Tonks Tuesday Naptime

On this Tonks Tuesday, the calico herself wanted to share her love for one of her many beloved blankets.

Like most kitties, this girl loves her a soft and cozy blankie upon which to nap.

Tonks especially loves when the blanket is straight out of the warm dryer. This sleepy girl wishes you all lots of naps on lots of cozy blankets!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

In honor of Tonks and her beloved blanket, we'll share this flashback doodle of a kitty on another sort of blanket. I scribbled this up a couple years ago after seeing a piece of Halloween decor of a ghostly wraith much like this. The original decor didn't include a kitty, which just seemed wrong to me, and so I added that feline detail.

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Tip of the Day

We're in the last stretch of our tips on how to decorate your home around your furbabies. Yesterday's tip involved helping give your kitty or pup a window view by putting a cat tree, couch, or chair beside the window. Today's tip takes this concept in another direction, and involves looking into ways to make your home even more accessible to and traversable by your feline furbabies. For example, there are cat shelves on the market that can be placed along your home's walls, and which can be placed in ways that allow your kitty to not only rest on the shelves, but to also to travel the perimeter of a room by way of those wall shelves. There are plenty of other similar features available on the market as well, including walkways, bridges, ladders, and all sorts of items that can allow your furbaby to travel throughout the house in this fun, unique way. If interested, you could intersperse such wall shelves or walkways throughout the house. Or, if you have the space and ability, you could dedicate one room in the house to this, so that said room is some semblance of a playroom or jungle gym for your kitty. In the wild, cats often travel or sleep on elevated surfaces, such as trees or mountains. That's why many cats enjoy setups such as wall shelves or walkways, as this can mimic the environment of their wild ancestors.

Headless Mancat Monday

Today, Evan isn't sharing photos that are high-quality or well-lit or anything like that. But he wanted to share them anyway, because he knows they're cute in their own silly way.

Can you even see Evan in there? In these photos, Evan had tucked his head under the blanket I was using. You can see his whiskers in there if you look closely.

That photo there gives me Headless Horseman vibes. Or is it Headless Catman? Headless Mancat? Either way, happy Monday, friends!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

This spooky doodle seems fitting for today's photos from Evan. It also doesn't hurt that I'm in the mood for Halloween, and I watched the movie Sleepy Hollow this weekend.

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Tip of the Day

For today's tip on how to decorate your home around your furbaby, we're here to remind you to make sure your kitty or pup has a safe window view. Indoor cats and dogs are of course safe from the dangers of an outdoor life, but it is still important that they get the mental stimulation provided by a view of the outdoors. To allow for this window view, try putting pet-friendly furniture near the window. Placing a cat tree beside the window is a perfect option for cats, for example. Of course, though, you can even simply position a couch, chair, table, or other pet-safe piece of furniture so that a window view is possible for your kitty or pup.

There are a couple of other considerations to make when it comes to window views for your furbabies. First, if it's possible and safe, try to feed birds or squirrels in view of the window, so that your kitty or pup can have the added mental stimulation of having wildlife to watch. What's more, make sure all windows are securely closed and safe from potential escapes. Also make sure that any nearby window blinds or curtains do not pose a risk to the safety of your cat or dog. It is important to ensure your indoor cat or dog has a window view in order to keep them happy and sharp, but it's equally important to ensure their safety.

Friendly Fill-Ins and Eddy's Favorite Eats

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. _________ is my favorite Olympic sport.

2. I won't spend money on _________.

3. I've come to terms with the fact that _________.

4. My computer search history includes _________.


My answers are below in bold.

1. Channel surfing is my favorite Olympic sport.
(These days, I admittedly skip right past the channels with the Olympics. As a kid I really enjoyed watching the Olympics. Gymnastics in the summer and figure skating in the winter were my favorites. I feel like something about the Olympics has shifted over time, though, and they just don't appeal to me anymore. So, I tend to pass by the channels covering them and move on to something else.)

2. I won't spend money on new clothes...at least not often.
(I've of course had to buy clothes here and there, but I honestly very rarely buy new clothes. I very much dislike shopping for clothes, and I'm one of those people who has favorite clothes that I just pretty much wear to death. If I do need a new something, mostly when I've worn through my current version of it, I'll mention that when my family asks me what I want for Christmas. Between my sister and my parents, a ton of my favorite clothes that I wear all the time were gifts that I didn't have to buy. I also have some favorite pair of jeans that my amazing seamstress of a mom has patched for me many a time.)

3. I've come to terms with the fact that I can only do my best.
(This fact of course goes for everyone, even if some days it's hard to accept. I've mentioned before some of my life goals, which include publishing the stories living in my head, creating a variety of products with my drawings, getting back into better blogging habits, and all that sort of jazz. Though I do hope to continue to work on scheduling in all of these true passions in my life, I've had to let myself come to terms with the fact that my current season of life isn't going to always accommodate all of that every day. I work full-time, I have a very special needs kitty as well as other kitties and a pup deserving of the best life possible, I have a home and yard in need of tending, and you get the idea. So, a lot of days, I have to just accept that all I can do is my best, even if doing my best means not every single thing gets done)

4. My computer search history includes a book called Slimer and the movie Longlegs.
(I'm really in the mood for all things horror and it's-almost-Halloween sorts of things these days, so anytime I hear about a scary book or movie I might enjoy, I look it up. Those were two of the most recent that intrigued me and so warranted an internet search.)

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, Eddy would love everyone to be reminded how much she loves her treats.

For years, Eddy would never touch a single treat I put in front of her.

 

It wasn't until one day when I ordered treats online and was sent a flavor that wasn't a favorite of the other kitties in the house, so I thought I'd just see if Eddy would change her mind on treats. And she did. She loved that fishy flavor that we received, and now she'll actually eat almost any flavor.

For the record, though, Eddy only wants Friskies Part Mix treats.

Eddy has admittedly gained too much weight from me doling out too many treats. I'm trying to work on giving her less, but I'll admit I find it very difficult to tell her no when she's adorably begging for them.

Happy Friday, friends!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

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Tip of the Day

We're still in the midst of our series of tips all about decorating your home around your furbabies. Today's tip on that topic involves protecting your furniture from kitty claw. After all, cats have claws. That's simply part of who they are. That being said, that doesn't mean there aren't safe, humane ways of protecting your furniture from those claws.

To begin, of course place cat scratchers throughout your house in order to give your cat appropriate places to use their claws. Cats often like to scratch as a more or less territorial display, so make sure that at least some of their scratchers are somewhere visible and in the open. You can also place a scratcher near any furniture to which your furbaby's claws gravitate. This way, your kitty can have an appropriate scratching location where you can immediately redirect them should they begin to use the furniture instead.

We recently mentioned this next idea in another tip, but we'll say it again. To protect your furniture from cat claws while also giving your cat a proper place to scratch, you can wrap sisal rope around furniture legs, rails of staircases, and other similar locations. Again, this not only protects those home features from cat claws, but also simultaneously gives your cat another appropriate place to use their claws. Another potential form of protection against cat claws for your furniture is a heavy-duty couch or chair cover.

As we said above, cats indeed have claws. Those claws are simply part of who they are. While those claws can sometimes find their way to furniture, there are proper ways to combat this. Simply research types of scratchers for your kitty to use, create your own scratchers using sisal rope, or find another way to protect the furniture while also treating your kitty and their claws in a humane way. When your kitty scratches furniture, calmly redirect them to a proper cat scratcher, so that they can learn where they should and should not sharpen those claws of theirs. Of course, also don't forget to regularly trim your kitty's nails.

Thankful Thimble Thursday in the Sun...Again

Hello and happy Thursday, friends! Thimble is of course ready for Angel Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.

Today, Thimble is grateful for cozy places to lounge. Especially in the sun, of course. Sunshine is a very common thankful for Thimble, but can you blame her?

Thimble hopes all of you are enjoying cozy naps in the sun!

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Now, let's share 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. _________ is my favorite Olympic sport.

2. I won't spend money on _________.

3. I've come to terms with the fact that _________.

4. My computer search history includes _________.

We'll see you tomorrow, friends!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

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Tip of the Day

Our kitties of course very often rule the household. That often means they more or less have free roam of the place. Sometimes, though, that might become a bit difficult for them, for a variety of potential reasons. For example, when it comes to the furniture, make sure that they can easily and safely access it. This is something to especially take into consideration for cats, or dogs, with mobility issues. Geriatric, arthritic, injured, and any other specially abled furbabies may require some form of help getting onto couches, chairs, beds, tables, shelves, and so forth. Sometimes all you have to do is put low stools or boxes next to the furniture, as long as said stools or boxes are safe and sturdy. There are also pet stairs and pet ramps available on the market, which can be placed beside beds, couches, and other relevant furniture. So, keep in mind what might affect their ability to get onto furniture in the home. Age, injuries, and other such factors can make it difficult for your cat, or dog, to reach elevated locations. Take all such factors into consideration, and help your furbaby adjust as best and as safely as possible.

Adventures with Astrid in the Great Outdoors

Today, pup Astrid wanted to show you all a pretty little path she loves to visit on some of her walks. 

There are always such pretty flowers to see. Not to mention lots of green grass and trees to sniff and on which to pee. That's Astrid's favorite.

We already recently shared a montage of Astrid relieving her bladder in the great outdoors, so we'll go ahead and just kept this post to the pretty scenery. Just know, though, that Astrid partook in plenty of peeing on this path during this walk.

Happy Wednesday, friends!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

Today's doodle is a flashback that I created a couple years ago. If you look on the table behind the kitty, there's a handy little knife sitting there. That's because I scribbled this doodle up after seeing a sign somewhere that said, "Coffee. Because murder is wrong." This would more so relate to cocoa or even just chocolate milk for me, as I love those rather than coffee, but the overall idea is still there.

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Tip of the Day

In yesterday's tip, we discussed ways to make rugs nonskid, in order to combat the actions of our active furbabies. Inspired by that thought, we'll now be doing a bit of a series on how to potentially decorate your home around your furbaby. After all, those furry cuties rule our lives in every way.

Today's tip is another one about rugs. This time, though, we're first going to mention possibly choosing a rug with a variety of colors, or that has a somewhat busy design on it. One of the primary reasons for this is to help mask dog or cat fur, or even to hide potential stains that might result from sharing your home with a pup or kitty. In this same line of thought, also consider how easy it might be to clean a particular rug before you purchase it.

Another consideration to make when it comes to selecting a rug for a home with furbabies is the rug's height. If a rug is too tall, for example, it might get caught on feet and kicked around more easily, by both you and your furbaby. This is something that does play a role at our house. Hind limb paralyzed Evan requires low rugs, or else his method of ambulation causes him to get caught on the elevated edges of rugs. The result of this includes him traveling around the house with a rug hooked to his legs. We know that not everyone is going to have a paralyzed kitty scooting around their house, but, nonetheless, do take into consideration a rug's height and how it might affect your furbaby.

Yet another consideration to make with rugs is how rugged they are. Consider how much traffic a rug will be getting, not only from humans, but also of course furbabies. Will the rug you're interested in hold up to cat claws, for example? If or as needed, you can even try looking for rugs that are technically for outdoor use, even if the rug will indeed be used indoors. Rugs manufactured for outdoor use are often heavier duty, and so if such a rug works better for your home and is safe for your kitty or pup, this is another route you can go.

Lastly, it's worth it to note that you should always be observant of your pup or kitty's habits around items such as rugs. Did you just get a new puppy who tries to chew on or eat rugs, for example? If so, either refrain from placing rugs, or always watch them around rugs or other similar items, otherwise they might end up with an intestinal blockage. This is just one more reason why it is so important to be observant and aware of your individual kitty or pup's habits and behaviors, and to proceed accordingly. That may very well mean decorating your home to better suit your furbaby.

Tonks Tuesday with Silver Vine on the Side

It's a playful sort of Tonks Tuesday today.

We have a ton of these silver vine stick toys at our house. Some of them are looking rough, like the one above. I buy more of these for the kitties at least once a year, because all of the kitties love them, and also because they're really rough on the poor toys.

Tonks and all of us here are wishing you a happy Tuesday!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

We're still in a spooky sort of mood, and given Tonks's playful photos above, this particular flashback doodle seemed like a good fit for today.

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Tip of the Day

In a home with a hind limb paralyzed cat, as well as five other happily active cats and a big and boisterous dog, rugs on hardwood, laminate, tile, and other similar floor surfaces do not easily stay put. That being said, today's tip covers just a couple ideas on how you can try to keep rugs in place when you live with playful, active furbabies who often just cannot help but move those rugs around. To begin, you can get rugs that come already equipped with a nonslip backing. There are also separate nonslip pads that can be placed beneath a rug. Even these options are sometimes not enough to keep rugs in place, though. For something a bit more heavy-duty, you can try something such as double-sided carpet tape. Similarly, you can use velcro strips, placing one on the rug's underside and one on the floor beneath it, thereby attaching the rug to the floor. I have even heard of people using something such as silicone caulking on the bottom of rugs, which, when dried, will have a nonskid effect. Sharing our homes with furbabies can mean that rugs throughout the house end up in all sorts of disarray. To combat this, you can brainstorm and test out which potential nonskid or adherent methods might work best for you, your furbaby, and your home.

A Mancat Monday Nap

Evan apologizes that he's not actively participating in this Mancat Monday post. Instead, he's been taking some much needed naps after snoopervising his mom all weekend.

The lighting is less than ideal there, but hopefully you can see the pose Evan loves to strike when napping. I don't know how he can breathe like that, but he doesn't seem the least bit bothered.

Happy Monday, friends!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

I mowed this weekend. The 90°F temperature had me wishing and hoping for autumn and Halloween even more than I already have been lately. That thought reminded me of this doodle I scribbled up a few years ago, so here you go.

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Tip of the Day

Today we have the last tip in our litter box series. This tip is to consider using some sort of litter mat or tray, in order to keep your home environment free of as much rogue litter as possible. Litter often comes out of the box when our kitties dig and dig in the litter, or on our kitties' paws when they leave the box. This can ultimately result in litter not only outside of the box, but also throughout the house. To combat this, try placing a litter mat or tray under or outside of the litter box. There are such mats and trays available on the market, which are specifically designed to catch stray pieces of litter so that it can't travel throughout the rest of the house. For a cheaper option, though, you can also use a rug to catch litter, or you can even try something such as a boot tray. Another option is to place the litter box within a larger container, such as a giant storage container or a kiddie pool. This would allow for rogue litter to remain in that outer container, rather than spreading throughout the house.

All of the above being said, litter mats and trays may not always be able to trap every piece of litter. So, to further help keep litter at bay and your house clean, there's of course the option of sweeping up stray litter as often as possible. It's not a bad idea to make a habit of sweeping up rogue litter around the box each time you scoop it.

There are a number of options for helping keep stray litter from spreading throughout the house. You can buy specifically designed litter mats or trays, you can try a similar makeshift option, and you can of course keep a broom at the ready in the litter area. Of course, do make sure that any mats, trays, or other methods you use do not deter your kitty from using the litter box in the first place.