Cat Resolutions for 2017

Did you make your resolutions for the new year? If so, how long will you be able to stick to them? I used to make a big list when I was younger, but not so much anymore. At my age, it will get done when I get around to it. :>) My cats probably made theirs, but a lot depends on whether I cooperate or not. Let’s see……….

I will remain adorable and handsome. (That’s a given)

I will be resourceful when Mom doesn’t give me enough food. (Going to have to watch what I leave on the counter)

I will always be helpful. (Yeah, right!)

I will forgive my enemies. (Didn’t know you had any)

I will exercise to stay in shape. (Me too)

I will attempt to be kind to the dog. (This will last about five minutes!)

I will learn something new. (No comment)

I will study an art form. (You do that every day when you sleep)

I will spend time with friends. (Me too)

I will get sufficient rest. (15 hours isn’t enough?)

If my human doesn’t cooperate with me in 2017, this is what will happen.

Hummm, kitty cats, as your human, I’m not really worried about that. You guys are so spoiled and pampered that you’d never want to leave. Nice try though. What are your cat’s resolutions?

Marion Lovato is the author of Sam, the Superkitty. Her book describes an ordinary cat changing into a superhero to protect his family from things that go bump in the night. Available on Amazon as a paperback or Kindle edition. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1604588667

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas (According to Cats)

‘Twas the night before Christmas

and all through the house

all the creatures were stirring.

Even the mouse!

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care

in hopes that St. Claws soon would be there.

Mom in her kerchief and I in my cap

had just settled down for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the lawn arose such a clatter,

I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.

When what to my wondering eyes should appear

but a miniature sleigh

and one old horse.

All the reindeer were sick

so Santa had to rely

on one old horse

that just couldn’t fly.

When Santa was let in

through the front door,

he immediately scared

the cats on the floor.

The cats were excited

to see what they’d get

as Santa delivered the gifts

to each pet.

Having finished his work,

Santa went to the door.

He climbed in his sleigh

and started to snore.

As the horse moved on

and was soon out of sight,

Santa was dreaming about the catnip

he would have later tonight.

Hope you enjoyed this. Want to wish each one of my readers a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful 2017! God bless each and every one of you.

Getting Ready For the Big Day

Last week my computer wouldn’t even turn on, so I missed posting. Finally able to get it fixed! Want to share with you how the cats help me get ready for Christmas.

First of all, we have to have a Christmas tree,

so they have something to play with!

If they play with the garland, you may get this.

Okay, finally have the tree ready. We have a new angel at the top.

Of course, with Christmas, there’s always cookies.

Have to visit Santa to let him know what the boys want.

Something they DON’T want is to be dressed up.

They’d rather sing instead.

All of this is very exhausting work!

However, we all wish you the blessings of the season.

Feeding Your Pets During the Holidays-Part 2

Okay, we were talking about foods dangerous for your pets during the holiday season. So far, we’ve covered fruitcake, ham or turkey skin, nuts, and raw dough, etc. for baking. There are four more to be aware of.

5. Onions and Garlic

Garlic tends to be more toxic than onions, however both can lead to anemia if ingested in sufficient quantities, and contrary to popular belief, cooking them does not lower their toxicity. This is especially dangerous for dogs.

6. Alcohol

NO type of this is good for your pet. Don’t think this needs much explanation. :>)

7. Nutmeg

Sweet potatoes and pumpkin, in appropriate doses, are a healthy treat. But you will want to take special precautions and make sure that neither of those have nutmeg on them before feeding. Nutmeg can cause seizures if your pet consumes it alone or as an ingredient in sweet potatoes or pumpkin, and in extreme cases can even lead to death.

8. Cooked Bones

I talked about this before, but it’s worth repeating.Many may think that giving your pet the bone from the turkey or ham is an excellent way to include them in the holiday meal, but cooked bones prove to be more dangerous than they are delicious. Cooked bones could splinter inside your pet’s digestive tract and cause major internal problems. Avoid leaving cooked bones anywhere near your pet’s reach, and quickly dispose of any leftovers after the meal to avoid a costly trip to the vet and an unpleasant experience for your pet.

Keeping a close eye on your furbaby during the Christmas meal, or even allowing them to relax safely in another room, is a good rule of thumb for the holidays. When in doubt, keep them in a safe area while the festivities are going on, and always supervise them around Christmas decorations and treats. Keep these potential dangers in mind and both you and your pets will have a wonderful holiday season! Happy Holidays!

What Do You Feed Your Pets During the Holidays?

Thought it would be a good idea to brush up on some holiday foods that are definite NOs for your pet. You may have seen these before, but there may be some new ones you haven’t thought of. I’ll be talking a couple of times on this subject because Christmas is not that far away.

Fruitcake

A holiday fruitcake is a long-standing (and often dreaded) holiday gift and treat. The ingredients in fruitcake, although delicious, are actually extremely dangerous to your pets. Grapes and raisins are associated with the development of kidney failure in some pets who have ingested them.

Turkey or Ham Skin

A turkey or ham is a staple at almost every holiday feast. But did you know that foods high in fat, like the turkey and ham skin, can actually be very harmful for your pet? The skin holds onto all of the butter, spices, marinades, and oils that were used to cook the meat. This makes it very hard to digest. Meat soaked strings leftover from a holiday ham or roast should be thrown away and taken out to the garbage immediately, as they are extremely tempting for a pet to ingest. These can get tangled inside the intestines and require surgery. Also a no-no are cooked bones which can become brittle causing them to splinter into sharp edges and are known to get stuck in the teeth, causing choking hazards when caught in the throat or cause a puncture of the stomach lining or intestinal tract.

Nuts

These are especially risky for dogs. Macadamia nuts in particular can cause discomfort. Put the bowl in an unreachable place.

Baking Essentials: Chocolate, Dough, And Batter

Baking Christmas cookies is a beloved family tradition that many look forward to all year. Keeping your pet out of the kitchen while you prepare those delicious Christmas desserts is a smart idea. Even small amounts of chocolate can harm them, and dough can actually rise inside of their bellies, which causes stomach pain. Spare batter contains uncooked eggs, which are always a risk for Salmonella.

Of course, telling your pet no doesn’t always mean that they agree!

You may also get these reactions!

So, please watch that your pets don’t get any of these foods. We don’t want them to be sick for the holidays!

Another thing to remember:

We’ll talk about four more foods in the coming weeks..

Will YOUR Cat Labor This Weekend?

It’s Labor Day weekend! Where on earth did most of the summer go? Went way too fast for me. Some people don’t have to really labor over the weekend, but we “labor” at having picnics, being with families, and enjoying being out and about. This is true especially for those of us who live at higher altitudes where fall is just around the corner. So, if your cat(s) were to organize a labor day party, how would they go about it?

First of all, they’d have to wake up.

They’d have to invite the neighbors.

They’d need to make sure there is plenty of food.

If the party is inside, maybe you can help them by setting up some fun games.

If the party is outside, perhaps the yard needs to be cleaned up.

Regardless of where it is, this is for sure.

Not everybody will be willing to help.

But, that’s okay. You can still have a great weekend, kitty cat(s), and look like this on Tuesday morning.

Have fun!

You humans have a fun and safe weekend! Always glad to hear from my readers and see what they think!

Oh, No! It’s Sunday Again

It was a beautiful spring day. The family had decided that it would be nice to go for a picnic after church. Mom fried some chicken, made potato salad, and added other things she thought her family would like. She even made a pie for dessert. Everyone piled in the car to go to church. After that, they went to the local park to have their picnic.

Mom and Dad spent the afternoon just relaxing and visiting while the kids played on the equipment, ran races, visited with friends they found there, and just kept active until they were too tired to do anything else. All in all, they spent about three hours at the park. By then, everyone was ready to go home. Both Mom and Dad had things to do to get ready for work tomorrow and the kids had homework to finish for school.

When the family arrived home, their cat, Jordy, was there to greet them. He noticed they didn’t look as happy as when they left in the morning, but he didn’t think much about it. After he was fed, he just sat and watched them. Dad was getting papers ready for a meeting at work the next day. Mom was making sure that her lesson plans were ready for the week since she was a teacher. The kids were mumbling under their breath about having to finish their homework. Jordy was so happy he was a cat because……….

The “Kitten” Bowl is About to Start!

It’s a beautiful day in Santa Clara, California, and everyone is anticipating the start of the “Kitten” Bowl. There are eight contestants on each team. The goal is to see which team can get to the catnip in the end zone first. The contestants were introduced last week in this blog. If you missed that, you can check them out while you’re waiting for the game to start.

Looks like we’re ready. Team A gets to go first. Will they get to the catnip or will Team B be able to stop them? The whistle blows and here we go!!!!

I said the whistle blows and here we go!!! Ummmm, maybe the referee will tell us what’s happening because there’s no activity on the field. What in the world?!!

Referee: Team A has a five yard penalty for delay of game!

Seems like there are several problems with this team. Sandy is trying to sing the National Anthem (or should I say screech the National Anthem)

Ginger ran too much in practice and is too tired to play.

Tabby couldn’t find the right shoes.

Merlin decided he didn’t like the moment and was going to take a nap.

Kirby was too busy smelling the flowers.

The only one who seemed to be ready was Fluffy. He was ready to receive anything he could catch.

Referee: Since Team A can’t get their act together, it will be Team B’s turn!!

Okay, now maybe we’ll see some action. Since Team A is all over the field doing their thing, Team B should be able to go right down the field and get the catnip first. Here we go!!!!!! Or not……..

Arvin likes to eat flowers

which Fang thinks is really funny!

Rhett is sad because of Scarlett

and Whiskers is having a fit about his whiskers not looking good.

Snuggles is looking for a friend.

Sammy would rather run in the house instead of on a grassy field.

So, of course, the referee is going to give Team B a five-yard penalty also. Now what are we going to do? Morris, from Team A, is really disgusted about the whole thing.

Smarty, from Team B, seems to have all the answers, but that’s not much help.

What about the quarterbacks. Which one is going to lead their team to the catnip? Guess it won’t be the one for Team B. He’s too busy showing off his beautiful coat!

Here comes the quarterback from Team A. Now we’re talking! I know who’s going to win this game!

His team piles in, they grab the catnip, and win the game! Way to go Team A!

Whew! Finally got through that one. I think the big boys had better forget the Kitten Bowl next year and leave it up to the kittens. They seem to have the energy to pull it off better. Oh, well, live and learn. Hope you enjoyed it.

Contestants For the “Kitten” Bowl

On to the Super Bowl!!! Of course, that’s for us humans to get excited about. The cats get excited about the Kitten Bowl which is really cute. They decided, however, that it shouldn’t just be for the kittens. The big guys wanted in on the action also. Let’s see who wants to be in grown up version of the “Kitten” Bowl.

There are only eight players on each team, but they’ll play offense and defense. Okay, who’s ready to play?

On Team A, we have:

Kirby-Guard

Sandy-Tackle

Morris-Tight End

Ginger=Running Back

Muffin-Quarterback (He can drive them down the field)

Tabby-Guard

Fluffy-Wide Receiver

Merlin-Tackle

Now for Team B

Champion-Quarterback

Snuggles-Tackle

Whiskers-Tight End

Arvin-Tackle

Fang-Guard

Smarty-Guard

Rhett-Wide Receiver

Sammy-Running Back

So, how will all of this turn out? You’ll have to wait until next week for the game. It should be very entertaining!

Christmas Day (Kitty Style)

It was a different Christmas with Mom being gone, but the boys and I made it through. I hope your Christmas Eve and Day was joyful and full of hope. Looking forward to a better year.

The day of Christmas Eve was exciting since everyone was getting ready for Santa Claus. There were last minute things to finish up with wrapping presents, cleaning house, and getting ready for the Christmas service at church. Sometimes things got a little confusing.

While I was at church, the boys were making their lists and checking them twice.

But some of them didn’t want to stop and go to bed!

Finally, everyone was asleep and the house was quiet.

Christmas morning dawned bright and early with snow on the ground.

It wasn’t long until everyone wanted to see their presents, but there was a minor accident to clean up first.

Once that was cleaned up, it was time to open presents.

Some were a little upset about cleaning up afterwards.

And some were a little too happy! Wonder what he got into.

And now it’s time to get back to “normal”, whatever that is. When you have cats, it’s hard to know sometimes. Whatever that happens to be, this is a definite………

See you in 2016!

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Marion's Superkitty Tales and Children's Books

Author of Children's Books and Lover of Cats

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