Sparkle the Designer Cat's Blog, page 11

Outtakes That Were Mostly My Fault

My human is usually the one responsible for the outtakes I share weekly. But this time, I’m admittedly the one whose fault they are! My human was trying to take photos and I did something to ruin them, like walking off the set in mid session.

Here I am at Club Meow, lying down on the job.

And I did the same thing during my Pride Month session.

This tongue-out shot in the hotel room was all on my human.

And here I am, walking off the set yet again!

I hope you enjoyed this week’s outtakes! Let me know in the comments if you have a favorite.

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The Peach Kitty’s Visit – On Video

Yes, there was video of my visit with the peach kitty the other day! But of course my human didn’t get the video finished in time for the post. So I have it for you now.

Now you can see our visit in action!

And you can see more of him not wanting my human’s attention!

I hope you enjoy the video! And stick around to the end to see his mom.

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Hotel Room Portraits

My human, her boyfriend and I just got back from Vancouver, BC! We were there for six days, and I’m just mentioning it now because we didn’t have anyone staying at our house while we were away. You get to hear more about our trip later, but on the last night we were there, my human took some portraits of me in the hotel room.

She noticed the desk light threw a really nice glow on the wallpaper behind it, so she cleared everything off to take photos.

Then she moved the floor lamp over to light me from the front.

The photos turned out pretty nice with just the hotel lamps.

I purred the whole time we did the photo session! Let me know what you thought of the shots.

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Looking Out for the Peach Kitty, But Does He Appreciate It?

I had a visit with the peach kitty! In fact, he showed up when my human came out to look for him.

Of course he was more interested in seeing me.

And getting some treats, of course!

My human says I’m too greedy, but I’m just trying to make sure I get my fair share.

She also filled a dish with water for the peach kitty, since she remembered from last time he needed it.

After a moment or two, he came over for a drink.

But do you think he was appreciative? My human put out her hand towards him, and he wasn’t having any!

So that’s how our visit ended. Except my human left out the water for a while longer. We can’t leave it overnight because we don’t want to attract predators that might harm the cat colony.

And look who showed up a little while later? My human caught the peach kitty’s mom on our security cam. She’s even less appreciative than the peach kitty.

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Things That Make Your Cat Unhappy (and How to Fix Them)

Cats don’t need a lot to be happy — adequate food, a clean litter box, treats, cat toys, a cat tree or tower, attention…maybe a catio, another cat tree, more treats….

Okay, we cats do need a little more to be happy than most people realize! What we need is really pretty simple, but it also doesn’t take a lot to make us unhappy. And a cat that’s unhappy is stressed, less healthy, and may behave in ways that make their humans unhappy too.

Once you realize some of the things that make your cat unhappy, they become obvious. And fortunately, the solutions aren’t difficult. They usually just require more mindfulness from you humans.

So let’s look into what could be causing your cat’s unhappiness.

Forcing Affection on Them

Yes, I know — we kitties are so adorable you can’t help picking us up, burying us in bear hugs, kissing us and smothering us in your affection. I’ll be honest, even the most friendly affectionate cat can find it annoying when you force your love on them.

The solution to this is super simple: stop doing it! I know, it’s hard. It’s almost like breaking an addiction. But if you stop forcing yourself on your cat, something amazing happens: they may start soliciting attention from you!

Cats need to feel in control of their wellbeing to be happy. And when you let them express themselves without pushing your own agenda on them, they will be more confident, happier, and will willingly spend more time with you.

A Chaotic Living Space

Are you disorganized? Is your cat’s breakfast or dinnertime different every day? Do you have papers piled up on shelves or tables where they usually like to relax? Do you play with them one day, then forget to pull out their favorite wand toy for two weeks? No wonder your cat is unhappy!

All cats love routine. And we hate unpredictability. We prefer having meals at a set time, and regular playtimes when we can expect them. And yes, we don’t really understand what clutter is. But when human stuff is in our way or placed where it could fall on us or otherwise be unsafe, it makes us unhappy.

The answer of course is to set up routines and schedules for activities involving your cat. For some of you (like my human), this may be difficult. She’s one of those chaotic, creative types. But if that’s the way your brain works too, maybe just make those things involving your cat the one area where you keep order and routine. That way, it gives you the space to go easy on yourself in other areas.

Dirty, Inconvenient Litter Boxes

When a cat avoids their litter box and your vet has given them a clean bill of health, it’s time to assess the location and cleanliness of the place where they relieve themselves.

Few things can make a cat more unhappy than a dirty litter box that’s hard to get to. Hey, it would make you unhappy too! Don’t you hate needing to use a public restroom, then having to walk half a mile to get there only to find it’s filthy and disgusting? Don’t do that to your cat.
One of the best things you can do for your cat is to really pay attention to their litter box preferences. That includes the box itself, the type of litter, and its location. Things like location may be harder for some than for others, but the more of an effort you can put into finding a good compromise, the happier your cat will be.

And please, clean the waste daily (more than once, if necessary), change out the litter, and rinse out the box at regular intervals. Maybe make the latter a part of cleaning your bathroom. After all, scrubbing the toilet and cleaning the litter box at the same time makes sense, doesn’t it?

Loud Noises and/or Strong Scents

Cats have sensitive ears and noses, so sudden loud noises and strong, unnatural smells will make them unhappy and stressed.

The more you can create a peaceful living space for your cat, the more content they will be. If you are living with people who make a lot of noise, or in an area that’s very noisy, figure out a small space that will give your cat peace and quiet. Somewhere as far away from the noise as possible, and that will muffle sounds.

Strong scents can disturb cats too. If you use air fresheners, perfume, or other scented items in your house, pay attention to your cat’s reaction, especially when these are freshly sprayed or applied. I’m just saying, there’s nothing better than a fresh, clean, non-chemical scent! Just natural, without anything added.

And please don’t use scented cat litter. Most of the time, cats dislike them, and they don’t do that much to cover odor. If the smell is bothering you, there are litters that absorb the smell instead of masking it. And if you are prompt about cleaning the litter box, it’ll also help keep down the smell.

These are some very basic things that make cats unhappy. And most of the time, the changes and adjustments aren’t that hard. You can start improving your cat’s happiness quotient and quality of life today.

Do you have any stories about your cat’s reactions to any of the above? I’d love to hear about them in the comments.

The post Things That Make Your Cat Unhappy (and How to Fix Them) appeared first on Summer’s Fabulous Cat Life.

The Cat World Domination Day Variety Show!

It’s Cat World Domination Day! And it’s time to celebrate cats ruling the world! This year, I’m having a variety show at Club Meow.

Tonight we’re serving a special Cat World Domination Day designer drink. It’s a dirty Meowtini — a muddled catnip martini with a splash of tuna juice.

Now let me introduce you to tonight’s guests!

We’re starting off with famed songwriter and pianist Kitty Keys!

And that crazy, unpredictable drummer, Catty Moon!

For a humorous break, we have Precious Diller, the cat of the late Phyllis Diller!

And we’re finishing the night with that sultry exotic dancer, Kitty Rose Lee!

But wait, there’s more! I also have a small giveaway for you.

It’s just a few items, but they’re all handpicked and very cool! You can enter the giveaway by just leaving a comment on the blog here, then saying you did in the Rafflecopter widget under the video. Once you do that, you’ll see more ways to increase your chances of winning. It’s open world wide and the deadline is July 3.

Happy Cat World Domination Day! Enjoy the show in the video below, and good luck with the giveaway!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Doing Right By Pride Month, Modeling Edition

It’s Pride Month! And although I have a couple of pretty Pride dresses already, I wanted to wear something new this year. We did not think we were going to find anything until my human ran across these two pieces at Petco.

I mean, a rainbow tutu and wings? How could that not be right?

The first problem was the tutu. It was a little small on me! Even though it was my usual size, according to the label. My human could barely fasten it on me.

Then there was the wings. They were meant to be fastened to a harness, which is why I was wearing the harness for the photo session. But the problem is, I think the designers made it for dog harnesses, which sit down lower on the back. On cats, the harness rides higher, so the wings wound up going in a weird place!

No matter how my human photographed it, the outfit did not look right. Which is a bummer, because we really want to honor our LGBTQIA+ friends. They are under an extreme amount of stress right now, and lives are being threatened.

LGBTQIA+ people don’t have a “lifestyle,” they are who they are. And it makes us really sad that anyone would think they shouldn’t exist because of that. We are all a little bit different in one way or another, and tolerance, acceptance, and love are the only things that will ever bring peace and happiness.

As a therapy cat, my job is to offer care and comfort to people, no matter who they are. And actually, it’s not just a job…it’s who I am as a cat. Because I am naturally affectionate and trusting. I don’t care about anyone’s gender, age, mental or physical situations, or anything! And yes, I even love people who hate other people for no good reason. (Although I’m not sure I can say the same about my human when it comes to the latter! But I’m not her, and she has to follow my lead.)

So in the end, we switched out the two-piece and opted for this Pride dress from a few years back. Because it has a good message. I wish you all happiness, and to feel comfortable in your own skin, and in the world.

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Random Sunday Silliness

It’s time for this week’s funny photos! They’re pretty random this week, but all of them are pretty silly!

I’m still trying to figure out why they included these huge sunglasses with a small pet dress.

If you see me looking especially lively in a series of photos, it might be because I’m getting the good treats!

I’m not even sure why my human took this photo.

When the photographer is not doing right by you, you need to let them know.

And that’s it for this week’s silliness! If you have a favorite among these random outtakes, let me know in the comments.

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Modeling My Paris Hilton Pet Dress on Video!

I’m sure you were wondering if there was a video to accompany of the photos of me modeling my new Paris Hilton pet dress. And of course there is!

I had a lot of fun doing the video, even if I didn’t completely agree with all the accessory choices.

One thing you don’t see is my human getting consumed by mosquitos the whole time we filmed! Wow, those things love her! Even though she spent a lot of time swatting them away, she still wound up with loads of bites. She hopes the video was worth it. Check it out below and you tell me!

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Looking Out for the Peach Kitty

The peach kitty stopped by for a visit!

He’s always really happy to see me.

After a few minutes in the enclosed patio, we spent some time outside.

While we were there, my human saw the peach kitty was drinking from a hose. She doesn’t know if he gets fresh water from our neighbor, who feeds him, so she got him some water herself.

She didn’t have any real bowls handy in the enclosed patio, so she had to use a paper bowl. He didn’t care and was just glad to have it.

He seemed to be pretty grateful for the water. My human found a real bowl later and now she brings it out for him when she sees him.

I think he was a little grateful to my human in addition to me! Even if he runs from her half the time. He is, after all, still pretty feral.

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