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A smiling grandpa holds a vanilla ice cream cone as a cream Exotic Shorthair leans in with a paw on his hand to lick it. 28 / 29

Earl Got One Bite of His Vanilla Cone. Custard Planned the Rest.

AI imageexotic shorthairice creamsummer treat

It was supposed to be Earl's cone. He had barely taken a bite of the vanilla scoop, perched on a crisp waffle cone, when Custard made her move. The cream Exotic Shorthair has planted a paw on his wrist for leverage and leaned in, eyes wide and determined, nose right at the edge of the ice cream. Earl is not even pretending to be upset. His whole face is folded into a grin, the kind you get from being outmaneuvered by someone you adore. Behind them, a potted plant sits on the windowsill and a cozy throw is bunched on the sofa.

Ice cream is a classic temptation, but it is not a great snack for cats. Many adult cats have trouble digesting lactose, so dairy can upset their stomachs, and the sugar in ice cream offers them nothing useful. Cats cannot even taste sweetness the way we do, so they are often drawn to the fat and cream rather than the flavor. Chocolate, coffee, and anything with the sweetener xylitol are especially important to keep away from pets. If you want to share a cool treat on a hot day, there are frozen treats made for cats, or you can ask your vet for safe ideas.

A tiny lick is unlikely to cause trouble, but Earl may want to finish his cone a bit faster next time. Then again, maybe the best part of ice cream was always having someone to share it with.

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An elderly man in a blue plaid shirt sits on a wooden dock with his feet in a lake beside a cream Exotic Shorthair cat.Earl Dipped His Feet in the Lake. Custard Had a Firm Opinion About That.A smiling grandpa in a plaid shirt sits at a lace-covered table with tea and cookies while a cream Exotic Shorthair watches.Earl Set Out Tea and Butter Cookies. Custard Took Her Seat at the Table.A white-haired grandpa in a red plaid shirt sits in a wooden rocking chair while a cream Exotic Shorthair sleeps on the rug.Earl Was About to Start Rocking. Then He Looked Down at the Rug.An elderly man in plaid washes a dark car with a hose while a cream Exotic Shorthair stands up and swats at the spray.Earl Just Wanted to Wash the Old Car. Custard Wanted to Fight the Hose.