Sparkle the Designer Cat's Blog, page 32

My Post-Holiday Therapy Cat Visit With the Kids

Monday after the Thanksgiving weekend was a little quiet at the children’s hospital. The lobby was nearly empty, and the first two exam rooms we stopped by weren’t ready for a therapy pet visit. But the next room my human took me to contained a quiet little girl and her mother. At first the mother said I wasn’t the type of therapy they were waiting for. That was a little funny! My human had to explain that I was the therapy offered while they were waiting for actual medical care. Then she understood, and we stayed until a nurse came by.

The next patient we saw was the happiest ever little girl. She was wearing a pink print dress, and when my human asked if she wanted to see a kitty, she replied with an enthusiastic “Yes!” She had so much fun visiting with me, and I showed off some of my tricks.

We also saw a 10-month-old girl who had a cat at home. Her mother was concerned that she might try grabbing my ears or fur, like she does with her own kitty. But she was really distracted by everything — the room, all the strange looking equipment, the toy they gave her to keep her occupied — and after the initial petting part, she forgot about me! Maybe it was just as well.

One of my favorite patients was a boy who looked to be about 13. He was getting an infusion, and so happy to see me. He loves cats and he enjoyed getting paw shakes from me. On one of his other visits, he saw one of our program’s therapy dogs. So my human didn’t have to explain, when she pulled out her Instamatic camera, that photos were free.

I briefly visited with a girl wearing a leg cast in the lobby before heading up to surgery and rehab. The staff was away with the surgery patient so reception area was empty. Which is why my human was able to take the photo of me with all their holiday decorations. Normally she wouldn’t have because she’d worry about getting in the way.

Then in rehab, there was just one patient, and it was the older teen I saw last time who only had one leg. She was practicing tasks with the PT that most people take for granted, like picking things off the floor. She took a break to pet me for a few minutes before returning to her exercises.

So even if it was a quiet day, it was all quality time.

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Does a Feral Cat Like Turkey? Let’s Ask the Peach Kitty!

It was the day after Thanksgiving, and look who was waiting to see me!

My human was ready with some leftover turkey she brought home the night before. You can tell I was ready!

She offered him some right away.

You won’t believe his reaction! You can see what he did in the video below.

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My Extra-Adventurous November Video Compilation

I had a really exciting November! I traveled to Ventura for a cat show, then a couple of weeks later, flew to Boulder for the BlogPaws conference! In between traveling, I saw the peach kitty several times and had some really fun modeling sessions. I even had a training session in my Boulder hotel room.

The thing is, with everything I did, I often didn’t have time to post the videos here, just the photos. So quite a few of these are ones you haven’t seen yet.

I have lots of fun videos for you this month, and I can’t wait to share them with you! As always, the compilation is divided into chapters so you can skip around to the ones you want to see the most. Enjoy!

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Fun, Festive Photo Fails

My human caught me in quite a few awkward positions during the past week’s photo sessions!

It’s not really a crown or tiara photo shoot without a few outtakes of the things falling off my head! Amazingly, and in spite of there being about a billion video outtakes, there was just this one photo flub.

Of course, my shoot with the floating presents produced its share of photo flubs. I had a hard time keeping my elf hat on for this one!

I may have said before that I was having too much fun during this session, and here’s proof.

With the way those presents flew around at times, it’s no surprise my human wound up with a photo of one covering my face!

And here I am, staring at this tiny pumpkin like it is a crystal ball.

I hope you enjoyed this week’s photo fails! If you have a favorite, let me know in the comments.

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My Fun, Festive Floating Presents Holiday Shoot

My human wanted to do something fun for a holiday photo session. So she took some of my small prop presents and hung them on transparent wire so that they looked like they were floating around me. You saw one of the photos on my blog a few days ago. But there were lots more over several wardrobe changes. You can see even more below. No secret messages because I don’t think they’re needed!

Which ones did you like best? Let me know in the comments!

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What I’m Grateful for This Thanksgiving

Yes, I mentioned I felt lucky to be a therapy cat yesterday. And that’s just one of so many things I’m grateful for this Thanksgiving. I have to say my list is pretty unique for a kitty!

I’m grateful that I get to go on adventures!
Most cats spend all their time at home, and only times they leave are to go to the vet, or when the humans move somewhere new. I get to have adventures a few times every month! And sometimes I go on adventures that take me out of town! I’ve been to ten states and one province so far! And I know my human has lots more plans for me in 2025.
 I’m grateful for my extensive wardrobe!
Most cats hate wearing clothes but I really enjoy it. Because of this, my human can’t resist buying interesting looking outfits for me. For me, wearing clothes is a fun part of my life I look forward to. You should hear me purring when my human pulls out a dress for me to wear.
 I’m also grateful for my photo and video sessions!
I get even more excited about these than my clothes! I was born to be in front of the camera. Plus my sessions are a big part of the time my human and I spend together. I’ve gotten so good with them that when I do paying shoots, the photographer always remarks about how professional I am.
 I’m grateful for all my friends, which includes everyone I’ve ever met!
I’ve never met a stranger, and I mean that literally! I’m always happy to meet new people, and I get to do that through my therapy cat visits and personal appearances. My human is always searching for new opportunities for me to meet people because she understands how friendly I am.
 I’m grateful for my human’s boyfriend!
Other than my human and my social media followers and my breeder, he’s my biggest fan! Okay, that puts him at about 521,673 on the list, so maybe that’s not such a good indicator. But he really does think I’m awesome and he’s always coming up with silly ideas for videos for me. So far, my human has only taken him up on about three of them.
 I’m grateful for the peach kitty!
The fact that a feral cat decided he wanted to hang out with me never ceases to amaze my human. But considering how humans react when they see me, I sort of took it in stride.
 Treats!
Treats are the best thing ever. They may even be up there with adventures and friends.
 And I’m grateful for my human!
She said I didn’t have to mention her, but I figured I should anyway!

I hope you have a nice Thanksgiving with lots of good food, and that you’re spending it with people who mean something to you (even if that’s just yourself). Sometimes it’s hard to be grateful, and if that’s an issue for you this year, at least be kind — to yourself, and to someone else who needs it.

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Lucky to Be a Therapy Cat

It was nice to be back doing therapy cat work after a few weeks of out of town trips! My human and I have been really busy. That was a big contrast to my first visit back, which was at the assisted living facility. It’s usually a pretty low key visit. (With the exception of the occasional resident making a ruckus — since they suffer from dementia and Alzheimer’s, they can’t help it.)

The moment we walked in on this visit, we found two of my regulars sitting on a sofa. One was the nonverbal woman with heavy hands, and the other was a lady who always has a frown on her face, but who loves seeing me.

After spending time with them (a staff member took photos!), I found a couple more of my pals on another sofa. One was a lady who has been at the residence for probably a year now. The other one was the woman who loves to have me give her high fives.

A couple of the other residents I saw included two ladies who were very elderly, and they were both delighted to see me! I sat with them for a while. Then I jumped down and led my human back to the high five lady and jumped on the sofa next to her. Yes, I will admit, she is one of my favorites.

At one point, I was visiting with a Spanish speaking lady, and a few feet away was a man in a wheelchair. With him was a very young man, probably in his early 20s, so he was could have been the older man’s grandson. He asked my human a lot of questions about what we did and how often we visit. He thought it was awesome that my human brought me to see the residents. But my human said it is our pleasure. And it is.

A lot of people remark about how nice it is of my human to take time out of her day to do visits with me. But that’s not how we perceive it. My human considers herself lucky to have a cat like me. One that is open to meeting people and being friendly to them. It’s not something we have to do, it’s something we get to do! Being a therapy cat team is an honor because not everyone has the opportunity.

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Spending Time With the Peach Kitty

My human took me outside for a while, wondering if the peach kitty would show up. At first, we didn’t think he would.

But then he dropped in! Literally.

He was really happy to see me.

One of our Facebook pals sent me some cat treats not too long ago, so my human brought them out to share with the peach kitty.

I already knew I liked them! But would the peach kitty? He’s actually picker about treats than me.

It turned out he did.

Eventually my human said I had to go back inside. But it was nice spending time with the peach kitty! You can see a cute video of our visit below.

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My 2024 Holiday Gift Guide for Cats and Cat Lovers

Can you believe how fast the holidays are approaching! Lots of people (not my human) have already had a tree up for a while. If you are here, I imagine you are gift shopping for cats and humans who love cats, and I have you covered, thanks to Etsy! I did a search for the most unique cat themed gifts on the platform, and I hope my picks inspire you! Let me know your favorites.

(Note: we are Etsy affiliates and get a small commission if you click on any of the items below and make a purchase. Thank you for your support!)

First, let’s look at gifts for a worthy kitty.

Handmade Cat Collar and Bowtie Set
Your cat will look like a superstar with this personalized velvet collar and bowtie set! There are three color choices, green, wine and navy, with gold stars and gold metal. Great for photo ops, as they are decorative and not breakaway, so they are for supervised wear only.

Wooden Floral Cat Tree Tower
These are truly unique cat trees, handmade from actual tree branches, partly wrapped in sisal. The plush flower beds are able to hold a cat up to 25 lbs. No two are alike! The plush comes in your choice of black or white material.

Handmade Christmas Tree Cat Cave
Could anything be more festive and cozy than this holiday tree cave, made from pure New Zealand wool? Between the ornament details and the star on top, your cat may be happy enough to not bother your actual tree.

Personalized Kitty Gift Box
Here’s something fun for your kitty! A gift box full of catnip toys, silvervine sticks and a few other surprises! Each box is different, each one is guaranteed fun!

Now, here are some human gifts for the cat lovers on your list.

Cute Fishing Cat with Fishbone Tea Bag Holder
If your cat lover also loves tea, they will adore this little kitty who will gladly go fishing with their tea bag as bait! They can pair it with their favorite mug…or maybe you can continue shopping on Etsy and find one to accompany it.

Ceramic Cat Tea Light Holder and Cat Quote Ornament
This sweet ceramic gift set is perfect for the cat lover with a bit of a sentimental streak. Both thoughtfully made and packaged.

Framed Pebble Art Cats
This pretty handmade 5.3″ square shadowbox features two kitty lovers made from pebbles. The natural materials mean each one is unique, and special to your recipient. Your choice of frame — natural, white or black — and you can even have your shadowbox art personalized.

3 Inch Custom Felt Pet Portrait
Here’s something very special for someone with a cat they love (or loved) deeply — a tiny, handcrafted wool likeness of their kitty! You supply the photos as directed, and they deliver something unforgettable.

Etsy also has a Holiday Hub, for more gifting ideas!

I hope you liked my choices! Let me know what you think in the comments below.

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(Mostly) Tongue Out Bloopers

Most of this week’s outtakes are from my Boulder trip…and show me sticking out my tongue!

Here I am, judging the hotel’s curious wall art. Multi-media chirping birds under glass? Okay…

My human was chatting with people, and I was wondering when I was going to check out the conference swag.

There were a number of outtakes from my hotel room portrait session!

My human caught me by surprise with this one! Can you tell?

And that’s it for the outtakes! Do you have a favorite? Let me know in the comments.

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