Showing posts with label adopt don't shop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label adopt don't shop. Show all posts

Monday, 23 August 2021

Welcome To 8 Things About... And Today It's All About Parsley **Plus** TOP SECRET BONUS INTEL

  8 Things About The B Team Banner 10 cats, questions, about, cat life

WOO HOO pawesome furiends

So what's this 8 Things About??! we hear mew ask. Well, fabulous furiends it could be 8 things about anything, but today it's all about...

Parsley Banner ©BionicBasil® www.britishmoggies

8 Things About Parsley

1.  Parsley arrived at BBHQ in September 2014, he was from the same rescue as the rest of us. His start in life is unknown until a kind lady began to feed in him in one of the Nottingham suburbs called Carlton. She lived in a block of flats near a busy crossroads and she wanted to keep him but the flat she rented didn't allow pets, so sadly she called the rescue and they came and got him.  At the rescue, they named him Parson as he had a feint white ring around his neck, it was guesstimated he was approximately 2 years old at this point. The P.A. originally wanted to call him Merlin or Magic etc, but after a few weeks none of those names seemed to suit him, and one day she decided to try Parsley and so another clawed herb was added to The B Team! MOL

black cat, parsley the cat, house panther, cute black cat, close up of black cat

2.  He loves the crystal room and can often be found lurking among the giant amethysts and at times climbing the larger ones, so he definitely has an affinity with the more spiritual side of things. 

Cat Rock Climbing, crystal geode, amethyst geode, cat climbing amethyst geode, black cat

3.  Parsley is one of the kindest and most gentle cats we've ever known (*except for one time, see bonus intel) and given his size, which is nearly 7kg or 15.5lbs he's a big cat. Though he never instigates any bother or tries to use his size to dominate, he's more of a lover than a fighter. 

cat sticking tongue out, black cat sticking tongue out, cute black cat, black cat

4.  He also enjoys his own company and will often just hang out in the BBHQ office, secretly snoopervising the P.A. while she writes the blog.

office cat, cats in the office, desk cat, black cat, working cats

5.  Parsley is also a keen nature lover and adores being in the garden or going on a little field excursion next door. He especially likes it when the field has been baled and he can climb them, a better vantage point for spotting bunnies or other wildlife.

black cat on top of a round bale, black cat on a bale, black cat, cute  black cat, english countryside, field

6.  He's also an expert catnapper and adores to get snuggled in bed. He usually snoozes on a pillow next to the P.A. and dad every night and if anyone wakes up to get a drink in the night, he escorts the humans to the kitchen and back. 

sleeping black cat, cat napping, cute cat in bed, black cat

7. Parsley was also in the ameowzing book Black Cats Tell All, written by Layla Morgan-Wilde to highlight the beauty and pawsitivity of black cats as they are still the least adopted from rescues and shelters. Which we find completely absurd, as we think black cats are epically epic, they are mini panfurs and who doesn't want a panfur? 

black cat in a blue tie, cat in a collar and tie, cute black cat

8. He also has a little white star on his chest, although a lot of the time mew can't see it as his collar hides it. Mew can just see it poking out from under the pumpkin collar

black cat wearing a pumpkin collar, halloween black cat, black cat

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Parsley really hates having his back nails clipped, it's definitely mission impawsible! MOL

He also didn't like one of the male vets at our local practice, the P.A. says she's never seen him so aggressive ever, he went a bit berserk as he took an instant dislike to the man. Luckily that vet has now left the practice and there's no issue with any of the other vets. 

Isn't it strange how a soft as blobs cat can have such a fierce reaction to someone when they've never shown any aggression before. Obviously, that vet dudes aura was well out of whack for Parsley to react so out of character. And the moral of the story is, always trust your instincts. 

**Don't furget to stop by next Tuesday, the 31st of August as it's Parsley's 9th birthday and in true BBHQ tradition we'll be having an epic pawty and giveaway.**

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If mew missed any of our previous '8 Things About' posts, here are the links so far:








And that sadly brings us to the end of 8 Things About Parsley, we do hope mew enjoyed getting to know him a bit more, and we'll be back on Wednesday so do join us then as we've got another fabulous What's in the Box post to share.

Pawesome purrs

Wing Commander Basil & The B Team








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Monday, 16 August 2021

Welcome To 8 Things About... And Today It's All About Angel Snowie **Plus** TOP SECRET BONUS INTEL

 8 Things About The B Team Banner 10 cats, questions, about, cat life

WOO HOO pawesome furiends

So what's this 8 Things About??! we hear mew ask. Well, fabulous furiends it could be 8 things about anything, but today it's all about...

Snowie departed for the Rainbow Bridge in April of 2017 but that doesn't mean she isn't still a part of The B Team, she left a great big paw-print on our hearts.

8 Things About Angel Snowie

1. Snowie arrived at BBHQ in the Spring of 2000, in fact on the same day that Posie arrived. When the P.A. went to the rescue to see Posie for the furst time, she asked if there were any more cats on-site and was told that the only other resident was a pure white cat who was called Sushi. Sushi was approximately 7/8 months old and had found herself on the street after the couple she had been adopted by as a kitten decided to break up, and she found herself homeless. The P.A. saw the lovely white kitty in the indoor enclosure and said, "I'll take her too!" 

white cat, beautiful cat in the garden, garden, cat

2. Snowie loved to be in the garden, and before we had the fence put up around 2004 Snowie would go and sit in the conifer hedge on the other side of the drive. She had one purrticular spot and aftur a while mew could see the little hole/nest she'd made and she'd stay in there for hours.

white cat, cute cat, nesting cat

3. She also loved to make a nest in the cushions on the back of the sofa, and depending on how she felt depended on which sofa she nested.

white cat, beautiful cat, cat in the sunshine

4. As she was pure white, in the summer she had to wear sunscreen on her ears and nose. And the P.A. used to have to be really quick applying it as Snowie really didn't enjoy it. And back in the day, there were no specific sun creams for cats, so the P.A. used to have buy an SPF 50 made for babies which was for sensitive skin and had the least amount of chemicals in. How times have changed as far as ingredients go.

white cat sitting in a pod chair, cute cat, office cat

5. Snowie loved to be brushed and had really thick fur. Her favourite grooming implement was the yellow pet mit and she would sit in front of the little bench next to the radiator in the kitchen and let the P.A. brush her for ages! MOL

8 Things About at BBHQ ©BionicBasil® Angel Snowie

6. Snowie was also a keen burd-watcher, and on occasion, more than we'd like to admit did in fact catch quite a few.  Although the older she got the less this happened.

white cat on a fence, beautiful white cat, white cat,

7. She reminded us of a fluffy white cloud, this pic above is one of our all-time favs. Snowie had the most beautiful golden eyes, they were like shining citrines, they were absolutely luminous in real life. 

beautiful white cat in a basket, cat in a basket, gorgeous cat

8. Snowie was a bit of a basket case, in the fact that she loved getting in baskets. This was a hampurr which the P.A. put a fluffy cushion in for her and she loved it. Although the lid fell down one time and she wasn't impressed, we think that incident ruined her love affair with this purrticular basket. But there were many more baskets in her future.

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While Snowie was a very friendly, affable kitty who got along with everypawdy, there was one rule that she lived by and that was:

The 3 Pat Rule

Mew could brush her for ages but try and pat her more than 3 times in any one instance always resulted in a swipe. And if anyone visited the house, they were always warned to adhere to the 3 pat rule, although several went for 4 and learned the hard way, Snowie took no prisoners! MOL

The P.A. said that Snowie had the cutest voice/meow; it sounded like she was saying MEHHHHH.

We do miss the white princess, and it's funny a lot of people thought she was boy because her name was Snowie. Although we never associated that name with being male, it's interesting to note how others perceive name genders.

Adopt Don't Shop ©BionicBasil®

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If mew missed any of our previous '8 Things About' posts, here are the links so far:








And that sadly brings us to the end of 8 Things About Angel Snowie, we do hope mew enjoyed getting to know her a bit more, and we'll be back on Wednesday so do join us then as we're sharing a post all about catnip.

Pawesome purrs

Wing Commander Basil & The B Team








Follow The B Team @BionicBasil® on Instacat

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Monday, 2 August 2021

Welcome To 8 Things About... And Today It's All About Angel Posie **Plus** TOP SECRET BONUS INTEL

8 Things About The B Team Banner 10 cats, questions, about, cat life

WOO HOO pawesome furiends

So what's this 8 Things About??! we hear mew ask. Well, fabulous furiends it could be 8 things about anything, but today it's all about...

Posie Banner BBHQ ©BionicBasil®

Posie departed for the Rainbow Bridge in April of 2015 but that doesn't mean she isn't still a part of The B Team, she left a great big paw-print on our hearts.

8 Things About Angel Posie

1. Posie arrived at BBHQ in the Spring of 2000.  The P.A. went to the rescue to see Posie, who was described as; not suitable for rehoming as she was a little aggressive. She'd been a Christmas kitten and obviously soon after the festive novelties wore off, poor Posie found herself homeless. She was found on an inner-city housing estate looking rather bedraggled and in a bit of a bad temper.

The P.A. remembered the first time she saw Posie, although she can't remember the name the rescue gave her. The P.A. said she looked really grubby and was rather feisty and vocal in her outdoor pen, there was no chance of any interaction at all. Who knows what had happened to her, but from her behaviour, it couldn't have been very nice. Anyhoo, long story short, the P.A. brought her home as she knew that this little cat didn't have a chance of getting a home.

8 Things About at BBHQ ©BionicBasil® Angel Posie

2. Posie was never a lap cat, her early life experiences ruined that for her.  Although she slowly accepted the odd cuddle and she did like a bit of brush after many years of perseverance. In fact, Pandora is very similar to Posie in a lot of ways. Above, is how Posie loved to relax.

8 Things About at BBHQ ©BionicBasil® Angel Posie

3. In this pic from 2008, above, OMC was Posie hissed off!  The old kitchen cabinets were being ripped out and redone, so the doors were all shut and she couldn't get to the lounge - she gripped and grumbled for days.

8 Things About at BBHQ ©BionicBasil® Angel Posie

4. She also liked to go to next door to the P.A's Uncle's place. He had a fake Well in his garden (A lot of English peeps have fake Wells, don't ask us why, because we don't know!).  Anyhoo, Posie would sometimes get inside the little roof and hang out. 

8 Things About at BBHQ ©BionicBasil® Angel Posie

5. Posie adored being in the garden and outside. And in the early days at BBHQ, the P.A. had some comfy chairs under the carport and that's where Posie, Snowie, Mildred and Humphrey would be waiting when she got home from work in the evening.

8 Things About at BBHQ ©BionicBasil® Angel Posie

6. Posie loved the sofa, that was her main spot to snooze and she loved a fresh blanket. Often Snowie would be nesting in one of the cushions behind her on the back of the sofa. 

7. She also liked to play, and loved a bit of catnip.  She liked to remove the decorations off the bottom of the Christmas Tree too, apparently, that was good overnight sport! MOL 

8 Things About at BBHQ ©BionicBasil® Angel Posie

8. Posie was such a pretty cat with the most amazing golden eyes. We miss her feisty, diva-esque ways, and we miss her cuteness because she was adorable, bad-tempered but totally adorable!  


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 Posie was terrible to crate, so the one thing Dad and the P.A. don't miss is trips to the vet with the whirling dervish. The P.A. would wear thick leather gauntlets to wear while getting her into the crate or box. Over the years they tried all types of crates; front loaders, side loaders, top loaders. Wire ones so it wasn't so confining, also bags with mesh sides and top. Posie hated each and every one with a passion.

Also, the P.A. would take the gloves with her to the vet and wear them during the visit. Better that than scratched hands if Posie decided she didn't like that particular vet, on that day.

She also had lots of names: Flumpy, The Flumpster, Pose, Miss Grizzle, Grizzelda, Princess Powderpuff, just to name a few! MOL

Although Posie was a feisty diva, we're just glad that after a really rough start in life, she got a forever home on her terms. 

Adopt Don't Shop ©BionicBasil®

And that sadly brings us to the end of 8 Things About Angel Posie, we do hope mew enjoyed getting to know her a bit more and we'll be back on Wednesday so do join us then.
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If mew missed any of our previous '8 Things About' posts, here are the links so far:






Thanks so much for visiting today and we'll be back on Wednesday, so do join us then.

Pawesome purrs

Wing Commander Basil & The B Team








Follow The B Team @BionicBasil® on Instacat

 graphics created with paid licence www.canva.com 

Thursday, 29 April 2021

**GUEST POST SEGMENT** The Complete Cat Adoption Checklist From WWW.ALLABOUTCATS.COM

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Welcome to our

Guest Post Segment

Today we have a fab guest post to share with mew, which we're sure prospective, and newbie cat pawrents will love. 

If mew're looking to adopt and are feeling a little overwhelmed as where to begin, what to get, what to do, what not to do, what to tidy away, how to make your home safe for your new arrival, etc...

DON'T PANIC!

Take a breath, and keep reading. And as we like to say at BBHQ, we've got your six!

Plus, don't furget that we have dedicated posts on our Top Tips for Cat Pawrents page, where we share a wealth of information to make your life as a pawrent easier.

The Complete Cat Adoption Checklist

Excited to bring a new pet into your family?

Adopting a new cat is a beautiful time full of firsts, but there’s more to think about than what it will be like to play with your pet. You also need to make sure that you are prepared for their arrival using the complete cat adoption checklist.

This checklist gives you an introduction to everything that you should take time to consider before you bring your newly adopted cat home. By working through each category, you can feel comfortable knowing you have done everything you can to make sure your pet will start its new life safe, happy, and well-loved.

Photo by The Lucky Neko on Unsplash

Your Complete Cat Adoption Checklist

  • Question Yourself

  • Education Matters!

  • Preparing Your Home

  • Shopping List

  • Healthcare

Question Yourself

Before you start preparing to adopt a cat, it’s essential to take some time to ask yourself if you are in a

good situation to adopt. As much as adopting is a joyful affair, bringing a cat into an unprepared home

is not the kind choice.


Ask yourself some critical questions as you prepare yourself to adopt:


  • If you own other pets, are they friendly towards cats?

  • Are you prepared to go through an introductory phase with your pets?

  • Do you have enough time to take care of a cat?

  • Have you thought about how your cat will be taken care of when travelling out of town?

  • Do you or other members of your household have any allergies to dander, dust, hair,

or dirt that may be affected by owning a cat?

Education Matters!

Whether or not you have owned a cat before, it’s a great idea to take some time to familiarize yourself

with what it takes to properly care for a cat before you adopt. Statistics say76% of cat owners consider their cats to be members of the family, and knowing how to take care of

them is essential.

There are lots of different ways to do this!

Try the following:

  • Watch videos that showcase “A Day In The Life” of cat owners to see what their tasks entail

  • Visit a friend that owns a cat and walk through the steps of ownership with them

  • Talk to your local rescue or adoption centre about cat ownership

  • Read books and pamphlets on the topic


There are many ways to get educated about becoming a cat parent.Part of your job will be to learn what to do, and doing this before you bring a cat home is ideal.

Preparing Your Home

If you do not currently own any cats or pets at all, chances are high that your home needs to be

cat-proofed! Many potential hazards exist in our homesand many of them are things that we don’t even think about from day to day.


Take time to go through the following list to ensure your home will be safe and cat-friendly from day one:


  • Tuck away wires and cables

  • Ensure breakables cannot be knocked over

  • Check if heavy items could be a danger to your cats

  • Put away small items they may try to chew or eat

  • Get down on the floor and explore from their level to find additional hazards

  • Lock windows and make sure screens are secure

  • Look up any houseplants to ensure they are non-toxic to cats


Photo by Nick Karvounis on Unsplash


Beyond preparing your home by removing cat hazards, it’s also crucial that you give cats some cats

only space. A separate room for when they first arrive and a cave-like bedcan be great ways to help your new cat feel safe and secure in their new environment.

Shopping List

There are several important cat care supplies and accessories that you should be sure to have before

you bring your new cat home. Some of these items, such as cat food, should be adjusted to fit the

specific dietary needs of the cat you are adopting.


  • Food bowl

  • Water bowl

  • Cat food

  • Cat treats

  • Litter box

  • Litter

  • Litter scooper

  • Collar with ID tag

  • Travel carrier for vet trips

  • Nail clippers

  • Comb and/or brush depending on coat type

  • Non-toxic cleaner for litter box and spot cleaning

  • Odor neutralizer for litter box and spots

  • Cat toys

  • Cat first aid items

  • Chews and/or brushes for dental care

  • Cat bed

  • Cat furniture (tree, scratching post, etc.)

Some of these items, like nail clippers and dental chews, can be gradually added to your cat care items.

Still, it’s good to know in advance how much you will need to budget to care for and enrich your cat properly. 

A Happy New Life Together

Every aspect of cat adoption introduced today is a small part of your larger care plan.

This checklist can help you make sure that you’ve taken time to work through every area that needs

to be addressed but remember: it’s not an exhaustive list.


If there is anything in the complete cat adoption checklist that you are unsure about, take some

time to ask fellow cat owners, pet specialists, or your vet! It’s OK to be uncertain as long as you are

ready to learn. With the right attitude and supplies, your new cat will live the happiest life possible.


Guest Author Credit

All About Cats’ is a popular cat blog with expert-written, expert-reviewed guides bringing you the facts on cat products, behavior, health, and more.

www.allaboutcats.com

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2fX-cJNCODSByMC3SpuQSQ

Faceboook: https://www.facebook.com/wwwallaboutcats/

Do go check out their fabulous website, as it's full of fantastic articles.


Thanks very much for joining us today, and many thanks to our pawesome guest author for providing such a supurr starter list to assist newbie cat pawrents in navigating the preliminaries of cat adoption, and the all impawtant settling in period. We do hope mew found it valuable and welcome your feedback. 

Amber will be here tomorrow with another pawesome book review and she's got some fabulous news too, so do stop by the library if mew get chance.

Until next time...

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Wing Commander Basil and The B Team





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All links supplied by Guest Author are not affiliates**

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