Caturday Art

To begin this post, Evan (and I) want to thank you all so much for all of the wonderful birthday wishes you sent his way yesterday! You all made his day all the more special! And Evan wants to send an extra special shout-out to our furiend Dezi for this pawesome birthday cared:

Thank you all so much!

To continue his birthday celebration, Evan asked if he could in some way be part of our post for today's Caturday Art blog hop, hosted by the lovely Athena Cat Goddess Wise Kitty. Of course I couldn't deny him that. So, our art for today is inspired by my boy Evan, and by the fact that tomorrow is the art fair benefiting my local area's Hospice Hearts rescue group.

If all goes as planned, our Sunday Selfie post tomorrow will have a little extra news regarding our art and the art fair benefit. Stay tuned!

A lovely Caturday to you all!

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Our Tip of the Day:

Don't forget the importance of rescuing and adopting! Rescuing and adopting a shelter animal is one of the most rewarding things known to mankind (in our humble opinion, at least). And don't forget that even if you are looking for a specific breed of dog or cat, rescuing is still a perfectly plausible option. There are countless breed-specific rescue groups out there, so if you're looking for a particular breed, please look into related rescue groups. After all, you can't buy love, but you can rescue it!

Birthday Bash!

There's a birthday boy at our house today!

Yep, that's right, Evan, it's your birthday! Well, it's more like your "maybe birthday". You see, Evan, you weren't quite able to give me your exact date of birth when I met 6-week-old you back in May of 2013. But that's okay, because I picked a day for you, and April 15th is that day!

And so, my momma's boy (maybe) turns 3 today!

Evan has come a long way since I first met him. He was just a tiny kitten weighing in at 1 lb on that day I found him abandoned outside the clinic where I used to work. He was semi-feral and hind limb paralyzed, and boy was he was something else. Now far from feral, although still hind limb paralyzed, my boy Evan is all shades of special in all the right ways. He makes his momma proud.

Happy birthday, Evan!

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Our Tip of the Day:

If you want to give your kitty something a little special on a special day, perhaps try giving a treat of cooked eggs or chicken. These are high in protein, and your kitty may especially appreciate the chicken, given that cats are obligate carnivores. That's not to say that your kitty can't or won't enjoy a few greens now and then, though. Especially if your kitty is a plant chewer, keep them away from dangerous houseplants and instead perhaps try seeing if they'd like a treat of spinach or broccoli every once in a while. Sharing little treats like these with your kitty can make their day, but always remember that even human foods safe for furbabies should only be given in moderation!

Thimble Thursday: Sharing is Caring

If there is sun to be had, Thimble is always first on the scene. There's nothing like gazing out a sunlit window, and Thimble loves her a front row seat.

Sometimes, Thimble's even willing to share her sun.

How sweet of you, Thimble!

Happy Thursday, furiends! Not only is tomorrow Friday, but it's also a certain orange boy's birthday!

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Our Tip of the Day:

How about another tip on caring for feral cats in your area? We're upon kitten season, and kittens sure are adorable. But, if you see a feral cat in your area with a litter of kittens, it is perhaps best to leave the kittens alone to be cared for by the mama cat. First of all, young kittens are often best tended by their own kitty mother, as she can provide them with the appropriate nutrients and sustenance they need by nursing them. So, as long as all the kittens are being properly nursed, they're likely best off with their mama cat. Furthermore, there's also the chance that handling a feral mama's kittens may not only stress the cat and kittens, but may also cause the mama cat to relocate her little ones. In this case, you may not see the mama and her babies again, and they may not be so lucky in another area as they are in your domain, especially if you are providing the mama with food, water, and shelter. None of this is to say that these kitties can't be trapped and neutered and perhaps even adopted by humans one day. But, as young kittens, the little cuties are likely best tended by their mama cat.

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: The Queen of Rock 'N' Roll

 Eddy wanted to pop in today and show off her permanent Elvis snarl.

To all those visiting us today, Eddy says, "Thank you. Thank you very much."

Have a wonderful Wednesday, everybuddy!

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Our Tip of the Day:
Although perhaps a bit easier without the freezing cold conditions, taking care of feral cats is just as important in the spring and summer months as it is in the winter months. In the warmer moths, it is of course crucial to provide feral cats with plenty of water, and to try to keep it as fresh as possible. Also, just as in the winter months, it is perhaps best to provide ferals with dry rather than moist food. Whereas in the winter months moist food can freeze and therefore result in inaccessible nutrition, in the warm months moist food can spoil and become inedible pretty quickly. And, although they don't need heated or heat-insulating shelters as in the winter, in the warm months it is still beneficial to provide ferals cats with shelter.

Toesies Tuesday

Astrid was my only furbaby willing to participate in Toesies Tuesday this time around.

The resident pup was happy to show off her left foot, so long as she could do so while in her default pouty puppy pose.

Then, though, Astrid felt bad for her right foot. Not wanting it to feel left out, she allowed me another toesies shot, albeit only if she didn't have to look at the camera.

Happy Tuesday, everybuddy!

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Our Tip of the Day:
This is the perfect time of year to keep in mind that many dogs and cats will grow thicker coats in the winter and then shed that thickened coat in the spring. This is especially the case for animal with access to the cold, winter outdoors. To help your dog or cat remove their winter coat, and to reduce shedding and rogue furs spreading throughout your house, be sure to regularly comb your furbabies. What's more, to further reduce the spread of dust bunnies throughout your house, you can comb your dog or cat in a particular room that can be easily swept and tidied up, or even outdoors for those animals used to that. Happy grooming

Mancat Monday

Another Monday is upon us. But, that also means it's the day of the mancats in our lives. So, my mancat Evan hoped he could help you all get through this start of the week by sharing these:

Now, on another note, this upcoming weekend is the art fair benefiting my local area's animal rescue group Hospice Hearts. I've shared a few of the pieces I'll be selling there to benefit the group. Here's another, this one a drawing of which I'll be selling prints:

Here's to a happy start of the work week for all of our furiends out there!

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Our Tip of the Day:

The garage can be a very dangerous place for animals. Especially if it is a place where you keep a lot of chemicals, such as those for car care or herbicides and pesticides, it is perhaps best to consider the garage off limits to your dogs and cats. If your furbabies are allowed out in the garage, though, or if they have a tendency to escape out into the garage, then be sure to keep all harsh and potentially poisonous chemicals hidden away. Also keep hidden away all tools, hardware, and any and all other items that might be tempting to or potentially ingested by your furbabies. And of course always be aware of all furbabies' locations when any vehicles are coming and going from the garage. Although it can be a difficult task, try to think two steps ahead of your furbabies!

Sunday Selfies

For today's Sunday Selfie blog hop, hosted by our furiends over at The Cat on My Head, my furbabies wanted to debut some of the first photos taken with their momma's new camera! A creature of habit, this human had always just kept to her same ol', perhaps slightly outdated camera. But now, for the first time in over a decade, I have a new camera. This is thanks to my furbabies' auntie (aka, my sister), who thought I was too far behind the times and so got me a pawesome new camera for my birthday last week. Thanks, sis!

As I've noted before, I'm far from a professional photographer, but I love this new camera. I'm slowly learning how to adjust these things called white balance and exposure, in order to take acceptable photos in any lighting. I'm still far from an expert, but I'm starting to get the hang of it...

Astrid with one of her obligatory window selfies.

And Evan, another guilty member of the obligatory window selfie party.

Thimble just loves to help her mommy experiment with perspective and angles..."Is this my good side, Mom?"

Eddy!

And here's housemate Toby. This boy and his black fur will be the death of the photographer inside of me.

Our selfies aren't done there, though! I was perhaps most excited to go visit my parents' kitties with my new flashy box in hand. This is because I often visit my parents and their kitties in the evening, which means that photo shoots with them tend to be after sundown. With my older, overworked camera, lack of natural sunlight typically always meant less than successful results. However, after getting my new camera, I headed over to my parents' house for an evening visit with their furbabies, and managed to snap shots of all four of their furbabies with not too terrible of results. Keeping in mind that my less than technologically inclined mind is still trying to grasp the full concept of white balance, exposure, and all those fun things, here are some long overdue selfies of the other furbabies in my life:

Here's Thimble's giant-sized twin brother, Trapper.

Another of Thimble's brothers, Talon, is Mr. Active and gave me just this one barely successful selfie.

Pretty tabby/tortie Freya so kindly posed in front of one of my dad's awesome fish tanks. But, she preferred a closed-eye selfie.

Freya's sister Gemma, a pretty calico, is not a big fan of the camera. Can you tell?

And so there you have it. Nine selfies. Whew. Thanks, sis, for the new toy that made this possible!

A very happy Sunday to all of our furiends!

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Our Tip of the Day:

I've given tips on keeping a pet-friendy kitchen, bathroom, and study. Now, today, how about a couple of tips to ensure that your bedroom is pet-friendly? If you keep your shoes in your bedroom, keep them hidden away so as to keep your dogs, or even your cats, from chewing on them and getting themselves in trouble or in danger of intestinal blockage. The same would of course go for socks and any other potentially tempting items of clothing. Also be sure to keep small hair accessories and jewelry in a hidden location, so that curious paws and mouths can't play with or ingest them. Safety first!