Paws & Claws 2025 Gift Exchange

I'm super excited to tell you about my Paws & Claws Gift Exchange package from our sweet friends Angel, Coco, YumYum, and Mom Nancy from A Wizard and an Angel. 

Mommy loves taking pictures of prezzies before the chaos begins.

Wrapped up inside all that pretty paper was this cool stuff! 

They got me SQUEEZIES and a bunch of fun toys, all in pink and purple (our favorite colors)!

Mommy and I also got a cozy fleece Christmas blankie to cuddle up with.

Mommy said she hasn't seen me have this much fun in quite awhile.

I went completely nuts over all the feathers.

It did Mommy's heart good to see me so happy.

Between losing Mo, finding out I'm diabetic, and then losing Grandpa, it's been a horrible few months so this was a big bright spot for both of us.

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What follows is a series of pictures Mommy took of me playing with my cool new toys.

Most are better suited for the blooper reel, but we think they show how much fun I was having!

I was grabbing at everything...I didn't know what to play with first!

Mommy and I both want to thank Angel, Coco, YumYum, and Mom Nancy so very much for their thoughtful, generous, and purr-fectly wonderful gifts. 

Many thanks as well to Gabriel, Giovanni, and Mom Sierra

for organizing this wonderful event that makes many blogging kitties very, very happy.

Now I have a very important question...how many days until Paws & Claws 2026???

What's That Mysterious Object in the Sky? #SundaySelfie

Meows from Mudpie!

When Mommy opened the door yesterday morning there was a big, bright object shining down from the sky. I was confused, so Mommy reminded me it was the sun.

Oh yeah! It's been so long since we've seen it I had forgotten! Not that it does much good. It's brutally cold! Mommy and I are spending so much time cuddling she said we're going to melt into each other. Neither of us are complaining though! Snuggled together is our very favorite place to be.

We're joining our friends at The Cat on My Head for the Sunday Selfies blog hop!  

Mudpie the Reindeer #CaturdayArt

Meows from Mudpie!

I was super excited to be included in the 7th Annual Bloggers Meowy Catmas Show over at the Peaches and Paprika blog. They created a new Christmas graphic for me that we absolutely adore! I make a pretty cute reindeer, don't you think?

Visit more artsy kitties at Athena's Caturday Art blog hop!

And now our weekly answers for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, hosted by 15andmeowing and Four-Legged Furballs!

1. The best part of 2025 was Dad staying out of the hospital until the fall.

2. My focus word for 2026 is reset.

3. I always get sad in the days after Christmas.

4. I've had enough stress to last a lifetime. (Haven't we all???)

My Litter Box Attacked Me! #PetPhotoFails

Meows from Mudpie!

Can you believe it's time for the final Pet Photo Fails blog hop of the year?

My blooper this month isn't so much a photo, but a moment that needs to be retold...

For the past 6 months we've been using pine pellets for litter from Tractor Supply. It's gone really well - Mommy was happy that I took to it right away - but the pellets are quite lightweight compared to clay litter so she always figured I would upend my litter box one day.

Well, that day came on Monday evening. She was on her laptop in the living room and I went into the bathroom to do my number twos. (She can always tell what I've done by how much scratching goes on.) After I did my business and finished covering it up I jumped out of my potty and Mommy heard a slamming noise that instantly told her my litter box had tipped over. 

She expected a mess to clean up in the bathroom, what she didn't expect was...

ME flying out of the bathroom COVERED in the sawdust from the pine pellet litter!!! Thank Cod there's no photographic evidence. I looked like those photos and videos you see online of cats that have gotten into the flour or sugar in the kitchen! Then once I reached the living room I shook myself to get as much off as I could! 

Mommy started laughing hysterically! To her credit, she cleaned me off first, then the bathroom, then she had to vacuum the living room rug. She's still laughing hysterically as she writes about it!

Not funny, Mommy. Not funny at all. That was traumatic! 

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Meowy Christmas from Melissa & Mudpie!

 

We'd like to wish each and every one of our dear friends the happiest of holidays. You make our days so much brighter with your kind comments and support. Thank you for being a part of our online family...we cherish your friendship more than we could ever express.

Fry Me Up #SundaySelfie

Meows from Mudpie!

Every now and then, seemingly out of nowhere, my right ear gets the itchies. It's not an infection, it's not mites, it must be allergies, but it hits at a moment's notice. Mommy cleans my ear out with a spray that brings me relief (Banixx Multi-Purpose Pet Wound Spray), but until it takes effect I'm inconsolable. 

Friday afternoon the itchies struck. I ran around the house scratching, trying to hide, laying on top of Mommy's feet no matter where she went - all my typical behaviors. What I did next was new though.

Mommy decided to have quesadillas for dinner. When she pulled the electric skillet out to cook them she had to set it down on the floor for a moment to make room on the kitchen shelf - and I climbed into it, where I stayed for several minutes! 

You can tell by my face how miserable I felt.

 

For future reference, it's probably best not to invite Mommy to any potluck dinners. But a little Mudpie fur never hurt anyone, right? 

(The spray worked its magic and after a long nap I felt much better by Friday evening.)

We're joining our friends at The Cat on My Head for the Sunday Selfies blog hop! 

Snow Globe #CaturdayArt

Visit more artsy kitties at Athena's Caturday Art blog hop!

And now our weekly answers for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, hosted by 15andmeowing and Four-Legged Furballs!

1. I still need to design Mudpie's e-card before Christmas.

2. Don't forget to acknowledge pet sitters at Christmas.

3. Keeping my sanity over the past few difficult weeks is my Christmas miracle.

4. I watch holiday movies and specials on Christmas Eve and again on Christmas Day. This year I have tons recorded that I haven't had chance to watch yet so I'm all set for the next 2 weeks! 

Feline Friday Flashback: She Shopped Till She Dropped

 

Feline Friday is simple to join. All you have to do is:

Post a picture, drawing, cartoon or video of a cat (They may be silly or cute). 

Another Sweet Moment with Grandpa

Meows from Mudpie!

Thank you all so much for your sweet messages on the loss of my Grandpa. Mommy and I are getting used to our "new normal," but we'll be okay because we're together.

While he had been slowly going downhill since around Halloween, Mommy still had hope until last Wednesday. That's when she realized we were at the end of the road. That night she put a heated throw over him in his recliner, and before long I curled up at his feet. It really touched Mommy's heart that I didn't try to jump on his lap to take advantage of the blankie, I just wanted to be beside him. I'm such a good girl.

We also wanted to thank The Cat Blogosphere for the incredibly beautiful graphic they created for us. It's so wonderful to be a part of such a caring community.

I'll Miss You, Grandpa #SundaySelfie

Meows from Mudpie!

Yesterday afternoon, December 13, my Grandpa passed away here at home. 

Since he was on home hospice, a hospital bed was delivered to our house on Friday afternoon. The man who brought it was very nice. He noticed me immediately and called me a meatball! We've had so many medical professionals at our house the past few weeks and everyone has loved me. They all say I have the cutest name. (And one of the people from the funeral home that came yesterday afternoon knew another cat named Mudpie!)

The house is really small so we had the bed set up in the living room right in front of the Christmas tree. Mommy placed me on the bed with Grandpa and I stayed with him for a long time. (It didn't hurt that he had a heated throw over him.) He was pretty much out of it but I think he knew I was there. 

So it's just Mommy and me now. I'm going to miss Grandpa so much. He absolutely adored me. Even over the past couple weeks when he's been delirious and having hallucinations, his only moments of clarity were when he asked about me and where I was. He didn't know who Mommy was, but he knew who Mudpie was. 

Several years ago Mommy wrote a special Father's Day post, The Making of a Cat Guy. It's a fitting tribute to a wonderful man.

1/29/37-12/13/25

That's my job, that's what I do

Everything I do is because of you

To keep you safe with me

That's my job, you see

-- That's My Job, Conway Twitty

We're joining our friends at The Cat on My Head for the Sunday Selfies blog hop! 

Caturday Art

Visit more artsy kitties at Athena's Caturday Art blog hop!

And now our weekly answers for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, hosted by 15andmeowing and Four-Legged Furballs!

1. White Christmas (Conway's version), Old Toy Trains (Toby's version), If We Make It Through December by Merle Haggard, and If Every Day Was Like Christmas by Elvis are my favorite Christmas songs.

2. Any ornament or decoration that honors one of my cats is a Christmas decoration that I treasure.

3. Though 'tis the season for eggnog, I much prefer peppermint mochas.

4. If I could create a new Christmas tradition, it would be a toy and treat drive for shelter animals.

2025 Holiday Gift Guide for Tortie Lovers

For the past several years we've created gift guides for tortie lovers which have ended up being some of our most viewed posts ever! Seems there are lots of tortie fanatics out there like me upset by the lack of our favorite cats on wearables, jewelry and home decor.

Since I'm always on the hunt for anything tortie-related I decided to make a holiday gift guide exclusively for tortie lovers an annual tradition to help make your shopping a little easier. I hope you find something that will make that special tortie-holic in your life purr (or to treat yourself with!)

The Tortie Tarot Card Wall Decor

Candle

Tortoiseshell Cat Metal Sign

I Love My Tortoiseshell Wood Ornament

Notebook

Blanket

Do you have any tortie lovers on your shopping list this year?

This post contains affiliate links.

2025 Holiday Gift Guide for Cats & Cat Ladies from Etsy

Meows from Mudpie!

Can you believe Christmas is just over 2 weeks away??? While browsing Etsy for the purrfect gift for Mommy, I found several things that any cat mom (and the cats that love them) would love to find under the tree on Christmas morning...or to treat yourself with and make sure you get exactly what you want! I included some cute kitty Christmas decor to my list because they make pawsome gift ideas too!

Gingerbread Catnip Cookies

Christmas Cat Bookworm Stained Glass/Suncatcher

Caroling Cats Wall Art

Retro Cat Holiday Decor – 3x4 Wood Block

Natural Wood Ornament

Personalized Ornament

Book Stand

Cats Chillin' with Coffee Calendar

Italian Velvet Personalized Jewelry Box

Sleigh Bed

Looking for more ideas? Check out a few of our collections!

Cat Mom Gifts

Cats & Books

Cats & Coffee

We hope you enjoy our picks, and don't forget, if you find something here you like and make a purchase using our affiliate links, I get a little money for my piggy bank so I can buy something special for Mommy for Christmas!