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Ashton Celebrates National Junk Food Day

Ashton: This is kind of embarrassing. Why are you showing photos of me for National Junk Food Day?

Especially that grainy, old photo of me laying in my food tray, waiting for a dish?

Sure, it’s well-established that I love chips. Corn chips, potato chips. Crackers, too. Those are kind of like chips, but they make an even bigger mess when I run off with one and eat it on the sofa.

And bagels… oh, I love bagels! If you don’t have a bagel, that’s okay, just give me some cream cheese. I’ll even go head to head with Pierre to get some of that good stuff.

Speaking of good stuff, I also love broccoli. When are you serving that at the big table again? That may not be junk food to you, but it is to me. As an obligate carnivore, I don’t need broccoli. But I sure do love it!

So tell your peeps that it’s time to break out the treats — or the chips or the broccoli or whatever you have as junk food around your house. It’s National Junk Food Day, and we should all celebrate!

Note from the head peep: Don’t worry, despite what she thinks, Ashton is going to get a little extra grilled chicken breast today.

Ashton: I heard that! We can’t let this day pass without a proper celebration! Celebrating eating is a feline tradition! Don’t make me give up the traditions of my people to live with you.

Bring on the broccoli!

Are you going to celebrate National Junk Food Day at your house?

Don’t Eat That: Almonds

A Trader Joe’s store just opened in town, and it’s kind of a big deal. Everyone from other parts of the country was advising what foods to buy there, and one of the ones we had recommended was their almond butter. So the head peep braved the parking lot, which was more chaotic than the Disney World parking lots this time of year, to buy some almond butter (and other stuff, too), and she was excited to try it on some toast. Of course, if any peeps are eating something, Ashton has to try it, too.

And she did, stealing a big bite of toast with almond butter on it when the head peep was reading something on the computer.

The problem is that almonds can be toxic for cats. The ASPCA advises against feeding almonds because of their high fat quantities, which can potentially produce pancreatitis, as well as general gastrointestinal upset and vomiting.

More alarming is that bitter almonds (which are not generally available in the US) contain cyanogenic glycosides. These naturally-occurring plant compounds can break down in pets’ stomachs and release hydrogen cyanide, which is toxic to both animals and humans.

So for her own safety, Ashton isn’t going to be getting any more almond butter, and it’s only going to be eaten under supervision. No distracted eating when almonds are involved!

Almonds in Bowl image courtesy I_Nneska on Flickr creative commons

References

Cyanide, University of Sydney Centre for Veterinary Education
Almonds, ASPCA Poison Control Center

Guilty, Party of Three

The head peep went to an event this week where she toured Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando (more about that soon!), and she brought home a gift bag with treats in it. When she got home, she realized the treats were for dogs. You would think she would pay closer attention, but good help is hard to find.

She decided to take the treats to work for a co-worker who has dogs at home. Anything she has to remember to take to work with her in the morning gets hung on the pegs by the door to the garage so she can grab it on the way out.

Newton: Hey, what’s that?

A while later, there was the noise of rustling paper in the spare room. It sounded a little bit like when kitties play in a grocery bag, except of course there was no grocery bag on the floor anywhere in the house.

* rustle rustle rustle *

No paper bag anywhere in the house, really. Except that bag by the door…

* rustle rustle rustle *

Newton: Pierre, dude, you’re so busted!

Ashton: It wasn’t me! I’m an innocent bystander!