Florida Vacay Part Eight: Animal Cruelty, Spreading Awareness, And Your Guide To Cat People

That's right, my fellow animal-loving companions! Today we arrived home from Florida! I haven't seen Frodo, Katie, Cosmo, Phineas, and Muppet in eight days! That's way too long in my opinion, and boy, the pets went crazy! (In other words, the dogs went crazy, the cats and the bird didn't seem to care.)

Well, I opened the mailbox to find my two magazine subscriptions, Catster (formerly Cat Fancy) and ASPCA, there. I was excited to see my favorite magazines there. Catster always has interesting stories from fellow cat parents, cat owners, and crazy cat people. Yes, they all have their differences.

I know I'm sidetracking with this little lecture....

Cat parents treat their kitties as if they are their own human children. They cradle them and refer to themselves as "mommy" and "daddy". Usually people who refer to themselves as cat parents don't have any human children, but hey, you never know!

Cat owners treat their cats like cats, because hey, that's what they really are! They'll stroke their feline(s) soft coat and refer to their cat as maybe a pet or even a family member, but not their own child. Maybe a cat owner's excuse for not being a cat parent is, "my cat isn't my child, he/she is just my furbaby". Well, I don't know. If you have ever said that about your feline (if you have one) I think you fall under the category of being a cat parent....there's nothing wrong with that! Well, as long as you don't nurture it too much and make sure your cat doesn't become a spoiled brat and that you still keep in perspective that, even if you are a cat parent, your cat is a cat, not a human child.

Crazy cat people....oh, where do I start? These people are nuts about cats. Cat hats, cat shirts, cat bumper stickers, and probably lots of cats. And I mean LOTS. Somebody on the news had one thousand cats! No, you're not losing your sight, the lady had a thousand cats! Just imagine the food! And the litter! And the odors! I'm the hairballs! And the shedding! And the cuteness! Squee! Just take my advice: never, ever, own that many cats. I don't care if you aren't actually abusing your feline, but it just isn't right to own that many cats. I think it's crazy to own even ten cats. Just be careful, alright?

Oh, and just a little advice for the cat people out there....you don't have to own a bunch of cats to be a crazy cat lady, regardless of what others may tell you. Some crazy cat ladies (like this one) have a low number of cats, and are sane, but are still extremely fond and fascinated by cats. If you could see my bookshelf right now (it's full of cat books) you would believe me! And of course there are dog books and bird books. Oh, and other animal books. I also have some devotionals, journals, and stuff like that.

FINALLY!

Back to the magazines, I found some important pictures I would like you all to see. The ones from the ASPCA magazine brought tears to my eyes...it's just awful what some foolish people do to animals. Let's not just sit here and weep for all the abused and neglected animals out there, but let's take a stand and be a voice for the voiceless (ASPCA lingo) and make a difference in this dark world.

I haven't even read the article yet, I was too busy looking at this mess of cat hair.

These little Pomeranian pups were saved from a puppy mill. Such a sweet face....

This poor pig was kept in terrible, terrible conditions.

My friends, that is only the beginning of animal cruelty. I don't want to scare you or sound negative, but sometimes we need a taste of such stories so we can find new ways to spread awareness and help end animal cruelty. YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Back to the vacation, we had a lot of fun, and more updates will be covered tomorrow, when I write the last post of the Florida Vacay series. You can see all of my beloved fur babies and feather babies then, and you will be excited to see what I bought for Frodo at Cracker Barrel yesterday....is the suspense killing you? I hope not! I want you to come back tomorrow to see Frodo's new digs!

Until we meet again....

Florida Vacay Part Seven: On The Road With Snails And Albert Returns

Today we left our aunt and uncle's house in Naples, Florida. We had a great time, and the series isn't over yet! We're spending the night at a friends' house, and we also were visiting them last week. They have a wonderful Great Pyrenees mix named Albert, and he is such a sweet, big, lumbering pooch. He has bright and intelligent brown eyes and a plush head. His body is smooth and shaved for the Summer, and he has a magnificent, sweeping tail. Oh, it doesn't get any better than this!

My lovely cuban brown snails, Clint and Eastwood, enjoyed the three hours in the car. I had some doubts, but they were fine! They both slept the whole time, and were very curious to see Albert. Of course they didn't actually meet him, but they probably have never seen a dog before. Eastwood was especially curious, head held high in the air to get a better look at this strange new creature. Clint is more of a relaxed kind of guy, so he just tucked into his shell to get some rest.

Clint and Eastwood were lying beside each other on the lid of the tank, little eyes peeking out from out of their tiny brown snails. Okay, so here is a sweet little picture of my big slimer baby Clint blissfully snoozing up on the lid of the tank. The temperature was just fine, he had food and water, his best buddy Eastwood wasn't too far away, so what more could he ask for? He was in snail heaven!

My snoozing slimer baby, Clinton.

And because you've been waiting oh, so patiently, here's old Albert! Look at that sweet face! It is something not a soul can deny!

Take a good long look, my friend. You don't see this kind of cuteness every day!

Well, my fellow Albert enthusiasts and snail advocates, it's time to hit the hay. Tomorrow you'll see some more updates and I'll come home to five happy animals!

Until next time....

Florida Vacay Part Six: Vacation Updates And Clint

You have been waiting for some pictures of my snail Clint. A couple of days ago you got a close look at my other snail, Eastwood. It's about time this big slimer baby made an appearance on Paw Province! I have to admit this post is rather hasty, but hey, it is what it is. Also tomorrow I'll make the Highlights of the Week video for our vacation and you can see some more pictures of Albert. We're going to see him again tomorrow, and you guys are in for a BIG treat! You may of seen Albert in the first part of the Florida Vacay series, sporting that handsome Great Pyrenees face!

Clint is a big guy!

He doesn't look as fat when he comes out of his shell!

Okay, guys, I have to get to sleep. We have a big day tomorrow, a day even bigger than Albert! Speaking of Albert, I hope you're excited to see some new pictures of him tomorrow! Bye, guys!

Until we meet again....

Florida Vacay Part Five: Rookery Bay

I know that I said today I would be showing you guys Clint the snail, but that'll be in a couple of days for the good of this series, trust me. Today we went to a nature center in Rookery Bay, mostly focusing on sea-life. We had so much fun learning about all the animals, from the snook to the spider crab. We saw plenty of cool creatures today, and it's about time you saw some of them!

Picture time!

No more seahorsing around, let's go inside and see the animals!

These old things do fish no glory!

Finally! This is the droid I've been looking for.

This adorable little pufferfish assured the happiness of visitors.

Oh, hello, spider crab!

WHAT THE PUG?

THIS THING IS SO CREEPY!

We had an excellent view from the second story of the building. We even went on a hiking trail through the woods and saw many interesting plants and creatures.

After that, we watched a mini-movie about the history and environment of Rookery Bay. I came up to be greeted by my two snails, Clint and Eastwood, also known as "slimer babies". Okay, guys, come back for more Florida fun tomorrow! You can experience the cool Naples beach with me!

Regards,

600th Post!

We interviewed the well-known cat blogger Glogirly....a hundred posts later, here we are now! That's right, my fellow animal-lovers! This is our 600th post, and I can not be more happy. I am sitting in a cool, decorated Florida living room as I type this. As you probably know, I am on vacation right now. My family and I are visiting our aunt and uncle in Naples. We've been relaxing all week, and there has been a lot of exciting things going on! I've came across several snails, lizards, and four lovely little dogs. I've met two sweet Havanese dogs, Reese and Snickers, and a Brussels Griffon. Oh, and let's not forget about Daisy the Griffon's sidekick, Petunia the Puggle. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures, but take my word for it, they all were very cute, especially Daisy the Brussels Griffon!

Well, I think it's only fitting that we go over some things that have been going on the past hundred posts. You know, like a recap. So, a few weeks ago I've started to make Highlights of the Week videos. I take all my pictures and videos from each week and put them all together, so you can have a taste of what I've done each day. Well, you probably have seen a lot of the pictures from that week, because I post a lot of them on my website. It's still great to see the pictures again though, and there are some that you haven't seen yet!

Friday, May 22nd was my wonderful dog Frodo's birthday. He's now two years old! We couldn't be happier for him, and now he's officially grown out of puppyhood! Let's give a hand to Frodo! There was a whole post about Frodo for his birthday, from photos of his birthday walk to the delicious mayonnaise and honey pupcakes I made for him. I made quite a few of them, so I gave some to some very special dogs in our neighborhood. Joy and Bella, who were in a previous post, happily accepted their delicious pupcakes, and Sophie and Shadow, who you may of seen a couple weeks ago, also joined in on the fun. I bet they really enjoyed their delicious pupcakes! No matter when your birthday is, it's still nice to enjoy a moist, spongy cupcake sometimes. Joy and Bella are friends of Frodo, and they were glad to join in on their Basenji buddy's birthday bananza! (A lot of alliterations there!)

I think this has been a great hundred posts for Paw Province. From Frodo and Katie delighting in new Nylabones to Albert the Great Pyrenees mix, we've seen many adorable sights this month! I am so happy that you can be a part of the wonderful nature I have been experiencing in my everyday life. I even have two new pets, Clint and Eastwood, a pair of common snails. Yesterday you may of seen Eastwood, and Clint will be coming later today. It may take a while, because he isn't the fastest snail in the world! He's even slow for a snail....Eastwood beats him in snail racing every time!

Okay, my friends, it's about time I go to enjoy the fresh Florida air and maybe even take a dip in their swimming pool....oh, and we have to go to Walmart to get some things for my wonderful new pet snails! Our vacation has been incredible so far and we'll be disappointed to see it go, but we'll also be happy, for we can go home to be welcomed joyously by Frodo, Katie, Cosmo, Phineas, and Muppet, our wonderful furry and feathered family members. We have been thinking of them every day, and the camera will come out when our excited furbabies sees our faces! Thanks for stopping by, everyone, and let's have another great hundred posts here on Paw Province, your source of adorable animals and your taste of the wonders of nature I see in my everyday life! Keep the cuteness coming with Paw Province!

Until we meet again....

Florida Vacay Part Four: Eastwood Like To Meet You

It's been an amazing day here in Florida! Our vacation has been great so far, and I've been trying to make the most of every second. It isn't very hard to do so, especially with a swimming pool off the house and a bunch of snails (either garden or cuban brown snails) to interact with in front of the house.

I've also met a pair of sweet shaved Havanese dogs, Reese and Snickers. Oh, and I met a Brussels Griffon named Daisy with her sidekick, Petunia the Puggle. There are many wonderful dogs here in Naples!

It's about time you met one of my new slimy friends...he'll be coming home to Georgia with me! Eastwood is a little shy, but eventually comes out of his shell, for he can be very curious. Eastwood's big buddy, Clint, will also be coming home with me, and you'll see him tomorrow.

Give a warm welcome to little Eastwood!

Snails are nocturnal, and Eastwood is no exception! He took a break halfway through the photo shoot, but the camera kept on clicking! Well, he wasn't asleep yet, but his body was slowly moving into his shell so he could take a quick nap.

Now you have a taste of Eastwood's curiosity.

I hope you like Eastwood! He is a sweet, social little guy, and you definitely would agree if you were lucky enough to meet him. I also hope that you're excited to check out Clint tomorrow. We will not let you down. He's a big, chubby fella, and that's all we're going to say for now. We don't want to spoil the surprise!

Until next time....

Florida Vacay Part Three: Snails, Why Did It Have To Be Snails?

Last night you may of been rather puzzled when I told you that I was going to tell you about a little garden snail named Indiana. It turns out I found him in the front of the house, slowly moving along the wall. I scooped him up, washed him off, and even made him his own ecosystem. Indiana sits on my finger as I write this, antennae held high and body covered with slime. Enjoy!

Here's Indy crawling up my arm.

He may be slow, but he is determined to make it to my shoulder!

Look at that slime!

This was Indiana's temporary home before I purchased a bigger place for him.

This is his new home! It's actually a tank for betta fish. Only about a third of the tank can be seen in this picture. As you can see, Indy is thrilled with his new home. He gets lots of delicious greens and carrots. He absorbs fresh, cool water. I wanted to make Indiana's home much like his natural habitat. He is a very lucky snail!

I'm hoping to find another snail that I can breed with Indiana so he can have a big, happy family! A divider came with the tank so I can have a main room and a nursery. I've heard that sometimes snails eat their eggs, and I don't want to take any chances. Okay, everyone, have a wonderful day!

Until we meet again....

Florida Vacay Part Two: House Tour

It's part two of our Florida Vacay series, and today I'm going to give you a little tour of my aunt and uncle's house. It's a very decorated, beachy house in Naples. I hope you're enjoying this series so far!

Here is the entrance to the house.

You can chill out on these couches in the front of the house, but you must be careful not to sit on a lounging lizard! There are lots of 'em here in Naples.

Another ideal hangout area.

The dining room is lovely!

I really like this pretty pair of vases!

Ooh, lots of good things to eat!

Every thing needs to be decorated, even the toilet.

Here are a couple of cool canvases on the walls!

This is the living room. It's probably the most decorated room in the house!

Sweet! A crane!

This fish ate a lot of pears!

This cool Flamingo picture is by the kitchen table. It looks really cool!

We have an astonishing view from the lanai!

This is an awesome (and bizarre) lamp!

Ain't ya' diggin' this ol' aligator? (And all those apostrophes?)

This is probably my favorite photo in this post!

This is the china cabinet.

Some more fun decorations...

Another view of the pool!

Thanks for coming by Paw Province, fellow animal-lovers! Speaking of animals, I hope to snap some photos of the neighborhood dogs, a lizard or two, and my new pet snail, Indiana. I know the last part sounds a little weird, but trust me, little Indy is adorable and you'll see him tomorrow!

Until next time....