Sparkle the Designer Cat's Blog, page 31

My Worst Holiday Outfits on Video!

Remember my awful holiday outfits from the other day? There was video but my human didn’t get it edited in time for the blog post. But when she did finish it, it was clearly too cute not to share here.

I mean, who wouldn’t want to see this snowman/snow unicorn hoodie in action?

Or the elf costume! I actually wore that one the longest in the video. You can see it all below (and if you listen closely, you can hear me purring). Let me know if your opinion of any of the outfits changes after seeing it.

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My Vet Check Up

My human didn’t like what she saw when I was using the litter box in the morning, so she dug up a sample and got me into the vet just a few hours later. She told them I had “soft stool,” which had gotten worse over a few days instead of resolving. To be honest, I didn’t start feeling a little off until the day of the vet visit.

I know most kitties hate the vet, but I don’t mind that much. The lobby area was quiet, so I got to hang out on my leash. Then once we got to the exam room, I just sat next to my human and purred and rubbed against my carrier instead of hiding in it.

When the veterinarian showed up, she examined the sample my human had, and gave me a full check up. In addition to feeling for things like swollen areas and blockages, she also quickly examined my eye freckle. She wanted to make sure nothing had changed, and it hadn’t. She also looked at my teeth, and said they looked good. That’s because my human brushes my teeth regularly.

Since there was nothing obviously wrong, she ordered tests. My human didn’t mind this, since they didn’t do any during my last visit. While we were waiting for the techs, my human found this container of catnip. Unfortunately, the nip was a bit stale and I wasn’t that interested in it.

Because my human and I are a therapy pet team, and I trust her a lot, my human got to stay in the exam room while they took my blood and urine samples. This almost never happens at clinics because the humans of the patients are usually emotional and cause drama and more stress for their pets and the techs. My human just sat there, checked her phone and chatted a couple of times with the techs. This part of the visit was not fun for me, but I probably struggled less because she was there. And they gave me a squeezable treat while they were busy. That helped a lot too!

And I had one more surprise when we were done. They had little gift bags with cat treats and a toy for their kitty patients! That was pretty awesome.

My human also got some probiotics for me and we’ll get the test results in a day. Hopefully the tests will be good, and this is just a minor digestive glitch. They happen to everyone!

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My Worst Holiday Outfits

I love wearing pretty things! But sometimes I have to show you some of the wardrobe fails I have hidden away. So it is with these holiday outfits. They are some of my worst!

I’m not sure how long this weird tree hat and cape combo has been around. It may even predate me! All I know is that it is one of those “one size fits all” things that are inevitably too big for me.

This sweater with all the junk sewn onto it looks like something someone’s tipsy granny would wear to a holiday party.

This snowman outfit has a tiny, tiny hood that doesn’t fit very well! In fact, it looks like a snow unicorn on me!

And finally, this tiny elf costume is small for a reason. It’s not even for a cat — it’s a Guinea pig costume!

So what do you think? Are these bad or what? Let me know in the comments.

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Therapy Cat on Campus

I usually get to visit USC a few times during the school year. But for some reason, USC wasn’t on the cats-approved list this semester. Then some openings came up, and my human asked if we could take one of them. They said yes, so maybe we were just overlooked.

This event was part of a self care event during finals. It included crafts, a mental health moment, refreshments, and therapy pets. It all looked really fun and relaxing.

The students loved having me there. They set me up with a table on the other side of the tent where the dogs were. (The dogs often get distracted by me if they can see me.) And just about everyone who walked by stopped to pet me and ask questions about me, like what was my breed and how I became a therapy cat. There are always one or two students who sort of linger for most of the time I’m there, and that was the case this time too.

A few of the students told my human about their cats they have back home. One girl showed her a photo of a very pretty longhaired cat posing outside. My human asked where home was, and it was Indonesia! Every time we’ve visited, we meet students from all over the world and it’s really cool.

My therapy visits are booked for the rest of the year, but I hope I get to go back next semester.

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My All-New Holiday Hoop Jumping

Do you remember last year’s holiday hoop jumping video? I’m back at it again, with different outfits! And these are a little more challenging.

I started off super easy with this festive red bell collar.

Then I jumped through the hoop wearing one of my holiday sweaters.

Things got a little more complicated with this snowman hoodie!

The elf outfit was more difficult than it looks! You can see all of them in the video below.

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Festive Photo Flubs

You can tell the holidays are really starting to kick in at our place by all the festive decor in these photos! And of course with all the photos came a few flubs.

I may or may not have been trying to chew the angel in this photo.

There is almost always a photo like this one after a therapy cat visit, where I’m asking for a treat while my human is trying to get me to sit still.

My human has gotten better about keeping her hands out of the photos, but she’s not a hundred percent on this.

My human was only able to get me to keep this Santa hat on with extra treat bribes. As you can see here, I still didn’t think it was enough.

Ah! And here’s my tiny tongue making a special appearance.

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

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The Dumbest Santa Hat Ever (With a History)

When my human was pulling out the Christmas tree and all the ornaments, she found this Santa cat hat.

You may note that it includes a beard. So I’m not sure why she got it, considering that she has only had girl kitties for the past several decades.

Apparently this hat has a history because there are photos from 2009 of Binga wearing it.

This is how the hat wound up on her. I think my human was hoping to get better results with me.

As you can see, I was more obliging than Binga was.

Even so, I’m glad I don’t have to wear it again! You can see me modeling it in the video below.

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Putting Up the Tree Photo Session

Do you remember yesterday’s post about cat-proofing the Christmas tree? My human wanted to shoot video with a couple of the tips while she was putting up the tree. And of course, she always takes a few photos along the way. They came out really nicely, so I’m sharing them here.

In this photo, the tree wasn’t fully assembled. I’m posing with just the first two tiers.

The top part of the tree was still in the box.

Once she finished putting it together, she plugged it in to make sure the lights were working. And had me pose in front of it.

Then it was time for her to bring out the ornaments, and I had to pose with the containers.

Here’s another pose I did.

Here’s the box where my human stores some of the more unique and special ornaments.

And here I am, sitting next to the open ornament box.

Can you tell I wasn’t particularly curious about any of this? I know people expect cats to be curious and get into everything. But apparently that sort of behavior was too much of a stretch for me. After all, I’ve seen these holiday decorations 9 times before!

I’ll let you know if the video ever gets made.

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Can You Cat Proof a Christmas Tree? Maybe…With These Tips!

We’ve all seen, and laughed at, those videos where cats utterly destroy a Christmas tree. But I bet it wouldn’t be so funny if it happened to you! So I’m sharing some ways to lessen the chances of your tree and your cat having an unfortunate encounter. Of course nothing’s 100 percent, but most of these are worth a try.

Where You Put Your Tree Makes a Difference

Did you remove the cat tree to make room for the Christmas tree? Or did you place it so that it looks pretty in a window, completely ignoring the fact that it’s also within launching area from a shelf or comfy chair? Think about where you’re putting the tree, and the hazards surrounding it.

I know most people don’t give a second thought to moving a cat’s things to temporarily make room for their holiday decor. But look at it from your cat’s perspective. Cats like routine, and they like having things just-so. And here you are, moving their stuff around. And you’re replacing it all with an item they’re not supposed to touch…in an area that still smells like them! So you can see the problem here. Maybe come up with a different spot for the tree. Move your own furniture, not your cat’s.

And where ever you put up the tree, take a look around to see potential threats. Are there tables or shelves where your cat could reach out and grab a tempting ornament or make a flying leap? You may want to move them farther away from the tree.

Real Tree or Fake Tree?

With its inviting smell of pine and the outdoors, real trees may be more appealing to your cat, and a bigger invitation for trouble. Plus the needles and sap will make your cat sick if they eat them. And there’s also the bacteria-laden water bowl to keep the tree fresh, which could harm your cat if they drink from it.

If you are sure your cat won’t chew on the tree (but can you really be sure?) and you are careful about keeping the water container covered, then get a real tree. Otherwise, it’s almost always better to opt for fake.

Fake trees still have dangers because cats may chew on the branches and “needles” or climb them, just as they would any other tree. But overall, they are less likely to harm your cat.

Either way, if you can somehow secure your tree to the wall or ceiling, that will help keep your cat from toppling it over. It’s not that hard. You just need some cord or fishing line, and a hook or screw, plus a ladder if you are securing from the ceiling.

Christmas Tree Don’ts

Don’t leave electrical cords uncovered. Cats may chew on them. Use cord covers. If you already know your cat chews cords, chances are you have a few sitting around right now! If not, be on the safe side anyway and get some.

If your cat is a known chewer, consider whether to use electrical lights on your tree at all. LED lights are safer than the old-fashioned incandescent type, and battery powered lights are safest.

Never, ever use bubble lights, pretty and fun as they are! They contain methylene chloride, a toxic chemical, and could really harm your cat if they break.

Never use decor like fake snow, angel hair or tinsel (also known as “icicles”). All these are toxic or dangerous for your cat. My human thought that people stopped using these when she was a child, but apparently they are still floating around.

Put non-breakable ornaments on the bottom third of your tree — the area cats are most likely to hunt for shiny playthings. Use that area for metal, paper and plastic ornaments. If you have any treasured heirloom ornaments, place them in areas where your cat is the least likely to touch them.

The Not-That Great Advice

Some websites suggest covering the tree trunk and floor around the tree with aluminum foil. Fine, if you want ugly tinfoil all around your pretty tree. The small possibility that it may discourage your cat makes it not worthwhile.

Some people also advise putting a baby gate around your tree, or keeping your cat out of the room where the tree is altogether. A baby gate is practically useless — most cats can jump right over them. Cats that can’t clear a baby gate are probably too old or out of shape to bother a tree much.

As for keeping your tree locked away from your cat, think about this. Nothing inspires curiosity in your cat more than a closed door, or to be barred from a certain spot in the house. A cat will do everything they can to get into an area where they aren’t allowed. When you shut your tree away from the cat, it increases its appeal.

What’s better is to give your cat a chance to explore the tree before you put it up, along with the boxes of ornaments and decorations. Give them a chance to examine them and realize they are just boring human things. Take away the mystery. Then play with them or have treat time in another room, away from the tree, to show that there’s more fun to be had elsewhere.

Like I said, nothing will 100 percent cat proof your tree. But following most of these will make your tree safer, your cat less interested in it, and make everyone happy.

Now, excuse me while I go take a nap in my new favorite spot…right under the tree on the velvet tree skirt. As it should be.

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A Fun Shopping Day (with Video!)

I got to visit one of my favorite pet shops! And it’s one of my human’s favorites too.

There’s always something new to see there! And the owner stocked up with a lot of holiday items too!

My human said I already have too many cat beds, so I didn’t get to have this one.

It was the middle of the day and kind of quiet, so I explored the dog section too. It’s not as good as the cat section! You can see my shopping day in the video below.

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