that Evan is happy and healthy and home again, and we again want to thank you all for the purrs, prayers, and thoughts you have sent his way.

Happy Monday, and Merry Ninth Day of Christmas!

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Festive Flashback Doodle of the Day

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Tip of the Day

Today's tip on caring for ferals and strays outdoors during the cold winter months is to, if possible, offer them some sort of shelter. Even a makeshift shelter is better than no shelter at all. For example, outdoor tables and chairs can be arranged to form a shelter under which a feral or stray can get some respite from direct inclement weather. Another cheap, makeshift option includes turning a Styrofoam cooler upside down to form a shelter, with a door cut out as an entrance. Other relatively cheap storage containers can also be used to create makeshift shelters, again simply by cutting out a door and ensuring that it is safe for use. Of course, if it is possible, you can also buy or build a sturdier, more permanent shelter, such as one constructed out of wood. Another option, although of course only if it is safe and free of dangers, is to allow ferals and strays to spend cold winter days or nights in a garage or shed. Again, only if they are free of potentially dangerous items, a garage or shed can be used as a warm place for ferals and strays to spend cold winter days or nights. All in all, if you are able to, consider setting up some form of shelter to help ferals and strays have some respite from the elements. Even a makeshift shelter formed out of materials you already have could be a great benefit to them. Our next couple of tips will discuss feral cat shelters and their components in more detail.

Happy New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Today and every day, all of us here wish all of you out there good health, happiness, and many, many blessings.

I myself am grateful that, as we ring in the New Year that is 2023, all of my furbabies are home with me where they belong. Less than a week ago my orange boy Evan was hospitalized at the emergency vet with a urinary blockage. He is now home and recovering and overall doing well.

I scribbled that doodle up there very last minute, as Evan has always been like my little Tiny Tim to me. It's also technically still the Christmas season, today being the Eighth Day of Christmas, so A Christmas Carol sort of New Year with Tiny Tim Evan seemed apt enough.

Again we wish you all a very happy and healthy 2023!

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Tip of the Day

We're taking a short break from our series of tips on feral cat care to give a special New Year tip. This tip is simply to be cautious and safe today. Whether or not you are taking part in New Year celebrations, be responsible and careful when driving and when otherwise out and about today. Sadly, the roads can be a dangerous place filled with people irresponsibly driving under the influence on days like New Year's Day. So, for the sake of your safety, and for the sake of friends and family and of course furbabies who depend on you, be careful and take precautions to stay safe today. If possible, stay home with your furbabies and other family, where you can all remain safe and sound. Happy New Year!