Sparkle the Designer Cat's Blog, page 366
November 19, 2015
Cat Tree Paradise
I had so much fun yesterday! My human took me to Petco to pick up a few things… only she took me to a different Petco from normal and it was totally amazing!
It was full of cat trees! Seriously, it was like cat tree paradise!
Even though I know I was not really supposed to, I had to give some of them a good scratch. Just to see if they worked right.
I could have stayed there all day, testing out the merchandise.
Not all the merchandise was in working condition!
But you know what? After all that work checking out the cat trees, my human didn’t even buy me one! Can you believe it? I was a little disappointed by that.
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My 2016 calendars are here! Find my regular calendar on Lulu.com — OR get my calendar of outtakes from Zazzle!
November 18, 2015
2016 Calendar Giveaway!
It’s time for my once-a-year calendar giveaway! It’s a little special this year because the winner will get a choice of which calendar they want:
My regular 2016 calendar from Lulu.com with special cat holidays listed…
Or my 2016 Outtake Calendar from Zazzle.com!
I worked really hard on both calendars and had to wear lots of different outfits. I think this is my best calendar yet! (Of course, it is only my second calendar.)
To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment on this blog post and say you did on the Rafflecopter widget below! You also need to tell me which calendar you want. Once you do that, you have other options for more entries.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The giveaway ends Tuesday night, November 24. Good luck!
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My 2016 calendars are here! Find my regular calendar on Lulu.com — OR get my calendar of outtakes from Zazzle!
November 17, 2015
Etsy Gift Guide for the Cat Who Has Everything
I know lots of you kitties and your humans are big Etsy fans — and I know lots of you kitties are a little jaded about cat beds, cat toys and such. (I know I am!) So I decided to put together the ultimate Etsy gift guide for you kitties who have everything! I looked for the most unique cat gifts, and luckily for your human’s pocketbook, not all of them are hugely expensive. Only some of them. I bet there’s something for every human’s price range. Let’s get started.
Haven’t you always dreamed of having your very own ice cream truck? And with no boring flavors like vanilla or chocolate either! We kitties would much prefer mackerel and swordfish. Well, here it is, right out of your dreams, courtesy of Etsy seller Famous OTO! Okay, so it is just a cardboard playhouse and doesn’t actually drive down the street, but I bet you can get your human to make some albacore ice cream to enjoy with it.
Hot Pink Cat Bed With Owl Fabric
What a cute cat bed! It’s made with painted wood and 100% cotton duck fabric. The black frame and hot pink Hootie Hoot bedding caught my eye — but if you’d prefer the frame to be white or a different fabric selection, go for it! The human at Simply Jeanna will be more than happy to whip up something custom for you. This bed is sturdy (for pets up to 15 lbs.) and easy to care for — and while it’s not cheap, it’s a good price for a nice piece of cat furniture.
Many years ago, my human found a prefab version of what you see above at some pet store, and for a couple of years, it was one of Binga’s very favorite toys. You would have thought she sprouted wings the way she flew after it (she was also just a kitten so she was extra crazy). This fishing pole cat toy is like that one, only better made. It has a strong, braided line for durability and it’s long enough to cast the toy across a 30 foot room! The handle on the reel can be switched for either right or left handed humans, and there are two extra toy mice included for variety. The Catcha Cat Fishin Poles seller originally made this for his overweight, diabetic cat, and all that exercise helped the big guy drop 5 lbs. In fact, it was the only thing he’d play with. I bet you kitties would love to see this as a holiday gift!
I love the clean lines and simple beauty of this feeding station for cats. The bowls are one pint stainless steel, and you have a choice of finishes for the wood so your humans can match the decor… or your fur. Woodin’ You has a variety of other styles of kitty feeders too — they’ve been making them since 2004! This would make a much-appreciated gift for a senior cat, or any other cat who prefers their food a bit elevated.
Double Wave Wall Mounted Cat Shelf
The graceful curves of this wall-mounted shelving are made specifically with cats in mind! They are not book and knickknack shelves masquerading as cat perches. These come with built in mounting brackets and can support multiple cats. Made of the finest materials by Cloud Nine Cat Trees, the standard covering is beige carpet — but you can contact the seller for custom options.
These catnip mice, made of yarn and stuffed with pellet catnip and a bit of polyfill, are awesome stocking stuffers! They’re a little more special than the usual mice toys because of the cute (and bitable) ears. These cat toys by Cherry Willow are 3-1/2″ x 4″ with a 5-1/2″ long tail, so they are young rat-sized! (I know this because of the rat I caught!) Cherry Willow has some other fun catnip toys too, and I suggest you check them out.
Are you cardboard scratcher lovers like us kitties here? Then you’ll really enjoy the Original Catpod! Made of eco-friendly, industrial strength cardboard, this is more than a mere scratching environment! It’s a napping spot, a tunnel to zoom through, and with the peepholes, it has endless possibilities for fun kitty games! The Original Catpods human makes some other cardboard scratcher accessories too.
If you already know about this Yoga Cat Mat, you’ll also know I’m one of their spokeskitties. We have a green mat and one of us can frequently be found hanging out on it. It’s a cool lounging surface and, of course, a good place to practice your Downward Facing Cat pose (or better yet, Shavasana). I recommend the gift set, which includes two toys and a muslin bag of catnip! If purple isn’t your thing, the Feline Yogi human has a variety of colors, and you are bound to find one you love.
Meow Match Teaser Wand Cat Toy
At cat shows, you can find vendors selling all sorts of unusual cat toys that people buy to keep up their cats’ energy when they are going into judging rings. One of the very favorite types of toys are those that look like what you see above! These toys really do move and wiggle like living critters, and they are lots of fun! These wand teasers come in home-sized lengths, either a 12″ or a 24″ wand. The toys are interchangeable, so you can always browse through The Meow Match Shop and buy several toys for one wand.
Talk about elegance and style! This elevated cat bed is a high quality, sophisticated piece of feline furniture that blends right in with today’s modern decor. The tube is made of tough materal, and you have a choice of 31 colors of fabric and 21 colors of recycled leather. Made by Faust Brothers, these beds are built to last and look good for years to come.
Now, this is really for the cat who has everything! Show who is in charge at your house with this amazing throne, lovingly hand crafted by the Square Paws human with stunning details fit for a kitty king or Queen! This is an amazing lounger that all the cats on social media will be talking about. Be the envy of your feline Facebook friends and Twitter kitties! Pose on it and show off on Instagram and Pinterest! Just remember to be a little bit humble — otherwise your subjects may rebel.
Bag o’ Catnip Coal Lumps Cat Toy
Oh, and I even found something for those kitties who wound up on the Naughty List! Yes, you get lumps of coal… but they are stuffed with catnip, so it’s not all bad! From Housecat Club, which has lots of very fun catnip toys for good and bad kitties.
Want to do more gift shopping at Etsy? Check out their Holiday Gift Guide!
Disclosure: I am an Etsy affiliate so if you follow any of the above links and buy something, I will get a small commission… a not-quite-as-small commission if you buy one of the pricier items! But I only share things I think my readers would really enjoy!
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My 2016 calendars are here! Find my regular calendar on Lulu.com — OR get my calendar of outtakes from Zazzle!
November 16, 2015
Cat Show Craziness
This past weekend’s cat show was really weird! It was at a place in Arcadia I’ve been to a bunch of times before, but the hall was double booked, so they had to change things around. They put four of the judging rings in a room we cats had never been to before, and on the first day, everything in the main hall where we were benched between rings had to be broken down by 12:30 PM — that meant judging had to start an hour earlier than usual. That threw everyone off, especially those like my human who are not morning people to begin with.
All us cats were thrown off too, being carried to the new room. In the very first ring, I was so fascinated with my unfamiliar surroundings, I decided to walk right off the judging table and go exploring! Apparently you are not supposed to do that because all the humans seemed kind of upset. I wasn’t scared though, and I just wanted to look at stuff. My human held her hand out like she was going to pet me, but she picked me up instead and returned me to the judging ring. (Yes, I did final in that ring!) My human didn’t get any photos of that, but she did get this photo of me in another ring where I got finaled as Best Longhaired Alter. Most of the cats decided they did not like this room where these judging rings were, and it seemed to throw everyone a little bit off.
My breeder was there with my half brother, and with the pretty Abyssinian girl. You can see her being judged above. Both of them did well, but the Aby kitten did really well.
I spent a lot of time perfecting my cute poses. These Arcadia shows don’t draw a whole lot of public viewers, but a few people did come by and admire me.
And… out of 13 rings, I wound up getting 11 finals! Although that is kind of deceptive: the total number of Altered cats that were competing was very small (13), and the Longhaired Alters (of which I am one) was even smaller: just three cats! So six of those finals were Specialty, which meant the Longhaired Alters only… and we three all got finaled every Specialty ring! Only five of the finals were actually competitive — so I still did really, really good!
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My 2016 calendars are here! Find my regular calendar on Lulu.com — OR get my calendar of outtakes from Zazzle!
November 15, 2015
Last-Minute Selfie
It’s been a busy week around here, so I didn’t get around to doing a selfie until yesterday! I have a cat show this weekend, but its schedule got turned around so that my human and I wound up coming home early, around 12:30 in the afternoon. I wanted to take a nap in my freshly-washed fluffy white bed, but I figured I’d better get my selfie out of the way first.
First I had to set up the iPhone…
Well, that’s just terrible! I look like I am already napping. This definitely required a redo.
That’s not perfect, but it’s lots better! Plus you can see some of the view outside my office window too. I still have one more day of the cat show, and I’ll let you know how it all went!
My 2016 calendars are here! Find my regular calendar on Lulu.com — OR get my calendar of outtakes from Zazzle!
November 14, 2015
Saturday Catinee: Starring ME!
I thought you might enjoy seeing a couple of videos from last weekend during my Livermore trip!
First up is a video that Spitty’s human shot when I got Best Premier in one of the judging rings. I think you will enjoy seeing the judge parade around with me in her arms. She also said some really nice things about me. Can you tell I like being the center of attention?
If you can’t see the above video, click here to watch it on YouTube!
That night, after the cat show, I was still amped up, so as you may recall, my human put the harness on me and took me for a walk in the hallways. Here is a video she took of me walking. I kept looking at the camera because I thought it was weird that my human was walking backwards in front of me! Usually she walks behind me and lets me lead the way. You can also see that when I paused to sniff at a door that was not to our hotel room, all my human had to do was tug on the leash a little and I went back to walking. I am a very good leash walker!
If you can’t see the above video, click here to watch it on YouTube!
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My 2016 calendars are here! Find my regular calendar on Lulu.com — OR get my calendar of outtakes from Zazzle!
November 13, 2015
Emotional Wellbeing for Cats and Humans – 7 Tips from the Purina #BetterWithPets Summit
Although my human had a fun time at the Purina Better With Pets summit, she also learned a lot! The focus was on emotional wellbeing — how pets offer it to humans, and how humans offer it to pets. Here are some key takeaways for cats and humans.
1. Cats are not low maintenance pets… but maintenance is not a bad thing!
Caring for your cat and spending time with her creates the type of bond that enhances emotional wellbeing… for both of you.
2. When kittens are 2 to 7 weeks of age, that is the time to begin socialization.
The younger the better for socialization! This is when humans should be really hands on with kittens, giving them claw trims, cuddling them, and teaching them that humans make good servants. Unless you are a kitten fosterer or you don’t get your female cat spayed in time, you may never get the chance to socialize kittens this young — but it’s still good info to know.
3. The safer you make an older cat feel, the more successful you will be at socializing him.
Adult cats like routine and distrust change, so the best thing you can do when adopting an older cat, or moving to a new place with your grownup kitties is to make them feel safe. Create hiding spots for them and don’t try to force new things on them. Let them explore in their own time. Give them quiet spots, peace and if possible, familiar smells. No sudden surprises, please!
4. Cats hate chaos.
Even if you don’t have a specific schedule (like if you don’t have to be at work every day), make sure your cat’s life is orderly. We hate getting fed late. Moving a favorite piece of furniture around can be upsetting for a cat. Routine makes us feel secure. Even an outgoing, curious cat like me likes order. When I go stay in a hotel room or get set up at a cat show, there’s a routine to it, and I’m used to that. If my human can create order out of our crazy life, I’m sure you can do it for your cat.
5. When you interact with a cat, it’ll be a more satisfying experience for both of you if you follow the cat’s lead.
Are you one of those humans who just willfully grabs a cat and hugs her, even though she was just sleeping or minding her own business? No wonder the cat is squirming out of your grasp. I know we kitties are irresistible, but if you let us dictate the interaction, we’ll stick around longer and like you better.
6. Cats are not small humans, and we have our own specific cat needs.
Makes sense, doesn’t it? But humans forget this all the time. When we behave badly they think it is out of jealousy or spite, but these are human, not cat emotions. When we do something you may not like, it’s because we are stressed out, unhappy or sick, and the only way that can change is by you removing or changing whatever is stressing us out, or by taking us to the vet. Don’t think our misbehavior comes from an emotional motivation — it doesn’t.
7. There is such a thing as positive stress — for humans and cats!
For humans, positive stress is when you are challenged to excel. Positive stress for a cat is when she is challenged… to get treats! It’s true. Treat puzzles, or training your cat to do tricks for treats (like me!) helps stimulate her mentally and engages her. Doing tricks helps strengthen the human to cat bond too. Challenge can also be a really good play session, hunting a toy on a string or playing fetch with a catnip toy (whether it’s the human or the cat that does the fetching). All these are life-enhancing for kitties, and should be done routinely.
I hope you enjoyed these tips!
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Disclosure: My post today is sponsored by Nestlé Purina, which means I am being compensated for telling you all about my human’s experience at the Purina Better With Pets summit (and my human got to attend as Purina’s guest). But remember — I only share information that is relevant to my readers, always!
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My 2016 calendars are here! Find my regular calendar on Lulu.com — OR get my calendar of outtakes from Zazzle!
November 12, 2015
Behind the Scenes of a Kitty Photo Shoot!
As you might recall, when I was up in Livermore over the weekend, Skeezix’s human gave me a few of his old outfits. My human had me do a photo session with some of them this week, and I thought you would like to go behind the scenes to see how I get the cool poses! I’m just going to show you one of the things I wore, this awesome pink satin jacket… and I’m also going to show you some of what went on to get the photos.
Before my human got me posing, she had to put up the backdrop and make sure the lighting was right. For the lighting, she uses a stand-in so I don’t have to be bothered with it. The stand-in is generally anything that is handy, and in this case it was an old wind-up cat clown toy. As you can see, I am not impressed by it.
I don’t need to show you how I got the jacket on because all that happened was my human put it on me and slipped my front legs through the arms! I am usually pretty easy to put clothes on because I don’t care about getting dressed up. But I was feeling antsy and distracted and it was difficult to get me to sit still for this particular photo session. Sometimes my human uses treats to get me to stay, but when I’m like this, she will bring out one of my favorite toys instead, like this magenta sparkle ball.
As you can see, it got my attention! My human let me play with it a little bit… and then she took it!
I was really excited, but once I got on the platform I started to get more focused.
Once I was a little more focused, my human could wave the toy in the direction she wanted me to look.
We tried a few different poses and looks until my human was satisfied — and before I got bored!
I hope you enjoyed this look behind the scenes of one of my photo sessions! Once I was done, my human and I took a break and played with the sparkle ball for a while — when photographing kitties, always make it fun!
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My 2016 calendars are here! Find my regular calendar on Lulu.com — OR get my calendar of outtakes from Zazzle!
November 11, 2015
Honoring and Healing Our Veterans Today, Feline Style

Photo courtesy Defense Imagery Management Operations Center
Cats and humans who serve in the armed forces have a very special relationship. Other than the mousers onboard ships, we cats usually don’t have specific duties to perform like dogs or horses do. But we are very important nevertheless. So very many of these humans find themselves in horrible situations that damage them not only physically but mentally. And more often than you might guess (because it is often against regulations), cats have shown up to help soldiers through stressful times, and to remind them of their inherent humanity. Here is a short video that tells of one such story of a cat and a soldier — and the amazing efforts taken by the soldier, and a key helper, to get the kitty to the States:
If you can’t see the above video, click here to watch it on YouTube.
Not only do humans in the Armed forces receive healing from cats, we cats also receive help from them. Not always in a foreign land either. The sergeant below is rescuing a cat during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
November 10, 2015
The Hatch Pet Carrier Is Coming – and It’s Awesome!
As you know, I travel a lot! Car, plane, Metrorail and even boat — you name it, I’ve been on it (and as soon as pets are allowed on trains in my area, you know I’ll be there too). So I consider myself something of an expert on carriers. My human owns several for me, each one with its pros and cons. When I was contacted about the Hatch Pet Carrier, I looked over the details thoroughly to see what made this one different from the rest. A lot, it turns out! This new, innovative carrier is getting ready to hit the market next spring and you can reserve one now at a discount by supporting the Hatch Kickstarter campaign. Let me tell you why you will want to do this!
What makes Hatch extra special is its Direct Reach hatch — a slot where humans can insert a hand to comfort their kitty (or small dog), or give them a treat! The human who invented this carrier, Jon Mirsky, came up with this idea because he knew how stressful it was for his cats to go to the vet and other places, and he wanted a way to help them feel better. Jon is an animal welfare activist and loves his two cats and dog lots, so his idea came from experience and realizing a need.

Sadly, this is just Photoshopped! Don’t I look good with it?
I think this Direct Reach Hatch is a great idea! When I flew for the first time, up to Portland, my human wanted to pet me while we were in the air (I think to make herself feel better as much as me!), but when she opened the carrier a little, I thought she was going to let me out, and I was bummed when she pushed me back into the carrier! With the Hatch, she could pet me and give me treats and I’d never mistake it for getting to come out. And the little slot closes with a dial when not in use, so it is escape proof!
But there is even more to the Hatch Pet Carrier than this special feature! It’s a well-built carrier, and the materials include military grade ballistic nylon so it will stand up to active kitties. The interior pet bed unzips for easy cleaning. It has large zipper pockets to store treat bags and other necessary items, and seat belt straps. Plus it packs flat when not in use. Quality features like these make for a truly premium carrier.
The Hatch Pet Carrier is the perfect size for cats like me, or larger kitties or small dogs up to 13-15 lbs. It’s 11″ W x 19″ D, and its 13″ height can be compressed to 11″ when needed. This meets the requirements of most airlines.

The Hatch Pet Carrier is great for kitties on the go!
I think the Hatch is an awesome idea and if you want it for less than it will cost when it comes out next spring, go to the Kickstarter campaign now! You will also find out more about this pet carrier and the people who are making it happen. I think you will be as excited about it as I am.
Disclosure: I received compensation for writing about the Hatch Pet Carrier, but all opinions (and all the enthusiasm!) are my own. I only tell my readers about products I think they will like.
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My 2016 calendars are here! Find my regular calendar on Lulu.com — OR get my calendar of outtakes from Zazzle!
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