(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

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Our Doodle of the Day:

Yesterday we posted a doodle of a special little version of Winnie the Pooh, in honor of tomorrow being Winnie the Pooh Day. I also mentioned at that point that, to be honest, my favorite Pooh Bear character is actually not the bear himself. I quite like myself some underdogdonkey.

Fun fact? I collect Eeyore dolls. I remember the Christmas, many moons ago, when I received a jumbo Eeyore doll. I was ecstatic. It now sits on a shelf above my bed, as creepy as that sounds.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

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Our Tip of the Day:

Did you know that, as a pet parent, baking soda can sometimes be your best friend? Though you of course don't want your pup or kitty consuming or breathing any large amount of substances such as baking soda, it is largely pet-safe when used wisely. That's just one of the reasons why it can come in quite handy for those who have pets.

We all love our furbabies, but we all might also perhaps admit that sometimes our furbabies don't leave things smelling their freshest. This is where baking soda can offer a bit of help, as it can work wonderfully as a deodorizer, as it can absorb smells like those related to our furbabies. One way to take advantage of this is to sprinkle some on your carpet or furniture, let it sit for roughly 10 or 20 minutes, vacuum it up, and thereby leave your floor and furniture smelling more fresh and clean. You can also do this in your car, such as if your pup or kitty takes a trip in there often and perhaps leaves it smelling a little, well, furry. Baking soda can also help keep your cat's litter box smelling more fresh, as you can sprinkle a small layer at the bottom of the litter box before you put the litter in, and it will thereby help absorb some of the odors.

There are also other potential uses of baking soda. For example, if you accidentally trim your pup or kitty's nail too short and hit the quick, thereby causing some bleeding, you can dip the bleeding claw in baking soda and apply pressure. This will cause the baking soda to form a paste with the blood, and thereby help it to clot. Cornstarch, flour, and styptic powder purchased from the drug store can also be used. With all of the wonders it can work, do be sure to keep some baking soda on hand.

Tuesday Taste Test (#ChewyInfluencer)

It's that time again. The picky kitties around here tried a new food this month as part of the Chewy.com Blogger Outreach Program.

The Weruva Cats in the Kitchen variety pack comes with four enticing flavors. There is Chicken Frick 'A Zee (chicken recipe au jus), Funk in the Trunk (chicken recipe in pumpkin consommé), Lamb Burgini (lamb recipe au jus), and Kitty Gone Wild (wild salmon au jus). All of these flavors are high in protein, and they are grain-free, starch-free, carrageenan-free, and GMO-free.

My kitties are huge fans of moist food of the paté variety. The chicken flavor we tried first is more of a shredded or minced sort, but with a decent amount of thick broth that I hoped might give it a fighting chance.

So, what did the kitties think?

Toby, Evan, and Thimble all love the Weruva Cats in the Kitchen food (Eddy has yet to jump on the moist food bandwagon). If you know these kitties, then you know this food just worked a miracle. Now, I don't tend to feed my kitties food in fishy flavors, but the other flavors are a huge hit here at our house. And the strays and ferals outdoors quite enjoy the salmon flavor, as well as the others.


(Disclaimer: As members of the Chewy.com Blogger Outreach Program, we received the Weruva Cats in the Kitchen variety pack of canned cat 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.)


We hope all of you friends of ours have a tasty Tuesday!

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Our Doodle of the Day:

This Thursday is none other than Winnie the Pooh Day. Since our doodle that day will be centered around the poem we managed for the Thoroughly Poetic Thursday challenge, we decided we wanted to honor Pooh Bear today. Of course, we had to give him a bit of an alteration.

To be honest, this here human has always been a huge Eeyore fan. So, tomorrow's doodle will be inspired by the lugubrious donkey himself.

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Our Tip of the Day:

For a while we've had a little list of random tips and tidbits that we don't think we've really shared yet. So, we've decided we're going to share some of those random tips with you over the next couple of days. Today, we want to give you a tip for when those ants come out of the woodwork. If ants are a problem at your house and they seek out your furbaby's food bowl, in addition to keeping their food area clean in general, you can use to your advantage the fact that ants are not proficient swimmers. To protect your furbaby's food, put their food bowl within a shallow plate or bowl of water. This will serve more or less as a moat that protects your furaby's food from those tiny invaders.

Mancat Monday

Welcome to another Mancat Monday, friends! Yesterday, for her Sunday Selfie, Thimble showed off her cute little nose. Evan didn't want left out of that trend, so today he's showing you his magnificent mancat nose.

Just as with Thimble, you are welcome to give Evan's nose a little smooch. He quite likes kisses.


Now, did you know that today is National Hat Day? We figured there's no better hat for a kitty than a crown, so we doodled this royal calico for today.

That there doodle is also a bit of a prelude to our positive thought for today's Sparks hop. I like to at least try to tie my Monday doodles in with my contribution to the Sparks blog hop, which is of course hosted by Annie of McGuffy's Reader.

So, in line with our royal doodle today, our Sparks is a quote from none other than Queen Elizabeth II.

"Let us not take ourselves too seriously. None of us has a monopoly on wisdom."

- Queen Elizabeth II

Well said, Queen Elizabeth II. I have honestly always found Queen Elizabeth II a quite sophisticated, formidable, and intriguing woman, and not just because she wears a crown. What's more, I appreciate her way of expressing this approach to life. While wisdom and solemnity can be great things, they can also be detrimental if not kept in check. It is so true that no one here on earth is omniscient or omnipotent. No matter who you are, sometimes you really just need to let loose, throw all seriousness out the window, and have some fun.

Wishing you all a fun and fantastic Monday!

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Our Tip of the Day:

We've discussed the importance of offering shelter and comfort for furbabies outdoors, especially in the winter. Don't forget your indoor furbabies as well, though, as they can also be affected by the cold of winter, even when they're protected by four walls. For example, floors can be cold, and there can be cold drafts, such as from doors or windows. To ensure your indoor furbaby is comfortable, make sure they have somewhere soft and warm to sleep, with blankets or a bed in which to curl up. Make sure they have somewhere to sleep that is elevated off of the floor and away from drafts. If your dog or cat stays in a certain area of the house, such as in a kennel while you are away or in a room of their own, make sure that area of the house is kept comfortable. For both indoor and outdoor furbabies, do your best to help them stay warm and cozy. After all, if you're cold, they're likely cold as well.

Sunday Selfie

Thimble is all about belly rolls and nose shots these days, and that pretty much explains her selfie for today's Sunday Selfies blog hop.

And in case you were wondering, you are more than welcome to give that nose of hers a little smooch. Thimble loves kisses!

Thimble wants to remind everyone to visit the Kitties Blue over at The Cat on My Head, where you can see what all shots our friends snapped for the Sunday Selfies blog hop.

Happy Sunday to all!

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Our Doodle of the Day:

Today is none other than National Dress Your Pet Up Day. As we've mentioned before, we are being reminded of all of these fun days thanks to our fantastic 2018 Blogging Cats Weekly Planner. Our planner not only keep us organized, therefore, but also informs us of momentous days about which we can blog or for which we can create a doodle. That being said, for this National Dress Your Pet Up Day, we scribbled up this little piece:

Does anyone recognize that pink bunny suit? Honestly, we really do know that Christmas is over, but it still lingers in our minds because we just love it that much. Anyway, what we're getting at is that we got this pink bunny suit idea from A Christmas Story. If you've seen the movie, you might remember the scene of which we speak.

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Our Tip of the Day:

Isn't it great to think that your furbaby would let you put them in all sorts of cute clothes and snap lots of adorable shots to share on your blog? Unfortunately, that's not always the case. So, if you ever plan on dressing up your furbaby, do be sure to first take into consideration their personality, body language, and of course overall comfort and happiness. Some animals find great joy in dressing up, and some are simply laidback and tolerate it with ease. In some cases, a particular kitty or pup might be willing to tolerate a short game of dress up, perhaps just long enough for you to snap that perfect shot for your Christmas card. But, on the other hand, there are also those furbabies who simply do not enjoy such fun and games. If you dress up your furbaby and they show any signs of displeasure or discomfort, such as growling, hissing, or even refusal to move or eat, it is likely that they are not good candidates for playing dress up. Some furbabies might respond well to treats or other forms of positive reinforcement, and can perhaps in this way be trained to wear clothing. But, again, it depends on the furbaby, and if they become stressed upon being placed in clothing, please do be sure to take their comfort and happiness into consideration.

Caturday with Duckie

Does anyone know what day it is? Huh, do you? It's Rubber Duckie Day!

That's right, January 13th is the day we celebrate those fun duckies. If there are any rubber duckies in your life, be sure to wish them a happy day!

That there duckie doodle is of course our contribution to lovely Athena's Caturday Art blog hop.

We hope you all have a fantastic Rubber Duckie Caturday!

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Our Tip of the Day:

We're sure you all already know this, but we thought today was a good day to remind you to never leave tubs, sinks, or other areas of water unattended, especially around furbabies who are not accustomed to swimming. Though most animals have the instinct to paddle when in water, the potential risk for drowning still exists. So, if you fill up that tub or sink, make sure you keep an eye on your furbaby, or block their access to it. This of course also goes for outdoor areas of water, such as swimming pools, ponds, or lakes. Though it might seem harmless, water can indeed be very dangerous, so always be cognizant of your furbaby's safety around large amounts of water.

Friday Fun

Happy Friday! We always look forward to this day. It means the weekend is nearly here, and it also means it's time for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, hosted by Ellen of 15andmeowing and Annie of McGuffy's Reader.

As always, our clever hosts came up with some fantastic fill-ins for us.

1. I would like to ask _________ why _________.
2. My favorite fast food restaurant is _________.
3. If I could go to any concert of someone still performing, it would be _________.
4. My winter pastime is usually _________, because _________.

I really had to put on my thinking cap for these.

1. I would like to ask Wilson Rawls why he had to rip my heart out with Where the Red Fern Grows.
(This is such a random answer, but it is quite honestly the first thing that popped into my head when I first saw this fill-in. I read Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls way back in 5th grade, and even after all these years it has stuck with me, but not for a reason I like. It was easily the first traumatic reading experience I had as an animal-loving child. Has anyone else out there read it? If you have, you probably know what I'm talking about.)

2. My favorite fast food restaurant is nonexistent.
(I don't eat fast food much these days, if at all. I have never really been one who enjoys eating out, to be honest. As a kid I did enjoy getting ice cream blizzards at Dairy Queen and my all-time favorite chocolate milkshake at Culver's, and of course pizza, but even then, I still usually preferred a home-cooked meal. In addition, I have recently developed some dietary restrictions that have left my options at restaurants a bit slim. But I'm okay with all of that, because I love to cook and bake and find new recipes to make at home.)

3. If I could go to any concert of someone still performing, it would be Mumford & Sons.
(I must sound like such a boring individual, but I don't really enjoy concerts. That's probably the homebody in me talking. That being said, I've been telling myself for years that, if the folk rock band Mumford & Sons were to come to or near my hometown, I would lend them my ears. They are, after all, just about my favorite band these days.)

4. My winter pastime is usually snuggling with my furbabies, because that's the best way to stay warm.
(Of course, I love to snuggle them in the heat of summer, too.)

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Hi, friends! It's me Eddy! I told my mom that I'm hijacking this post, and so here I am.

Okay, where do I start? Oh, I know! Guess what? The Christmas tree is still up!

My mom ended up not taking the Christmas tree down last weekend, because it just felt too soon to her. So, she decided to just let it stay up until this weekend. I'm sad it will be leaving, but we also got a new cat tree in my mom's room to make up for it, so I guess I might be okay.

Now, I'm doing something extra fun today. Our stunning friend CK recently made a post in which she, from the fantastic viewpoint of a kitty, answered some questions from one of those questionnaire thingamabobs that you find on places like Facebook or whatchamacallit. Wouldn't all of those be so much better if they were always from a kitty's perspective? CK mentioned that her kitty friends could fill it out, too, and so that's what I'm doing today.

These were technically supposed to be one-word answers, but sometimes rules are made to be broken. Besides, my answers are pretty short, so isn't that close enough?

1. Where is your cell phone? My mom hides it in her purse.
2. Your hair? all over the house
3. Your dad? Who's that?
4. Your mom? my favorite person in the whole wide world
5. Your favorite food? fish food
6. Your dream last night? climbing my Christmas tree (though maybe I was awake for that?)
7. Your favorite drink? fish water
8. Fear? stranger danger!
9. Favorite shoes? my mom's slippers
10. Favorite way to relax? sleeping in the box-spring of my mom's bed
11. Your mood? playful
12. Your home away from home? No, thanks, I prefer a hermit's life.
13. Where were you last night? cuddling up to my mom
14. Something that you aren't? lazy
15. Muffins? I make them all the time for my mom.
16. Wish list item? year-round Christmas tree
17. Where you grew up? my forever home!
18. Last thing you did? begged for food that I'm not going to eat
19. Favorite thing to do? play!
20. Your TV? Squirrel TV
21. Your pets? my mom
22. Friends? all of you!
23. Your life? fun
24. Missing someone? my mom, when she goes to work
25. Something that you are? purrfect!

Do be sure to read CK's pawsome answers by clicking here. And, if you want to do as she suggests, you can fill these out, too. It sure is fun!

Have a fantastic Friday, friends!

Purrs, Eddy

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Our Doodle of the Day:

Our 2018 Blogging Cat Weekly Planner informed us that today is International Kiss a Ginger Day. So, of course, here's our very own ginger mancat Evan to help make your dreams come true!

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Our Tip of the Day:

We all know how warm and cozy a heater can be this time of year, but do be sure to keep your furbaby safe around those heat sources. Be cognizant of your furbaby's proximity to heaters and heat registers, as some can cause burns, and they can also lead your furbaby to become overheated, or may lead to uncomfortable dryness of the coat, skin, eyes, and so forth. Take all precautions necessary to ensure that your furbaby and any household heaters coincide safely. Monitor your furbaby around heat sources, unplug heaters when you are not around, and block your furbaby from unsafe heat sources as needed. This could of course include a fireplace, if your home has one, as there are many dangers it can pose as well. Staying warm is crucial in the winter, but be sure that your furbaby and yourself do so safely!

Thoroughly Poetic Thankful Thimble Thursday

Welcome to the eve of Friday, friends! In other words, happy Thursday! As always, we will start today with the Thoroughly Poetic Thursday challenge, hosted by our pals Angel Sammy and Teddy.

We have been having great fun with the new version of this poetic challenge, which involves our hosts giving us a photo prompt each week. The photo we were given for this week's poem is this one here:

I see the photo above and I think how wonderful it would be to write a poem expressing how tender and loving the relationship between a parent and a child can be. At the same time, though, I'll be the first to admit that I'm pretty much rubbish when it comes to writing prose such as that. Profound and lyrical poetry is not something that I can do, it would seem.

My reading and writing habits have always been centered around far more obscure, whimsical, and eccentric tales. I was happily raised on stories smack dab in the genre of fantasy. What's more, that preference for fantasy did not change when I entered adulthood. I think that's why, when I see these wonderful photo prompts our hosts share with us, the deep and meaningful possibilities bail out the window. Instead, my mind tends to go rogue and things like pirates come out to play.

The Pirates of Puck

Once when I was but a young lad,

I stood by the seashore with my dad.

He told me the water told a great many tales,

And that on it sailed a great many sails.

"Have you ever heard of the Pirates of Puck?"

My father asked as overheard flew a duck.

I told him that I most certainly had not,

And so to my ears a great tale he brought.

Once from a land far, far away,

As my storytelling father did say,

Sailed a ship with a crew of plundering pirates.

They were fierce, skilled, and their loot often giant.

They were known as nothing but the Pirates of Puck,
And a great many thought them an omen of bad luck.

Stories claimed they were covered in shaggy fur,

And that on their boots they wore the sharpest of spurs.

Others said they boasted sharp fangs and sharper claws,

And that there was no loot on which they could not get their paws.

The Pirates of Puck sailed a plain and simple ship,

But it was said the mere sight of it would make your heart skip.

They were the source of a great deal of fear,

As it was said they would pillage all you held dear.

One day the Pirates of Puck sailed to a shore,

Where bankers and merchants their riches did store.

The Pirates of Puck took what they pleased,

Leaving the wealthy folk greatly aggrieved.

What happened next is quite often debated,

But there is one version of the tale that is often stated.

It is said that the Pirates of Puck sailed with their loot,

Until they reached the sad little Island of Moot.

The Island of Moot was not a grand land.

The island folk had nothing to their name but the sand.
The islanders were more than down on their luck.
But then arrived none other than the Pirates of Puck.

At first the islanders were greatly suspicious,

Until the Pirates of Puck handed them their newly gained riches.

The Pirates of Puck took from the wealthy,

And gave to the poor so that they could grow healthy.

Now the people of the Island of Moot are well and strong,

And they tell of the pirates' generous deed in a song.

And that is the tale of Pirates of Puck,

That my father did tell me by the sea at dusk.

"So the Pirates of Puck were really heroes at heart?"

I asked my father in hopes that insight he would impart.

"Some say yes and some say no,"

Was the answer my father did bestow.

And then he added with a wink,

"Tell me, son, what do you think?"

As always, I also felt compelled to create a little doodle to help illustrate that there poem on piracy. So, here is my version of the Pirates of Puck:

In case you were wondering, yes, my poems' illustrations will always star furry characters. This is of course because I love me some kitties and puppies. That, and drawing human beings is not my strong point.

All right, now it's time for Thimble! Today, Thimble wants to show you one of the gifts she got for Christmas.

This here human may or may not have had a hard time parting with that there Donut Kitty (purchased from the Etsy shop known as Miso Handmade) in order to gift it to Thimble on Christmas morning. But, I eventually managed it.

Thimble did not spare Donut Kitty one bit. He smelled of catnip and his little jingle bell taunted her one too many times, so she launched an assault.

Want to know a secret? Donut Kitty has been missing since not long after Christmas. He is almost certainly being held captive in the land Beneath the Couch. A rescue mission will soon be launched to return Donut Kitty to the light of day.

Thimble is entering her gratitude for all of her toys, like Donut Kitty, into Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.

All of us here are also thankful for so much more. This time of year, we are thankful for the warmth of our home, and the warm food in our bellies. And it would not be Thankful Thursday without us letting you all know just how grateful we are for all of you friends of ours. Your friendship means so much to us!

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Our Tip of the Day:

Today is Milk Day (which we yet again know thanks to our trusty 2018 Blogging Cats Weekly Planner!). That being said, we're yet again repeating a past tip. Just like us humans, some cats and dogs are lactose intolerance. Especially as a furbaby ages and no longer consumes their mother's milk, their bodies may not produce lactase, which is the enzyme responsible for breaking down the milk sugar known as lactose. In such animals, products containing lactose are not digested properly, and so consuming lactose can result in issues such as upset stomach and diarrhea. So, do be cautious when feeding your furbabies milk and other foods high in lactose, especially if you know your furbaby does not digest it well. It might be worth it to know that some dairy products, such as plain yogurt and aged cheddar cheese, actually contain little to no lactose and so could potentially make safer options for small treats. Still, these should still only be fed in very small amounts and only as occasional treats, and only if your furbaby does not have adverse reactions. It's no fun having an upset stomach, so when in doubt, please do not feed it to your furbaby!