CATS HAVE PROBLEMS TOO! with Dr Basil ~ Featuring Today's Despurrate Dilemma **HELP! THEY CALL ME SIR TUB-A-LOT!**

   Welcome to 

Happy Monday, furry floofers

Welcome to another episode of Cats Have Purroblems Too, where I give epically epic advice to cats with despurrate dilemmas too great for them to solve alone. 

 Take a seat, and read today's despurrate dilemma and my solution.

Also, mew may be pondering on what my professional credentials are, so purrlease purruse the list below:

Ph.D. in Kitty Psychology & Psychiatry

BSc (Hons) Headology  

Psy.D. Furry Logic

 MS. Fuzzy Logic

MA. Common Sense

My other Professional Credits include:

NOM Master
Snoozy Savant
Purr Master

AdvoCat of T.L. Treatment
Touchy Feely Therapy or T.F.T
Purrfume Aroma Treatment or P.A.T.

I can help mew to solve all your Pet Peeves, Purrsonal Problems and Despurrate Dilemmas, no matter how great or small they may be.

Plus, I only use the very latest techniques, some of which I have developed myself over my long and esteemed career, which include:

 Purr Therapy ~ For Uptight and Particularly Stressed Kitties 

Nom Zen ~The Art of Nomming in Total Tranquility 

ZZZ's Snooze Sensation ~ Including Mewsical CatNap Sessions tailored to your purrsonal requirements

YogiCat Meditation ~ Stretches and Breathing Techniques for the Severely Stressed & Overworked

Intense CatNip Therapy ~ This treatment speaks for itself (I find it very beneficial)

I am also an AdvoCat of Tough Love coupled with a healthy dose of common kitty sense

Purrfume Aroma Treatment ~ A Sensory Smelling Session S.S.S. to calm and soothe with highly aromatic blends of specially selected scents

To help mew release all your stresses and worries just drop by my clinic held here or, alternatively email me your purroblem, and I'll answer here. If mew require to remain anonymous or anon, purrlease include that in your email. 

Mew can contact me directly at the following address:

DearDrBasil (at) gmail (dot) com

So come and sit on my supurr comfy couch, reee-lax, breathe deeply and tell me of your troubles, as I'm ready, willing and able to help.

This is one of my cases via email:  

HELP! THEY CALL ME SIR TUB-A-LOT!!!

Dear Dr Basil, I hope mew're doing well and not too swamped with other feline dilemmas, because I, Erwin, find myself in a bit of a pickle. Mew see I've been saddled with the rather unflattering nickname "Sir Tub'a'Lot" due to my impressive chonkiness. It's quite the blow to my rather fragile ego! To add to my woes, I recently found myself in a rather awkward predicament when I attempted to shimmy through the catflap, only to realise that I'm a bit too well-rounded for such endeavours. And if that wasn't enough, the hammock on the cat tree decided to part ways with me in a less-than-graceful manner, citing my excessive weight as the reason for our sudden separation. As if my dignity hasn't suffered enough, my pawrents have started whispering about diets and food restrictions, which quite frankly has me in an absolute tizzy. I mean, who wouldn't be a little alarmed at the thought of losing access to their beloved snacks and treats? I humbly seek your guidance, Dr Basil, in navigating this weighty issue and escaping the clutches of the dreaded diet talk. Purrlease lend me your wisdom and help me find a way to manage my chonkiness without sacrificing my happiness. Yours in chonkiness, Sir Erwin

This is my Expert Reply

Today, I use the colour green, which is the pawesomely soothing colour of serenity and hopefully will be the purrfect choice for this particular purroblem.

Dear Erwin, I received your letter, and I'm very sorry to hear that mew've been feeling down lately. It can be really tough to deal with name-calling, especially when it's related to your weight. I want mew to know that mew are valued and loved, regardless of your size or chonk-level. Let's address your concerns about your weight and health. It's important to take care of yourself, and I'm here to help mew with that. Here's a nine-step protocol that can guide mew in losing a little weight and feeling better about yourself: 1. Start by slowly reducing the number of treats and snacks mew're having. Instead, focus on incorporating more protein-rich foods like chicken or fish into your diet. 2. Hydration is essential. Increasing your water intake can help regulate your metabolism and support weight loss. 3. Try to engage in some physical activity, even if it's just a little bit of playtime each day. Exercise can help mew burn off extra calories and improve your overall well-being. 4. Consider reducing your portion sizes just a little to start with. Serving smaller portions and eating slowly can make a difference. 5. Try not to skip meals, as doing so can lead to increased hunger and overeating later on. Mew don't want to binge if mew accidentally catnapped through mealtime. 6. Make sure mew're getting enough catnaps. Quality ZZZZZ's are vital for maintaining a healthy weight. 7. Steer clear of human food, as it may be tempting but can be harmful to your health. 8. Get your pawrents to keep track of your progress by monitoring your weight and girth measurements. But if this is too undignified, skip this to start with and implement it later on when mew feel more confident in your progress. 9. Patience and consistency are key. It takes time to see results, but if mew remain dedicated, mew will notice positive changes. Lastly, Erwin, please remember that mew are purrfect just the way mew are. Don't let the hurtful words of others affect how mew see yourself; mew know mew are chonk'a'licious, and mew will always be chonk'a'licious even when mew've reduced your weight just a little to enable a smooth transition through the catflap, and there are no more hammock plunges.

Focus on your health and happiness, and don't let anyone bring mew down, ever. And if they do, just call me, and I'll send Parsley and Smooch to take care of things. Best wishes to you, Erwin!

Yours most sincerely

Dr. Basil

@ The Cats Have Purroblems Too Clinic T.M.

____________________________

Today's Top Tip is:

~ Weight loss needs to be gradual, so take things very slowly ~

 

_________________________________

If mew can relate to this purroblem or feel that mew are in need of any assistance, purrlease leave a comment to: Dear Dr Basil.... or email me directly and I'll get back to mew.

Thank mew all for joining me today at The Cats Have Purroblems Too Clinic, and I'll be back in a couple of weeks with another open clinic and a new case study.

Until then, Keep Calm and Purr

Dr Basil

Ph.D. ~ BSc. (Hons) ~ Psy.D. ~ MS ~ MA

'The Paw Print Seal of Approval'

Copyright and All Rights Reserved @ Dr Basil ~ Cats Have Purroblems Too Clinic

(T.M. ~ Totally Meowvellous)

Follow Us @BionicBasil®  at Instacat

And don't furget to subscribe and never miss another clinic 

Graphics created with paid licence www.canva.com 

The B Team's Hawaii Beach Selfie on The Sunday Selfies & Caturday Art Blog Hops

Furbulous Sunday greetings furiends

Welcome to another BBHQ selfie selection, and this week after we visited www.comedyplus.com and saw a truly epic photo of Hawaii, we decided to abandon the dreary cold weather of BBHQ and bip off in the TTTB to warmer climes, so thank mew furry much Sandee for giving us the idea! MOL

The B Team's Hawaii Beach Selfie 

And in true British fashion, after complaining about the cold weather of late with minimal sun spots, once we landed and stepped out on that glorious sandy beach and got set up with the brolly, sunbeds and snacks, 7 out of 10 cats began to complain about the heat! MOL

Melvyn, after reading about the umpteem benefits of coconut water, decided to have a little forage and promptly got stuck up a palm tree, yep, it could only happen to Melvyn. Humphrey sent a drone up to get him, and upon landing, he'd completely forgotten about the coconut water and opted for a swig of nip scotch instead, but for purely medicinal purrposes only.

Anyhoo, we'll be back on the stone circle trail next week, and did mew know this, there are around 1000 historic circle sites in the U.K.? WOW! 

See all of our previous trips to:

Castlerigg    Stone Henge    Avebury    Rollright Stone Circle    Aberlemno  

Druid's Temple in North Yorkshire Pentre Ifan    The Ring of Brodgar

 Boscawen-Un    Duddo Five Stones    Drombeg Stone Circle     Callanish Stones

Scorhill Stone Circle Hurlers Stone Circle     Moel Ty Uchaf Stone Circle

Boskednan Stone Circle The Brat's Hill Stone Circle Nine Stone Close

Uragh Stone Circle    The Men-an-Tol     Beltany Stone Circle    Sunkenkirk Circle

We're also joining in Athena's Fabulous Art Hop so do stop by and show off your pawesome arty-farty skills.

The effect was created with Befunky - AI Enhancer, sky replacer, watercolour 2 + colour changes to hue and saturation.

We also turned this fab arty-farty picture into a puzzle, so do stop by the puzzle page and take the Puzzle Challenge, see if mew can beat our time of 10 mins 00 secs. 

Anyhoo, it's time for us to go and get packed up and bip back to BBHQ as Smooch is on a seriously tight time schedule with lunch, and COD help us if it's a minute late! MOL

Join us again tomorrow with another Cats Have Problems Too post and a sad kitty called Erwin, who's being called names.

We do hope mew have an epic day, and don't forget to...

Wing Commander Basil & The B Team

Don't forget to join in the pawesome Sunday Selfies Blog Hop with

 Angel Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Angel Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth, Calista Jo, Cooper Murphy and Sawyer ~ visit them at their pawesome blog:

www.thecatonmyhead.com

Don't furget to subscribe to our blog and never miss another post. 

Graphics created with paid licence @www.canva.com & www.befunky.com

**FELINE FICTION FIX** Book Reviews with Amber at The Mewton-Clawson Library #279 featuring **The Cats Came Back** by Sofie Kelly PLUS Friendly Fill-Ins + Photo Fails Blog Hop

Hello gorgeous library guests 

and 

Welcome to the Mewton-Clawson Library at BBHQ 

Thank mew for joining me in the stacks today. Do mew remember on Monday's post when Basil posted his throwback to December 2017?  And he said I was outside too, well here's the proof.

This was December 20th at 14.41 and 48 seconds, I was outside in winter!

I know it's totally shocking, right?

But it's ok, I've decided inside is much better now

Anyhoo, what books have mew been reading this week?

Apart from this week's top pick, I've also read:

Lone Wolf by Gregg Hurwitz (BK 9 - Orphan X Series)

Jurassic Park by Micheal Crichton

Agatha Raisin and the Christmas Crumble by M.C. Beaton

Monster Hunter Memoirs: Grunge by Larry Correia (BK 1)

Quite a mixed bunch of books. Jurassic Park was furbulous, I haven't read it before, don't ask me why, I guess I just never thought about it and this week I saw it, bought it and devoured it. 

Today the P.A. is also joining in Friday Fill-ins Blog Hop with the pawesome 15 & Meowing and Four-Legged Furballs.

1. I find _____________________ offensive.

2. __________________ is a good way to make some extra cash.

3. _________ makes me feel like I can accomplish anything.

4. I could see myself naming a cat or dog _________.

The P.A.'s answers are...

1. I find litter bugs offensive. Why do some people think it's okay to just chuck their rubbish, such as fast food wrappers, fast food bags, cans, takeaway drink cups, and sandwich wrappers etc, out of the car when driving along in the countryside? Just take it home and throw it in your own fluffing dustbin. Is that too hard? Well, evidently, it is for some. Who the fluff do you think is going to clean it up?

 Another thing that is becoming increasingly more frequent is bottles of yellow liquid chucked out on the roadside; yes, we all know what it is, but take the fluffing bottle home and dispose of it yourself—jeez, it's disgusting.

2. Selling on eBay is a good way to make some extra cash. Either that or hire out your cats for modelling, I'm just kidding; Melvyn's catwalk career has gone nowhere, and he tries so hard.

3. _________ makes me feel like I can accomplish anything. I don't know how to answer this because my brain doesn't think like that; I just plod along and do what needs doing; if that's my form of accomplishment, then so be it! LOL

4. I could see myself naming a cat or dog Sage or Thyme, any herby name really. Well, we need to keep the herbalicious theme. I wanted to call Melvyn, Chervil, Fennel or Dill(on); his name was Malcolm when he arrived from the rescue, but Cat Dad said no to all herby names, hence Melvyn, the most non-herby name ever! LOL

Today, as it's the last Friyay of the month, we're also joining in the furrbulous...

So do drop by the marvellous Mudpie's blog at www.mochasmysteriesmeows.com to join in.

Just look closely, and mew'll see Pandora is mid-take-off or launch. This was from January 2018, don't ask me what was happening because I can't remember, but we think it's really funny!

This week's top book pick is...

Mewton-Clawson Library Copy

The Cats Came Back

Magical Cats Mystery Book 10

 by 

Sofie Kelly

       Here's a little snippet of the book blurb:      

Small-town librarian Kathleen Paulson often seems to get mixed up in murder, but luckily, her very special cats always find a way to help her close a case . . .

The charming Minnesota town of Mayville Heights is hosting a music festival, and the whole place is bustling with musicians and tourists. Kathleen is looking forward to taking in some fabulous performances--and her two cats, Owen and Hercules, are looking forward to taking in some fabulous sardine crackers. But then the trio stumbles across a dead body by the river.

The victim is a close friend--who also happens to be a look-alike of a popular cabaret singer set to perform at the festival. Who could have wanted to harm this innocent girl? Was it a case of mistaken identity?

This is Book 10 of the Magical Cats Mystery series. I've read quite a few of the others, but it seems that I've only actually reviewed book one, which mew can read by clicking here. I really thought I'd reviewed books two and three at least, but no, anyhoo, I can come back to those at a later date.

So, what did I think about book ten? 

It is an engaging and immersive cozy cat mystery that takes mew on a journey to the charming Minnesota town of Mayville Heights. The story revolves around a small-town librarian, Kathleen Paulson, who always seems to find herself in the middle of mysterious events. Her two cats, Owen and Hercules, are always there to help her out, using their unique magical abilities. The book is set during a music festival in Mayville Heights, which is bustling with musicians and tourists. The town is described vividly, with its quaint streets, cozy cafes, and furiendly locals. The festival is a major attraction, with its lively performances and festive atmosphere. The book does an excellent job of transporting the reader to this world and making them feel like a part of it. The murder mystery plot is well-crafted, with several suspects and motives. The victim is a close friend of Kathleen, who looks like a popular cabaret singer set to perform at the festival. The investigation is full of twists and turns, with Kathleen, Hercules, and Owen using their unique abilities to solve the case. The characters are well-developed, with their quirks and purrsonalities adding depth to the story. Kathleen is a relatable protagonist, who is smart, witty, and determined. The cats steal the show with their epic magical abilities, which are described in detail, making them even more pawesome! The writing style is engaging, with descriptive language that brings the story to life, and the dialogues are witty and humorous, adding to the charm of the book. The pace is just right, keeping mew engaged throughout and those pages turning. The Cats Came Back is a wonderpurr cozy cat mystery with a purrfect blend of mystery, magic, and humour, making it a delightful read for anypawdy who loves a good story and a long series, as there are sixteen in total to read.

Another Totally Top Paw Read

and

a furbulous addition to this wonderpurr series.

Paperback: 320 pages

Audiobook: 7 hours 45 mins

My Rating Scale

Ratings of:

The Cats Came Back

Overall Enjoyment

Other Fun Blog Hops to Join in Today

          Brian's Home   Catblogosphere    Feline Friday   Nature Friday    Flashback Friday   Friendship Friday          

I really hope mew enjoy the book if mew choose to read it.

It's time for me to say BFN or bye-for-now as mew know the drill, so many books, so little time and I'll be back next week with another specially paw-picked book just for mew, and don't forget that all my previous reviews can be found on my Book Review page.

Until next time...

Keep calm and read more books

Amber 

Follow me at angry_amber_badtemperedkitty

& @BionicBasil® on Instacat

Don't furget to subscribe and never miss another review! 

 graphics created with paid licence www.canva.com