Sparkle the Designer Cat's Blog, page 33

Heavy Is the Kitty Crown

My human found me this kitty crown at Target. It was recommended by one of my Facebook followers. Okay, it’s not really a kitty crown. It’s a Christmas ornament (Target affiliate link), but it is cat sized, or close to it.

Of course I had to dress the part first. I chose a simple royal cape.

Honestly, it was kind of heavy and awkward.

I did manage to keep it on just long enough for a few decent photos! But it was not easy.

My human wonders if a chin strap would help, or just be annoying. I’ll wait for her to figure it out.

You can see a video below of me and my human picking up the crown in the Target parking lot! I tried wearing it then too, without much success.

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Hotel Room Portraits

Our hotel room in Boulder had stunning natural light in the middle of the day. So my human took the opportunity to take some really awesome portraits of me. You can see some of the best ones below. No secret messages because they’re not necessary. I hope you like them!

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Touching Random Things, Hotel Room Edition

I had lots of fun during my stay in Boulder for BlogPaws Live. But it wasn’t all about the conference. I also had a training session in my hotel room. My human grabbed a few things around the hotel room to have me practice touching them on command.

Of course we used the ice bucket.

Using one of the hotel hand towels was also a logical choice.

I wasn’t so sure about the cup! You can see what I mean in the video below. I hope you enoy it!

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Unlocking the Mystery of Your Cat’s Love Language

Do you speak Kitty as a second language? If you have one or more cats in your life, you should! The thing about cat speak is that it’s very different from the way humans communicate. And it’s also totally different from dog language. Think of it like comparing Japanese and English — it involves a different way of thinking, even when the message is the same or similar. We cats just process our thoughts, emotions, and ideas in a way that’s unfamiliar to humans. And that includes our love language.

Because of this, people often don’t realize their cat is expressing love and devotion. They may even think their cat is aloof and unaffectionate…when nothing could be further from the truth! So let me break down some of the signals for you.

Cats want to be with you…but not necessarily in your face

Have you ever had a cat that followed you from room to room, but never actually got up close and personal? Like you would look up from your book or the TV and there they were on the other side of the room? Your cat was showing that they wanted to share space with you.

Cats don’t need to be all over you to express their devotion. They’re perfectly comfortable with being nearby and feeling your presence. They just like knowing you’re there, and vice versa.

The slow blink

This is one of the most well-known expressions of cat love. When a relaxed cat looks your way, slowly blinks at you and then looks away, it signals trust and affection. It’s often given from a distance. When a cat gives you a slow blink, blinking back is a nice way to return the favor. Just don’t stare — that’s a threat and a challenge to a cat.

The love language of a cat’s tail

Dogs wag their tails when they are happy to see you. Conversely, a cat whipping its tail back and forth means trouble because they are agitated! But a cat’s tail does express love when it’s held high as they approach you. If their tail curves at the tip in a question mark shape, they are extra happy to see you.

Want to know when a cat’s really excited? Their tail shakes! Yes, cats shake their tails when they are spraying too, but this is different. When they’re excited, it’s often accompanied by the next love signal.

Happy paws are love paws

Some people call this kneading or making biscuits. My human calls them happy paws because that is exactly what they are! If your cat is making happy paws on or around you, they are definitely glad to be in your company.

A really happy cat will do it even when they’re standing. I do that sometimes, with my tail shaking. It’s like I’m so happy I can barely control myself!

Marking you as their own

Cats have scent glands in several parts of their body, including their head, the base and top of their tail, and their paw pads. When they rub up against something, they are marking it with their scent. That way other cats (and other animals too) know they’ve been there. Cats also mark those they love. It’s their way of saying, “You are mine.”

Giving you headbutts

Also known as “bunting,” headbutts are a cute sign of affection from your cat. You might consider it one way a kitty kisses you. And yes, it’s also one way in which they mark you.

Sleeping with you

Cats aren’t always about keeping a loving distance from you. They can and will get up close and personal if they really trust you. A cat that solicits physical connection with you trusts you a lot. One that sleeps with you considers you the closest of family.

Every cat is different. Those who are highly socialized spread their love language openly and freely. They’ll express themselves through physical contact and other ways that humans may consider more traditional. But those that are shy around humans, or come from a feral background won’t be so obvious. When a cat like that chooses to share space with you, even from a few feet away, that it’s a big compliment and not to be taken lightly. If they look over at you, give you a slow blink, and then look away, you’ve gotten a precious gift.

When a cat loves you, no matter how they express it, always remember it’s a deep display of trust. Never betray it or take it for granted. Cats take betrayal harder than most creatures, and it will be really hard to regain their trust. Cat love is both deep and fragile. Always remember that.

How does your cat say they love you? Let’s discuss it in the comments.

The post Unlocking the Mystery of Your Cat’s Love Language appeared first on Summer’s Fabulous Cat Life.

Can My Human Socialize the Peach Kitty?

Guess who came to see me the morning after I got back from Boulder?

Well, I guess from the title of this blog post, you didn’t have to guess! My human said he was watching me nap from the leaded glass doors. So she got my leash and woke me up to see him.

Of course, we were both looking forward to getting treats!

While we were hanging out, my human got an idea.

While he was really close to me, my human held her hand out and let me rub up against it and petted me, which I really enjoyed.

Then she reached out her hand to the peach kitty. He looked at her hand and didn’t run away immediately. But he wouldn’t rub on her fingers like I do. Eventually he wandered off.

He did take a few steps into the enclosed patio, though! My human leaves treats for him a couple of feet inside when we’re done with our visits, so he has been inside here before. At least partway. But he usually doesn’t go inside while my human is still outside.

Then he wanted to play with me, and I didn’t want to. I never do! I just don’t play with other kitties.

By then, it was time to go inside, but I asked for one treat before we did.

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My Fun Weekend at BlogPaws Live in Boulder

I haven’t been to a blogging conference since before the pandemic, so I was very excited! Before going down to the reception I explored the hotel a little bit.

Usually hotels have really generic art as decoration. But this hotel had some really unusual things! Like this multimedia wall art which contained videos of chirping birds. There were like half a dozen of these lining one side of part of the lobby.

I put on one of my sweaters for the evening’s events, and even wore my knit hat for a little while.

My human let me explore the swag room for a long time! We were all allowed to take lots of cool things like treats and toys.

Brands also had their products on display, often with marketing people to chat with bloggers and influencers.

The reception was nice! All the tables had centerpieces filled with cat toys. This one had treats too.

This is what my human picked up for me in the swag room! Pretty cool, isn’t it?

My human attended the morning panels without me, but she brought me down for the afternoon workshop. I sat quietly on the table while she took notes.

She also took me back to the swag room before they started to break it down. Some of the items on display were part of a raffle. You can tell I really loved this Squishmallows Lola cat bed.

I was also there for the closing remarks. It was an awesome weekend, and I was so glad I got to be part of it!

My human didn’t win the Squishmallows cat bed…but the guy who did saw how much I loved it and he said I could have it!

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Funday Outtakes

It’s time for outtakes! And any week when I do modeling sessions, you know there are going to be some bloopers. This time was no exception.

Sometimes you’ve just gotta let the photographer know that the photo session is over.

My best outtake series always feature at least one shot of me with my tongue out.

This parka looked pretty cool in the original post. But it just isn’t the same when my ears pop out.

You can tell I was a little too excited about being at the airport! And I get to do it again today!

Did this week’s outtakes make you smile? If you have a favorite, let me know in the comments.

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My Knit Cat Hat Modeling, on Video!

My knit cat hat blog post was really fun, and you learned about the origins of many of these little hats!

But while I was modeling them for photos, my human also shot a lot of video, which edited down into a really fun video!

A lot of it is really spontaneous, and it shows you how much my human and both enjoy shooting these modeling videos. Check it out below.

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Touring My Boulder Hotel Room

I had the best flight to Boulder! I was a big hit at TSA and got admired lots while my human’s hands were being swabbed. Then at our gate, someone came up and wanted to take photos of me. It was awesome.

The flight wasn’t very long. For some reason, my human always winds up sitting right on the wing. Even though she never wants to! I don’t know how she manages that.

Our hotel room is really nice! It’s sort of a mini suite. Let me show you.

See how much is going on here? There’s a big desk for my human and a sitting area, which my human can use for working out.

This is behind the desk.

Wanna see the bathroom?

It’s really nice. All my human’s face cream and makeup is on the other side of the sink, in case you are wondering.

My human loves the shower.

I haven’t even shown you the bedroom yet! Can you see it reflected on the TV?

Here’s the bed! Can you see the crumbled up pillow at the bottom of the bed platform? That’s so I don’t crawl behind the platform and under the bed. Which I guarantee I would do if I could!

I hope you enjoyed the tour! I’m looking forward to the rest of the weekend.

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Last Minute Shopping Day

We were nearly out of the cat food that my human brings when I’m on the road with her. So we had to make a last minute shopping trip before packing for for our Boulder, CO weekend.

I never noticed before, but there was a big water bowl right near the entrance. I didn’t drink from it, though. I have fresh water from a fountain at home.

I always have to see if there are any new cat toys.

Especially the catnip toys!

Since it was nearly empty when we were there, and no dogs in sight, I got to go where I wanted. And I always enjoy sniffing out the dog chews and sticks!

I also got to meet a couple of new friends.

All too soon it was time to check out.

I got lots of attention from the staff while my human was paying for my food! Shopping days are awesome.

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