A Happy Tonks Tuesday

It's Tonk's Tuesday, and today this girl is looking extra cute. Then again, she's always looking extra cute. But, really, just look at that face!

Tonks is also extra happy because her orange tabby brother Evan is feeling much better today. We mentioned yesterday how he was struggling with constipation again, and I ultimately had to give him an at-home enema last night because he was really straining and exhausting himself. And, thankfully, the enema worked immediately and cleared his colon out real good. That makes Tonks very happy. After all, Evan is the only cat in the house universally loved by all the other cats in the house, and this calico girl missed the playful version of her brother as he struggled with his constipation. But now he's back!

Happy Tuesday, friends!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

Today we have for you another spooky summertime flashback doodle, this one chosen because I'm really trying to get back on track with regularly working on my writing projects.

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Tip of the Day

We've all seen those chew toys for pups. Puppies, and even grown dogs, often love to chew, and so chew toys can allow them to gnaw on a designated item rather than one that is not ideal or one that is dangerous. But, did you know that there are chew toys for cats as well? Like dogs, some cats love to chew. Chewing is sometimes more common in kittens, but some adult cats are chewers, too. If this is the case with your cat, perhaps look into getting them some feline-friendly chew toys. This could potentially save them from chewing on items that they should not, which could be beneficial to your goods, and also of course to your kitty's health.

Of course, whether a chew toy is for your kitty or pup, it is important to take into consideration the material out of which a chew toy is made, as well as whether it will withstand a particular furbaby's level of chewing. Some toy brands will label whether a chew toy is suitable for powerful chewers, for example. Even so, you know your furbaby best, and so you must decide whether a toy will be able to survive their chewing habits, and therefore whether it might be a hazard. There are a great many pet toys available these days, you simply have to consider a toy's benefits and safety for your furbabies.

Another Mancat Monday with Megacolon

It's Mancat Monday, and my poor orange boy Evan is having another rough time with his megacolon and resulting constipation. He goes through cycles. He'll get his system all cleared out, whether or not an enema is involved, and then for 2-4 weeks he'll do okay on all of his usual medications. And then the constipation starts up again. Right now, we're indeed in the constipation stage of the cycle.

It exhausts poor Evan when he can't get his stool out, understandably. I'm giving him a chance to evacuate things with the maxed out doses of his meds, which almost always results in diarrhea. That said, sometimes the medication-induced diarrhea doesn't amount to enough stool to actually clear his colon of the backlog. If he doesn't manage to sufficiently evacuate his system after a day or two on these hefty doses of meds, I'll be giving him another at-home enema. We'll get this stool out of Evan one way or another.

Now, on to a drastic subject change. The kitties and pup here want to wish their grandma a very happy birthday!

The kitties' and pup Astrid's grandma, that being their Gammy, is one of their all-time favorite people. And for good reason.

Given that this is Mancat Monday, Evan wants to specifically express how amazing his Gammy is. After all, she's the one who often rescues Evan and takes him home from his grooming appointments after I've dropped him off and headed to work. So, from Evan, all the kitties, and pup Astrid...Happy Birthday, Gammy!

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Tip of the Day

Today's pet parenting hack of a tip is one to help you sleep better at night. Does your kitty or pup ever wake you up during the night, perhaps seemingly bored or hungry? The first step in a case such as this is of course to make sure there is no medical explanation. If your furbaby is indeed healthy, though, and they simply wake you in the middle of the night for some playtime or a midnight snack, then there are a couple of simple things you can do to try to combat this.

First, you can do a bit of a pre-bedtime play session with them. One of the last things you do before you go to bed can be a game of fetch, perhaps a little fun with a wand toy, or anything that your furbaby finds fun and that expends their energy. This will help tire your furbaby out, and will hopefully help satisfy their desire to play so that they can sleep through the night.

Second, in the case that your furbaby wakes you up in the middle of the night out of hunger, perhaps save their last meal of the day for right before bed. Fill their bowl just before you go to bed, so that they will go to bed with a full stomach. If needed and possible, you can also make this nighttime meal their largest of the day, to even further satisfy them and their stomach. In some cases, this is all it takes to help keep those hungry furbabies satiated until their breakfast.

Just like us, our furbabies are not immune to restless nights or a desire for a midnight snack. If a medical concern has been ruled out, then try to find a way to help both you and your furbaby sleep through the night. Satisfying the play or hunger drive just before bed may be all that is needed.

Friendly Fill-Ins and Eddy's Adorable Face

Hello, 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. It would be nice to be _________ for a day.

2. The older I get, the more I appreciate _________.

3. I like to decorate _________ with _________.

4. You'll often find _________ on my kitchen counter.


My answers are below in bold.

1. It would be nice to be retired for a day.

(I'm grateful to have a job and therefore a paycheck, but I'll admit there are plenty of days when I would love to try out retirement. That said, I'm currently 35 years old, so those days are still in the distant future. Still, though, a girl can dream.)

2. The older I get, the more I appreciate downtime.
(As a kid, I would lament about how much time school and homework took, but that was before a full-time job, cleaning an entire house, grocery shopping, cooking almost every meal, making sure I have clean dishes and clothes, tending to home repairs, yard work, and all that jazz. So, times when I can just sit on the couch and read or watch TV without some sort of responsibility needing my attention, I really savor those moments.)

3. I like to decorate my home with my personal style.
(I assume this is the case for most people. That said, I've never wanted a home that looks like one you'd see in a catalogue. I prefer things that are admittedly a bit more weird, like Halloween decorations that stay out year round. For example, my art desk is set up with witchy and macabre decor, complete with little potion bottles and skulls, and even a skeleton sitting in the chair when a living human isn't using it. It's weird and I'm fully aware of that, but that's what brings me joy and inspiration.)

4. You'll often find syringes on my kitchen counter.

(I've mentioned before how my orange tabby boy Evan is on something like 9 different medications, and his medication station is tucked away in a little nook on the kitchen counter. All of the medications live in a cute kitty bowl (a Halloween one, of course), but the syringes used to give some of his meds just tend to find themselves scattered on the counter sometimes. They have a designated place with the medications, but they still just always seem to end up hanging out elsewhere. Need to pour yourself a drink? Better move these syringes out of the way. Ready to make that spaghetti dinner? Let's just get these syringes off the burner first.)

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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Your Eddy fix today may not include great lighting or a great angle, but it sure does include a cute little face.

You can even get a little glimpse of that little snaggletooth in Eddy's adorable mouth. Of course, you can also admire those whiskers and those eyes and that nose and pretty much all of Eddy's adorable face.

Have a fantastic Friday!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

Given my answer to fill-in #3 above, this flashback doodle seems apt enough.

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Tip of the Day

Today's pet parenting hack of a tip is one to help you save on floor space. When it comes to storing some of your pet supplies—whether it be treats, canned food, medications, brushes, toys, or cleaning supplies, just to name a few—you can try using a shower caddy or other similar shelving system. You can even get shelving units that are meant to hang from a door, such as by a hook that goes over the top of door, to further save on both floor and wall space. Sometimes our furbabies come with a lot of supplies, and we have to find a place to put all of those items. So, as needed, think outside the box and find ways to use a variety of storage systems that will help save you on floor space or even wall space.

Thankful Thimble Thursday in the Sun

Hello, friends! It's Thursday, which means Thimble is happily here for Angel Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.

After days and days of rain, today Thimble is grateful for the return of sunshine.

Thimble is also thankful for all of the prayers you friends of ours sent for her grandma and grandpa's kitties Flitwick and Trapper! Both boys are still slowly but surely improving. Flitwick has cystitis, which is nothing new for him. He's in a flare, but it's indeed slowly improving. Diabetic Trapper suddenly stopped eating and not acting like himself, and his vet believes he has a mild case of pancreatitis. With various medications, he is also slowly improving. Thank you all again for the purrs and prayers for Flitwick and Trapper!

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Now, how about 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. It would be nice to be _________ for a day.

2. The older I get, the more I appreciate _________.

3. I like to decorate _________ with _________.

4. You'll often find _________ on my kitchen counter.

We'll see you tomorrow, friends!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

I'm feeling extra hungry right now, and I always have a sweet tooth, so here's a flashback of angel Chef Rosie offering up some donuts.

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Tip of the Day

Today's pet parenting hack tip is a simple yet important one. Especially if your furbaby is a known chewer, do consider getting covers for power cords and other cables. I'm sure you all know the dangers that chewing on a cord can pose to our furbabies. So, to prevent this, cover up those cords and cables. There are a variety of cord and cable covers available on the market. There are covers that encase cords so that they are safe yet still able to be easily moved, and there are ones that essentially pin cords safely and securely to the floor. Of course, those are just two examples as to how you can make cords and cables safe around your furbabies. Perhaps do a bit of research, and, depending on your home and technological setup, determine what kind of cord and cable covers would best work for both you and your furbaby. As we always say, it's better to be safe than sorry.

Adventures with Astrid at the Bridge

Today, Astrid wanted to yet again share one of her favorite spots in our neighborhood.

That there bridge can be crossed to go on a quiet scroll through another part of our neighborhood. Or, Astrid's favorite, you can turn left and walk through the park near our house. Either way, Astrid always stops and gives the bridge and its surroundings a good sniff. More often than not, another dog will have left a fresh urine sample on the bridge for Astrid to get a good whiff of.

Happy Wednesday, friends!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

I've been reading lots of horror novels lately, so here's a flashback doodle in honor of that.

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Tip of the Day

We claimed that yesterday's tip was the last one in our pet parenting hacks series. But guess what? This silly human here found a whole other set of pet parenting hacks, and so we have more. Many of these are all sorts of randomness, but sometimes randomness can come in handy. Well, at least we think so.

Today's tip is one a bit more for the dogs, but of course could be used for kitties if the situation applies. What we're talking about today is bell training. It can help to have a way for your dog to tell you they need to go to the bathroom. Since jumping and scratching at the door is not all that ideal, you can hang a bell, or a strand of bells, on the doorknob. Of course, make sure the design of the bell and any attachments are safe for your furbaby, especially if they're a chewer. Once you've selected and placed the bell to be used, training techniques such as positive reinforcement can be used to teach your dog to ring the bell prior to going outside to use to the restroom. This will allow your dog to make the connection that, if they ring the bell on the door, they will be let out to use the restroom. Just as with any training, this may take time, but with patience, practice, and positive reinforcement, everyone involved can get the hang of it.

Tonks Tuesday with Toesies

It's Tonks Tuesday, and today this sleepy calico girl's toesies decided to partake.

Tonks hopes those toe beans help brighten your Tuesday!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

I'm still working on this year's spooky summertime doodles, so here's another flashback one. This one makes it pretty obvious that I crave Halloween even in the warm months.

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Tip of the Day

We have one last pet parenting hack tip for you today, and it's a quick and simple one. Do you have a spare pitcher or two floating around your kitchen? If the pitcher is airtight, you can try using it as a pet food storage container and dispenser. When it's time to the feed your furbaby, you can open the pitcher's spout, and pour the into the bowl. Of course, we'll repeat that it is best to use a pitcher that is airtight. Storing and pouring your furbaby's food using a pitcher can be very handy, but only if that doesn't mean your furbaby is eating stale food.

Mancat Monday: Purrs and Prayers for Flitwick and Trapper

Hello, friends! We hope all of you in the USA had a wonderful Independence Day, and that all of you had a wonderful weekend! I'm grateful to have had a four-day weekend. But, it was also filled with some sick kitties. My kitties are all doing well, though Evan did have one of his usual sanitary shaves at our vet's groomer on Friday, as well as some of his typical megacolon issues. Even so, none of the kitties at my house are the ones in question today.

The sick kitties in question are two of my parents' kitties. Flitwick, who happens to be my Tonks's and our housemate Winky's littermate, ended up at the vet on Friday.

That boy there has a history of urinary tract issues, mostly cystitis that leads to difficulty urinating. He has that in common with my boy Evan. Luckily, Flitwick was deemed not blocked when he went to the vet. He is, however, in a pretty severe cystitis flare, which I believe is probably very much related to an entire long weekend of fireworks going off in our town. Flitwick's meds were all increased by his vet, though he's still having a bit of trouble urinating even today. He's improving, but very slowly. So, if you have any purrs and prayers to spare for Flitwick, we'd all appreciate it so very much!

And, we have another sick kitty. This one is my Thimble's and our housemate Toby's brother Trapper.

In case anyone remembers, we mentioned last summer how Trapper was diagnosed with diabetes. For nearly a year, Trapper's diabetes has been successfully managed by the somewhat new drug known as Bexacat. This is a pill that works by essentially redirecting sugar in the blood to be excreted out in the urine instead. Again, this has been working great for Trapper for nearly a whole year. It might still be working, but that's going to be confirmed today.

As of yesterday morning, Trapper is acting quite lethargic. He's not getting excited about food time, he's not begging for someone to run the faucet for him, and pretty much, he's just not acting like himself. He's acting very much like when he was first diagnosed with diabetes. Part of me is hoping Trapper "just" has a UTI or some other easily treated diabetes-related issue, but overall, I'm really just praying that whatever is going on can still be managed. Even if the Bexacat medication is no longer working, he can still be put on insulin. I'd love for the Bexacat to still be working for him, though. All that to stay, if you also have some purrs and prayers to spare for Trapper, our whole family would greatly appreciate it!

Wishing you all a happy and healthy Monday!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

I recently had a discussion with my sister regarding treehouses, so how about this flashback with a kitty showing off none other than his weird and wacky treehouse?

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Tip of the Day

We have just a couple more tips in our series of pet parenting hacks. Today's tip is a bit of a silly one, but perhaps it could be useful to someone out there. Do you have nooks and crannies in your house where all sorts of cat hair, litter, and other fubaby debris settles? You know, those nooks and crannies where the vacuum and its attachments and even a broom can't easily reach? Let's move on to another question. Do you know those pointed, open-tipped lids that are often used on ketchup bottles at cafeterias or restaurants? If you get your hands on a lid of this type, you can trying placing it on your vacuum's hose attachment and use it to help suck up the pet hair and other debris that can be found in difficult to reach cracks, crevices, and corners throughout your home. This may very well be a weird and random tip, but perhaps it will help you keep your home clean from top to bottom and from corner to corner.