Sparkle the Designer Cat's Blog, page 30

Modeling My Crazy Christmas Cat Hats

I have lots of holiday cat hats. Cute ones. These aren’t those. These are my worst ones! So here I am, modeling some crazy Christmas cat hats.

I have a cute elf hat…and then there’s this one, which is kind of creepy.

This unicorn headband is supposed to be festive. But I think it’s just weird and awkward.

My Christmas tree hat needs its own zip code!

You can see all these, plus a bonus hat that didn’t photograph well, in the video below. Let me know which one you thought was the worst!

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Hideous Holiday Outtakes

I never expect to look particularly good in the photos for my outtake posts, but these holiday bloopers really go the extra mile in awfulness!

I look like I don’t approve of this sweater, but really, I do! I can’t wait for my modeling session with it.

From the odd perspective to the awkward pose, just about everything is wrong with this photo.

What’s worse than a photo with your eyes shut? A photo with your eyes not quite shut all the way!

And I saved the worst for last! Were these outtakes hideous or what? Which one made you cringe the most? Let me know in the comments.

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Gift Shopping for the Peach Kitty

Christmas is almost here, and I haven’t shopped for the peach kitty yet! But don’t worry, my human just took me to the pet store so we could find something for him.

This is one of my favorite shops, and it has so much good stuff!

I know he loves catnip, so I looked through their catnip toys.

But I couldn’t get him just any toy. I was very careful about choosing just the right one.

I finally settled on these Yeowww! catnip crayons. I know he’ll probably run off with anything he gets and destroy it, so I figured three small toys would be better than one.

I also got some loose catnip, since I know he enjoys that too.

I also thought some cat treats would be good. He only seems to like freeze dried chicken, so that narrowed it down.

I picked out these because the company gives to shelter cats. If the peach kitty knew about that, I’m sure he’d appreciate it.

When we were checking out, I also got a cat food sample! How cool is that?

Do you think I got the right gifts for the peach kitty? I guess I’ll find out in a few days!

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Last Minute Holiday Therapy Cat Visit

I got to have a surprise therapy cat visit at the big hospital this week! My human had jury duty, which meant she had to call in every night to see if she needed to report. It turned out she didn’t need to report on the day we usually go to the big hospital, so as soon as she got off the phone she scheduled me in.

There was another therapy team today, a dog team. But we wound up visiting our areas separately, since Ronan (the dog) wasn’t particularly cat friendly. That’s how we work things with dog teams when they are distracted by cats or don’t like cats. I’ve teamed up with dogs that were cat friendly and those were fun! I’m actually better with friendly dogs than I am with cats (except the peach kitty, of course).

Most of the Pediatrics patients were in Isolation, so I only had two kids to see. The first one was a Spanish speaking boy, with a dad who knew fewer English words than my human knows Spanish! The boy’s mom was there too, but she was sleeping. Once I got settled on the boy’s bed, he didn’t stop petting me for the whole visit. Usually the kids have some sort of movie or cartoon on the TV. By some funny coincidence, the cartoon on the boy’s TV was SuperKitties on the Disney channel.

The second kid I visited wasn’t as much fun. It was a giggly little girl who was more interested in her phone than she was in me. Her family was there, including her young brother, and while he paid attention to me briefly, he was more interested playing video games too.

Next I went to Labor and Delivery, where the nurses all get so excited to see me! And they loved my Santa outfit. There were a couple of patients to see there. One was a Spanish speaking woman who happily petted me but only wanted to see me for a few minutes. The other lady was super happy to see me, and we visited while her partner took some photos. My human enjoyed chatting with her.

Then we went to Behavioral Medicine. The two women we saw were nice, but they were having a challenging time at the hospital. So we didn’t visit there for as long as usual. We took our time going back to reception to sign out, which is what we do when we finish early. There are always people in the hallways and waiting rooms who are happy to see a kitty.

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Is the Peach Kitty Learning to Trust My Human?

The peach kitty came by for a visit! We had some cold weather so my human had me wear one of my holiday sweaters. He didn’t seem to mind. I think he’s used to my wardrobe by now.

Or maybe he didn’t like it! He looks kind of judgy here.

We both got lots of treats. Except I had to do some tricks for mine.

I have to say, he was exceptionally nice to my human during this visit. Of course he could always decide to keep his distance from her next time he stops by! But you can see how our visit went in the video below.

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The Subtle, Secret Signs Your Cat May Be Sick

You’ve probably heard about how well cats hide their illnesses. And it’s true. Cats are very private creatures, and as predators who are also prey, we don’t like showing our weaknesses. So often we will hide that we’re feeling bad until we just can’t anymore. It’s extremely rare for a cat to be a hypochondriac!

If you’ve lived with cats, and have the vet bills to show for it, I bet you wish there was a way to tell whether your cat is sick sooner. If you’re relying on your cat to tell you, when they finally do, often the problem has been developing over time. Sometimes cats will spring an illness on you by surprise, but you often can see signals that something is going on before your cat chooses to tell you. You just need to know what to look for.

Know Your Cat

The most proactive thing you can do for your cat’s health is to get to know them as well as possible. That means their habits, the way they eat, their food preferences, what’s going on in the litter box, and their general day-to-day life. That way, when something changes, you are able to detect it right away.

Here’s a short list of things to take note of. Consider them the measurements with which you can gauge any changes in your cat.

Their sleeping habits
Cats have their favorite sleeping spaces, and their favorite beds. They also have specific times of day they normally nap. These can change during the year because of the changes of the season.Take note when a cat’s sleeping habits change in a way that’s not ordinary.
 If your cat is choosing to sleep somewhere hidden, like in a cat cave or under the bed, it could indicate they aren’t feeling great.
 Are they are sleeping significantly more or less than normal? That’s also something to think about because it could indicate illness.
 Physical sleeping habits could also indicate something is wrong. Are they napping in a position that appears to be compensating for pain? Are they breathing in an unusual way? There could be something going on.Physical activity
A healthy cat is active, alert, and playful. It’s not unusual for cats well into their senior years to run, jump and play. Some do slow down earlier than others, and that’s okay too. The important thing to notice is sudden changes in their behavior, or changes over time that negatively affect their quality of life. Arthritis is common in cats, but there is treatment.Has your cat suddenly stopped jumping? They could have hurt themselves, or are developing arthritis.
 If they are limping, it could mean anything from a sprained or broken leg to an injured paw, or even cancer. Although the latter is rare, that’s how my human discovered her heart cat before me, Harlot, had developed bone cancer. Check to see if there’s anything visible causing your cat to limp, and make note of the part of the leg that seems most affected. It’ll be helpful to bring that info to your vet when you bring your cat in.
 If your cat seems less agile in general, bring it up at your vet. It’s not uncommon in older cats, but in younger cats, it’s a signal that something’s wrong. Either way, it needs to be examined and possibly treated.
 Anytime your cat is doing less of any physical activity, notice the circumstances, and what your cat is doing instead. Any visible sign of pain, however, needs a vet visit.
 Eating habits
You know your cat’s food preferences, how much they eat, and how enthusiastic or picky they are about their meals. So when any of these change, it could be a warning sign of illness.If your cat allows it, check their mouth every few weeks for signs of gingivitis (redness where the gum meets the teeth), tartar, excessive drooling, or anything else such as mouth sores or a chipped or broken tooth. Sometimes your cat could have any of these and you wouldn’t know without seeing for yourself.
 Watch how your cat eats, and check for any changes. Are they starting to eat only on one side of their mouth? Chewing differently than before? Grinding their teeth? These are things you should mention to your vet.
 If your cat is eating more or less than normal, that could signal something isn’t right. Combined with other symptoms, it could mean a visit to the vet is in order.
 If your cat suddenly turns their nose up at their food, it might not be because they are finicky. A cat that is nauseous, could be suffering from a variety of illnesses. The nausea is often a symptom, and not the actual cause of what is really bothering them.
 Never ignore a cat that is not eating for more than a day! It doesn’t take long for a cat to develop fatty liver disease if they don’t eat. After 24 hours, gather up any other symptoms you may have noticed and take your cat to the vet.Litter box habits
One of the biggest mistakes people make about cats is believing that changes in our litter box habits are mostly behavioral. While that can be the case, it’s often because of illness, and that should be considered before thinking they are upset over something.Be familiar with the daily amount of pee and poop your cat leaves in the litter box. That way you’ll know if they are developing any problems right away.
 Kidney disease is extremely common with cats, and it’s accompanied by frequent urination. So if your cat is peeing more often, or more copiously than usual, tell your vet.
 When you are scooping the litter box, take a quick glance at the stool. Yes, you should be familiar with your cat’s typical poop! That way you know if something is different, whether it’s a lot of fur from overgrooming, a change in consistency or smell, blood from straining, or anything else that needs to be looked into.
 If your cat is straining to use the litter box, take your cat to the vet immediately. It could be a blockage of some sort, and potentially fatal. The one time when I was young and this happened, I just had a UTl, and while it wasn’t something fatal, it was very uncomfortable!Physical condition
Become very familiar with every inch of your cat’s body. One of the best reasons to groom your cat regularly, even if they have short fur, is to use it as an opportunity to examine their body. Run your hands over their torso. Feel their belly. Check their legs and paws. Check their eyes for any changes, or any discharge. Is their nose clean or runny?Regular physical checks let you know what your cat feels like on a normal day. That makes it easier to know when something abnormal pops up.
 If goes without saying, if your cat reacts strongly to being touched in any area, as if you have hit a painful spot, take them to the vet and have it looked at.
 Weigh your cat monthly if you can, or more often if you notice any changes. It’s easy. Weigh yourself first, then pick up your cat and step back on the scale. The difference is your cat’s weight.

As you can see, the better you know your cat, the more likely you will be to catch developing illnesses and conditions early on. And catching them early means a better outcome, less suffering — and lower vet bills in the long run. Your cat may not be able to say they are feeling unwell, but if you learn to recognize your cat’s specific signals, you’ll still know.

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My Disappointing Santa Visit

I got to visit Santa at a pet store near me. And I dressed up in my best Santa outfit!

But it wound up being really disappointing! The store was full of dogs. I mean, there are always dogs for the Santa visits. But there were a lot more than usual, and they were awful and unruly. One dog wouldn’t stop barking the whole time I was on Santa’s lap. My human couldn’t even get a really good photo of me because of all the distractions. If anything, she was more stressed out than I was.

But the trip wasn’t a total bust. My human found a couple of things for me, a sweater and a hoodie. She ended up thinking the hood part of the hoodie was too small, and just getting the sweater.

It was a great choice! I love it already.

I even started striking poses! It totally made me forget all about my Santa visit.

You can see a video of my pet store trip below.

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Watch Me Help Put Together an Office Chair!

Look how beat up my human’s old office chair was! But what finally inspired her to replace it was she couldn’t adjust the seat height anymore. She got tired of sitting on books to work at her desk.

She found one she liked, and it was even discounted. There was just one problem: it needed assembly. It’s a good thing I was there to help put it together!

I got to work right away!

I will admit, there were some things my human had to do that I couldn’t.

She only had to lock me out of the living room once, when she was putting the assembled chair on the base.

And here it is completed! It’s huge! My human says she got an extra large size so we could sit in it together. You can see the whole process in the video below. It’s pretty fun!

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Festive and Funny Outtakes

I have all sorts of holiday themed outtakes for you this week. Some of them may involve wardrobe malfunctions.

This one, from my USC visit, just has a face malfunction.

Maybe that’s why I was sticking my tongue out at the photographer.

I was actually looking at something specific in this photo. If you can guess what it was, you’ve probably seen every last one of my Facebook posts! Hint: it has to do with a different photo session.

It was a miracle I managed to get both of my big ears in that tiny hood for any length of time.

I look like I’m about to eat my human’s fingers!

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

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Festive Outdoor Portraits

We’ve had some sunny days here — but it’s still cold! So my human found one of my festive Christmas sweaters for some outside portraits. We didn’t stay in this spot for very long because there was too much shade.

Of course, sitting in full sunlight wasn’t ideal either, although it did look better.

But fixing that was easy. All my human had to do was move to the other side of me. Even better, the house next door is nicely landscaped, so I have a nice backdrop.

I also did some profile poses.

And a three-quarter portrait too.

If you were wondering about the sweater, here’s what it says on the back!

I hope you enjoyed my festive portraits! Let me know what you think in the comments.

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