Did Someone Say Black Cats? #sponsored

This post is sponsored by petMD and ARM & HAMMER™, and the BlogPaws Professional Pet Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about The petMDCat Care Center, but A Tonk's Tail only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Arm & Hammer and petMD are not responsible for the content of this article.

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Over the past few months, I've shared with you some of the many reasons I like petMD's Cat Care Center. Another reason I like them? They asked me if I would like to write a fun, crafty DIY post, all about black cats. Geez, twist my arm, why don't you...

Given that last Monday was Black Cat Appreciation Day, and the fact that black cats are known to be less adoptable, I was pretty excited to do this. Besides, black cats are über fashionable during the fall season, especially during Halloween time.

So today I'm tossing two ideas your way:
a fun way to decorate, and a yummy way to celebrate Le Chat Noir.

Ready?

Crafty Cat #1: Black Cat Oreos

Here's what you'll need:

• Oreo cookies (duh)
• Sprinkles (round, heart-shaped or if you're making for Halloween, pumpkins)
• Chocolate chips
• Edible Food Marker

I chose the mint Oreos, mainly because I'd never tried them before!

The chocolate chips are ears, m&ms are eyes, and the sprinkles will be the nose.
I chose the heart shaped ones (too early in the season for pumpkin!).

The food writer marker is a great way to turn the back of an m&m into a cat's eye. You can buy them on Amazon at this link here. (It's an affiliate link, which means I do get a small amount if you choose to buy these).

Step 1:
Scrape out the insides of one of your Oreos.
(No need to waste perfectly good chocolate, so go ahead and eat the wafers. Just sayin'.)
This makes great food glue! HINT: add a spritz of water to make the filling a bit "stickier".

Step 2:

Use the black food marker to draw a slitted pupil on the back side of a blue or green m&m. The front is where the logo is stamped so be sure to turn it over.

Step 3:
Use a dab of icing from that sacrificed Oreo to glue on the eyes, then glue two chocolate chips on for the ears.

A tiny dab of icing will adhere the sprinkle on as a nose.
Hearts are adorable, but if you want to hold off until the pumpkins have arrived in your store, they look very cat-like when turned upside-down. And hey - Halloween!

Step 4:
Well, I would say "eat and enjoy" but I haven't been able to bring myself to eat one - they're just too cute!

Note: While cats aren't always as curious about people food as dogs are, it's worth a quick warning that chocolate and kitties don't mix. To learn more about chocolate toxicity in cats, check out what PetMD has to say about it.


Want to see exactly how it's done? (please excuse the inky fingers - turns out food markers don't come off any easier than Sharpies do!)

Tah dahhhhhh!

Blue eyes for my two boys, and a green eyed girl with a pink heart nose. Purrfection! 


Crafty Cat #2: Black Cat Pillow

Admittedly, this might be stepping it up a notch, but hey - why not give it a try?

For this, you'll need:

• a plain black throw pillow
• fabric paints (Here is the set I bought on Amazon - again, it's an affiliate link)
• a template that you can download here (if it looks like Faraday, yes - he was the model ;-)
• a soft cotton rag to use as your "paintbrush" (I used a scrap of t-shirt material)
• a glove if you don't want paint on your fingers (I did not to use one. I discovered I had a bit finer control of the lines without it)

Step 1:
Set a junk towel or rag on top of your work surface to catch any paint drips
Find a scrap piece of material to test your fabric paint so you'll know how fast it comes out of the tube, and how thick the line will be.

Step 2:
Examine your pillow and determine where and how large you want your cat to be.
You can outline your cat with chalk or a sharpie if you'd like. Just be sure you cover the line with the fabric paint once you get started.

Step 3:
Apply your paint sparingly, little dollops at a time, then work the paint in with your cotton rag.

Want to see how I did it?

So what do you think? Ready to give it a go?

Thanks to much to petMD, the petMD Cat Care Center and ARM & HAMMER™ for sponsoring such a fun post!
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We also thank the folks at ARM & HAMMER™ Clump & Seal™  LightWeight Cat Litter for sponsoring the great information found at petMD that is so helpful for our four-legged family members!

Click here for a $2 off coupon!

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Through the Looking Glass #sponsored

This post is sponsored by petMD and ARM & HAMMER™, and the BlogPaws Professional Pet Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about The petMDCat Care Center, but A Tonk's Tail only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Arm & Hammer and petMD are not responsible for the content of this article. 
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Maybe it’s because it’s been miserably hot lately. And humid, did I mention humid?

Our lovely yet depressingly humid garden (hey, this was taken a month ago - everything's, like, 3 times this size now!)

It was so icky the other day that my glasses steamed up the minute I walked out to the garden to pick basil for fresh pesto. Allie went with me.

"Whew!  It's a hot one, Mother!"

 Normally, having her along to supervise the garden chores is something Marty & I enjoy. Oh, and Allie too. She loves hanging out in the garden with us (supervised at all times, of course). But on this day, having Allie outside with me was not a good idea. Just in the brief time we were out, Allie ended up panting like a dog.

So maybe it’s because it was so hot and humid it reminded me of my Texas childhood. And maybe it was that reminder that caused me to do the Alice in Wonderland thing last night in my dreams. Sadly, there was no Cheshire Cat waiting for me.

Instead, I dreamt that there were two cats trapped under our deck. By a rattlesnake.

But wait, there’s more.

In my dream, Faraday was there too, and he was about to go all Mighty Mouse on that rattler’s butt (wait, do rattlers have butts?) complete with the signature “heeeere I come to save the daaaayyyyy” yowl. In the dream, Faraday lunged for the snake, who obligingly lunged back. Snakebite!!

My dream kindly allowed me moments of lucidity (I swear, guys, no spicy food the night before – I have no idea where this whole Rabbit Hole came from!). I remember panicking and thinking, “wait, I’m in Kansas. Rattlesnakes aren’t as common up here, so your average vet won’t have antivenin – rattler antivenom drugs – in stock! What am I going to do?!?” And then I woke up.

"Seriouslies, Mommy. I can take him. I know I can!"

So why am I taking you along with me on this weird and trippy Looking Glass dream? Because it is summer, and in many parts of the world, venomous snakebites are a real concern. And because I know, from personal childhood experience, that a cat can survive a rattler’s bite and live to tell about it.

But where do you turn for advice on how to handle such a situation – a real one, not one out of my fanciful dreams? I checked in with petMD, and sure enough, there was an article about it. There was also an article about some of the most common heat-related dangers cats can face during summertime by well-known veterinarian Patrick Mahaney who recently spoke at the BlogPaws convention in May. I really like having this kind of knowledge at my fingertips, in case you were wondering. And I think I’ll have a nice, sedate salad for dinner tonight….

We’re all about the indoor fun right now in the 97 degree heat/80 percent humidity days we’re experiencing in Kansas. I’ve started adding ice cubes to the cats’ water fountain, just for that extra touch of cool. And I’ve noticed the wand toy play is still enthusiastic, but a bit more short-lived.

Maybe that's why Maxie's been asking for the wand toy to be delivered to him instead of chasing it around?
Nah, he's just lazy that way.

Oddly enough, the cats have decided that hanging out on the closet shelf upstairs the The Thing To Do right now. Wow, dudes, did you know heat rises? That’s easily the hottest spot in the house right now!

Do your cats seek out the heat – and I’m talking about more than just those delish sunpuddles – at your home, too? My mom has a pinched nerve right now and swears she has to do battle with her cat over possession of the heating pad. She’s winning – but not by much!








Our thanks to the folks at ARM & HAMMER™ CLUMP & SEAL™  LightWeight litter for sponsoring such a wealth of information for our four-legged family members.

Click here for a $2 off coupon!

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petMD: Knowledge Worth Reading #sponsored

This post is sponsored by petMD and ARM & HAMMER™, and the BlogPaws Professional Pet Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about The petMDCat Care Center, but A Tonk's Tail only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Arm & Hammer and petMD are not responsible for the content of this article.

I was asked recently if I'd be interested in promoting the petMD Cat Care Center (sponsored by ARM & HAMMER™ CLUMP & SEAL™ LightWeight litter). I had been on the site before, but wanted to give it a more critical once-over before I gave them my decision.

Wow. This was probably one of the easiest decisions I've made. I'll show you why in a sec.

First, here's a brief overview of what you'll find on this site. The landing page for the Cat Care Center asks you to begin by selecting your cat's age. This allows petMD to curate their site so that the articles most relevant to you will be what you see first.

Hovering over one of the grey boxes will pop up an age you can click on. I selected 4 years - Faraday's age (until July, at least!).

This takes you to a customized Cat Care Center main page that groups topics into six different categories:

Care, Health, Emergency, Behavior, Home and Bonding.

As I browsed through the different sections, I found articles on CPR and Artificial Respiration for Senior Cats (Emergency category). This is totally on my punch list, by the way.

Under Behavior, there was an article on how your cat's behavior may change with age. (If we could educate pet owners about this, might it lower shelter intake rates? It's possible.)

Then in the Care section, I found one on how to keep your cat's teeth clean. It's probably no great surprise that this caught my attention - especially given Maxwell's adventures with gingivitis (and those frequent visits from the Tooth Fairy).

Maxwell: Seriously momma, it's genetic. I floss and everything, honest!

At the end of the article, I discovered this gem:

"...you can also include deboned raw meat to stimulate him to chew, which helps to keep the bones strong. Vary the meats, too. Besides fish, you can also feed your cat beef and rabbit."

I might have squeeed a little. (okay, a lot...)

I am so excited that petMD's Cat Care Center mentioned this. You've heard me talk before about the fact cats are obligate carnivores. I personally believe that providing them with the kinds of food they would find in the wild is a great thing.

And because of their shorter digestive tracts, a cat is well-suited to handle raw meat without encountering some of the concerns we humans might face under the same circumstances. (wait, we eat sushi, too...)

Allie: "Did someone mention sushi?"

There's a lot to like about petMD's Cat Care Center. The website maintains a comprehensive library of more than 10,000 pet health articles, all written and approved by their network of trusted veterinarians.

They told me they're also the world’s largest digital resource for pet health and wellness information and has become the go-to resource for millions of pet parents across the globe. I can see why.





Our thanks to the folks at ARM & HAMMER™ CLUMP & SEAL™  LightWeight litter for sponsoring such a wealth of information for our four-legged family members.

Click here for a $2 off coupon!

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