Mancat Monday

On this Mancat Monday, my boy Evan decided to yet again proudly show off just how special he is. As I've mentioned before, Evan loves to climb up into the top tier of his cat tree all by himself, despite his hind limb paralysis. I think he likes to consider this his throne, and I'm certainly not going to tell him otherwise.

Evan's back feet may not work, but he never lets that get him down. And neither does that keep me from getting pictures of the cute little buggers.

We're wishing everybuddy out there a happy Monday! We hope your week starts off great!

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Our Tip of the Day:

You can save space in your home by setting up a sleeping, play, or even eating area for your cat or dog on a shelf, or in a drawer or drawer compartment. All you need to do is tuck bedding, toys, or food bowls in there to give your furbaby a special place just for them, even if you’re low on space. You can also use an improvised space such as this to place a dog's crate, or even a cat's litter box (of course, you would need to be sure the kitty can comfortably crawl in and out of the litter box and that he or she will be willing to use the box as needed). So, if you're low on space, just improvise!

Sunday Selfies: Lady Cats

For today's Sunday Selfie blog hop, hosted by the always pawesome The Cat on My Head, my lady cats were the most willing participants. Well, sort of.

My girl Thimble went for a look of shock and awe:

My girl Eddy, well, she tried so hard to sit still. How'd that go? Not so great.

She did make a second attempt, though, which showed some improvement:.

Two other lady cats in my life are my parents' lovely calico and tortie girls, Gemma nd Freya. Although they certainly aren't all that keen on having their pictures taken, they still get to participate in today's post in the form of my last piece of Valentine art. Because of the saying I chose to use, this Valentine is, I'll admit, as much for us cat-loving humans as it is for the little lady cats starring in it.

Happy Valentine's Day and lots of love to all of our furiends and friends!

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Our Tip of the Day:

Although some cats and dogs may not care or show any concern for such things, always keep in mind the heightened sense of smell that our furbabies possess. Everything smells far more potent to them than it does to us. Keeping that in mind, be careful what all fragranced items you choose to use, as our furbabies may not appreciate having to smell a fragrance just because we do. For example, take into consideration the scent of laundry detergent you use to wash their bedding, and consider the potential effects of choosing litter with a fragrance (many cats do not like fragranced litter - this sort of thing is on the market more for us humans than for the animals' sake), Also, you may even want to be aware of what perfume or cologne you wear, as even some such scents can ward our furbabies away from us.

Caturday Catman Art

For today's Caturday Art blog hop, hosted by the pawesome Athena Cat Goddess Wise Kitty, I'm sharing my second to last Valentine's Day art for the furbabies in my life. I'll admit, this was probably the funnest one for me to create.

Who remembers my parents' cat Talon?

Talon is one of my girl Thimble's three biological brothers. He's also one of my best buddies in the whole world. And, he's my little hero, or so I like to call him. More specifically, I call him Batman (or would Catman be more apt?). After all, the boy even wears a permanently attached mask!

That all being said, today's Valentine was created for Talon, and I wanted it to show off his heroic side. So, this was the result:

Happy (almost) Valentine's Day, furiends! Do you have plans for the day of love? My furbabies and I, we have lots of snuggles scheduled to occur.

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Our Tip of the Day:

If your cat suffers from frequent hairballs, perhaps consider seeing if they'll take a lick or two of petroleum jelly (Vaseline). As strange as it sounds, in some cases, a cat with hairball trouble may benefit from a little petroleum jelly, as it can help to lubricate the cat’s digestive tract and can therefore help a kitty to eliminate hairballs more easily. Of course, only offer petroleum jelly in moderation, and of course there are also other potential solutions for hairballs out there. First things first, to prevent hairballs, make sure your kitty is being groomed. Second, regularly feeding moist food could aid in the lubrication of the digestive tract, thereby hopefully helping to further prevent hairballs. And, of course, if there are any questions or concerns regarding your kitty and hairballs, consult your veterinarian.

Bloopers by the Dozen

This post is inspired by The Pet Blogger Bloopers Round-Up, hosted by The Lazy Pit Bull. I recently learned of this blog event, which occurs on the second Friday of every month. So, in honor of this fun event, here are some bloopers starring my furbabies:

Maybe step back just a tad bit, Evan.

Why so up-close and personal, you guys?

Peek-a-boo!

Sometimes you just have to smooch a little before taking a photo.

More smooches from Thimble to Evan. (Or is it really as innocent as that?)

If it itches, scratch it.

The Flash.

Yawns Gone Wild.

Feeling a little tipsy, Thimble? Oh, and nice photobomb, Toby.

A pouty puppy, and another feline photobomb.

Because we all like to sleep with our noses under the safety of a rocking chair leg.

Hi, Toby. Yes, yes you did indeed block my view of the dog. Good job.

Well, that's it for this round of bloopers. But, it's a good thing you're here, Toby. Here's your Valentine, buddy:

Happy Friday, furiends! Anybuddy have any fun plans for the weekend?

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Our Tip of the Day:

I mentioned a while back creating a treat-dispensing toy for cats by cutting a hole in an Easter egg and then filling it with treats. For today's tip I'm sharing a very similar idea, but for your dog furbaby. For the pup in your life, you can create your own, homemade treat-dispensing toy by cutting a hole in a tennis ball. All you have to do is then slip some treats inside and then let your pup figure out how to roll it around to get the reward. This kind of toy is great for your dog's mental stimulation, and, being homemade, it won't break the bank!

Thimble Thursday: Hanging Out

Thimble and I like to hang out by the window together.

She gives me lots of tips on the art of squirrel-watching. After all, she's a pro. Rule #1 for squirrel-watching: Keep your eyes open.

 But, squirrel-watching can be pretty tiring.

So, that's when I take the opportunity to gather some pointers from Thimble on napping. Rule #1 for napping: Look ridiculously cute.

Perhaps I am a bit biased, but I'd say Thimble has pretty much mastered that cuteness rule.

And now, here's the Valentine I created for my little lady Thimble:

Happy Thursday, everybuddy! Who's ready for Friday?

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Our Tip of the Day:

Have you ever noticed that sometimes your cat just can't seem to find a treat you've put right there in front of his or her face? That's because cats can't see well close up. Cats can better see objects that are farther away, and objects that are moving. They also have better peripheral vision than central vision. This goes back to a cat's skills as a hunting predator out in the wild, where they catch prey by lying in wait and watching for movement. So, if your kitty can't seem to find that treat you just put right in front of his or her face, give the treat a little nudge or flick. If it's out of their central vision and is moving, your kitty is more likely to pick up on it.

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

Active, ever-blurry Eddy loves the resident fishies.

(Eddy was just asked to stop harassing the fish in this photo. Her face gives away what she thought of that mere suggestion.)

 She's sort of a shameless fish stalker.

And now, today's Valentine art is for none other than this active little lady. Happy Valentine's Day, Eddy!

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Our Tip of the Day:

For up-close and personal Window TV for you cat, try a bird feeder that can be mounted to the window. Just one example are hummingbird feeders that use suction cups to attach to outdoor windows. Kitties love the view, and the hummingbirds love the snack!

Same Old, Same Old

Looking at all of the photos I have of my pup Astrid, you all must think that I post just the same few pictures of her over and over again. She sure has particular photo shoot places and poses she prefers.

One of Astrid's favorite places in the house is the window facing our backyard, where the wildlife and neighborhood cat foot traffic is heaviest. Astrid loves to perch on the back of the couch in front of this window and gaze out, which I've been noticing has been making up a large fraction of my most recent pictures of her.

I'd like to say that I got her to shuffle it up a bit for today's post. But, alas, I cannot say that. So, for today, here are a couple new shots of Astrid yet again doing her usual thing:

Now, for today's Valentine art...If I was going in my usual order of things, Thimble's Valentine would be posted today (when I'm doing a series of pieces for the furbabies in my life, I try to keep it all fair by creating and posting the pieces in the order I adopted or met them). But, I've decided to wait until Thursday to post Thimble's Valentine, since that will, in fact, be Thimble Thursday.

So today, I'm instead doing the next closest thing by posting the Valentine I created for Thimble's sort of twin of a brother, Trapper. In case you don't remember or don't know, Thimble has three biological brothers, all of whom are still in the family. Trapper lives with my parents, and he's my big (very big!) buddy. So, here it is:

It's all in good fun, Trapper (aka, Big Boy)!

Have a lovely Tuesday, furiends!

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Our Tip of the Day:

How about a training tip today? When doing training sessions with your dog (or even your cat, if your kitty is one of the few willing to take advisement from a human), positive reinforcement in the form of treat rewards can be a great tool to use. Try using truly enticing treats that your dog will really want to work for, such as soft and chewy treats with a strong smell. If your dog is picky about treats but trains best with a food reward, then try getting creative and using a food (a safe one, of course!) that you know your dog likes. For example, if your dog likes peanut butter, try using little dollops, licks, or perhaps even frozen balls of peanut butter as a reward for completing a command. Of course, always be sure to monitor how many treats or how much food your dog is getting, as these should not make up any significant portion of your pup's diet.