Sparkle the Designer Cat's Blog, page 368

Wonderkitty!

I thought really hard about what I should be for Halloween. I wanted something that really expressed my inner self, something that other kitties would look at and say, “Of course!” So I decided to be… Wonderkitty!

The only problem is it is kind of hard to be Wonderkitty in the safety of your own home.

Even changing the camera angle doesn’t help much in making me look heroic.

So my human tried helping me out by putting up a backdrop and turning on a fan! Except the fan wasn’t very powerful.

I do think I have the pose down, though!

Or at least I did until I turned the other way.

Have a fun and safe Halloween! Stay away from open doors and loud human kittens!
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My 2016 calendars are here! Find my regular calendar on Lulu.com — OR get my calendar of outtakes from Zazzle!

Random Poses

My human likes getting candid photos of us cats… but we aren’t always on the same page. I wish she had given me a little warning here before she whipped out her camera!

Tips on Celebrating National Cat Day from petMD!

This post is sponsored by petMD and ARM & HAMMER™ Clump & Seal™, and the BlogPaws Professional Pet Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about The petMD Cat Care Center, but I only share information on sparklecat.com that I feel is relevant to my readers. ARM & HAMMER™ Clump & Seal™ and petMD are not responsible for the content of this article.

Tomorrow, October 29, is National Cat Day! It’s a day for all human to celebrate us cats… even more than we usually get celebrated! I have suggestions for you, inspired by some of the articles I found at the petMD Cat Care Center… and a few ideas of my own!

Get extra special treats for your kitty! Not just the everyday, ordinary treats — how about sardines, some real, freshly cooked chicken, or if your cat likes raw, get some chicken hearts! Not only will most kitties love these, they are healthier than your average processed cat treats too.
Spend some quality time with your cat! Some humans think cats are get-’em-and-forget-’em pets, but it is so not true! I’m sure all my readers know better, but I bet some of you know humans who aren’t as smart as you are! National Cat Day is a good day to educate these people about how cats need companionship and devotion just like any family member. Here are some suggestions on how to bond with your cat that you can give them… you may even find a few tips for yourself!
Do something extra special for your cat, like buy a new cat tree or fun scratcher! Especially if what you already have is looking a bit ragged and well-loved. That does not mean you toss out the old ones, however — wait until your cat has gotten her scent on the new items and is beginning to claim them as hers.
Are you currently cat-less or know someone who is? Or maybe there is room for another feline family member. Think adoption! Even though there are lots of humans out there who are working to turn the U.S. into a No Kill nation, cats are still at risk in shelters everywhere and are euthanized at a higher rate than dogs are. Cats are truly the underdogs of the shelter world, and if you or someone else wants to add a new cat to the family, those shelters should be the first place you look.
And if you are thinking of adopting cat, please consider a senior cat. Many seniors are healthy and active (like Binga and Boodie) and have lots more years of fun and friendship to give. Don’t think that a senior cat is just going to lie around all day — play time is just as important for them! Here are some great tips from petMD Cat Care Center on playing with your senior cat.

I hope you and your cats enjoy National Cat Day together! If some of these ideas sound a little too much for you right now, I’m sure a catnip toy or two will be appreciated!

The Pet MD Cat Care Center is sponsored by ARM & HAMMER™ Clump & Seal™ Lightweight Cat Litter. This litter is dust-free and 50% lighter than regular cat litter, while still powerfully destroying odor. If you want to give it a try, click here for a $2 off coupon.

Find a store that carries ARM & HAMMER™ Clump & Seal™

Follow ARM & HAMMER™ on Facebook.
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My 2016 calendars are here! Find my regular calendar on Lulu.com — OR get my calendar of outtakes from Zazzle!

15 Years of Helping Stray Cats in L.A.

Saturday night the humans went to a very big event in Beverly Hills!

It was the annual Stray Cat Club to benefit L.A.’s Stray Cat Alliance. My human goes most years, but this one was special because they were celebrating 15 years of helping stray and feral cats in Los Angeles! Sadly, I did not get to go.

But that doesn’t mean no kitty got to go — StovePipe the cat was there! He’s the mascot for Almost Invisible Cat Litter, and he supervises his human, who runs the company. StovePipe got to be there because he is one of the cats that Stray Cat Alliance actually helped! In this photo, he is posing with his human, who is holding him, and his rescuers.

This event is Stray Cat Alliance’s big fundraiser of the year and there were lots of very fancy people there! Comedian, writer and animal activist Elayne Boosler hosted and there was even a city councilmember who spoke (when you are advocating for stray and feral cats, you want these guys on your side). One of the honorees was Jon Cicirelli, the director of San Jose’s City and Animal Care and Services program. He talked about how he turned the 85% feline kill rate of the city shelters in his area to an 85% save rate!

There was a silent auction with all sorts of items, like these cat beds, and even trips!

I was a little annoyed my human did not bid on any cat things. She said she could not afford these cool cat towers — one went for $950 and the other one went for $745… which was a deal! Their retail value was three times that much. Well, she (and I) lost out.

My human loved this oil painting, but she would have felt weird having a portrait of a cat that wasn’t hers in the house! Last year, she donated a stretched canvas from my Zazzle store. She didn’t have anything new this year for them, but she is going to try to come up with something good next year.

There were lots of posters of cats and kittens that SCA had saved. In addition to the silent auction, they took donations on site, which totaled over $100,000! And that was without the silent auction totals added in.

Dinner was vegan, and at the end of the night there were vegan alcoholic cupcakes! But the best thing all the attendees got wasn’t the food — it was the program. It wasn’t just about the event. Half of it was a Resource Guide, containing valuable information about TNR, caring for a colony, socializing kittens and all sorts of cool, myth-busting facts about cats! If you think you would benefit from having this info at your fingertips, say so when you leave a comment and I’ll pick one of you to get ours!
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My 2016 calendars are here! Find my regular calendar on Lulu.com — OR get my calendar of outtakes from Zazzle!

The Halloween Party – and Giveaway!

I was so excited about going to the Halloween party at the nearby veterinary clinic! It was held mostly outdoors and there were lots of dogs and I was the only cat, so I had to stay in my sling the whole time. Nobody got to see my dress, but I did wear my hat for the costume contest. Lots of people were thrilled to see a kitty in attendance (including a blog reader!) and I got lots of pets and attention.

There were all sorts of fun activities and goodies for the humans (I was disappointed there were no cat treats… or even dog treats!). There was face painting and these temporary tattoos.

There was a haunted house inside the vet clinic… although I bet a lot of pets think going to the vet is kind of scary to begin with! My human and I only saw the first room — the cat room was run by a crazy lady (look in the bottom right hand corner and you’ll see there weren’t just cats in cages! The next area was dark and there was lots of barking and my human was worried I would get too scared, so we went back outside.

Finally the big moment came and we costumed contestants had to be judged! There were lots of dogs wearing outfits, like this guy in his Star Wars getup.

My human never did the chance to photograph this dog’s whole costume — not only was she Rasta Dog, she also was in a Hot Dog suit! Even though my costume wasn’t as elaborate as some of the others (like I said, my dress was hidden in the sling), I got a prize for being the one cat there!

In fact, the prize package was even bigger than I am!

Here is everything spread out! As you can see, there are several cat toys, Zuke’s treats, a couple of cans of Science Diet Ideal Balance, a scratcher, a tunnel, a glitzy sparkly silver collar, and a Halloween collar with bells! That is a lot of stuff for a kitty who already has everything! And you know what that means!

I am having a giveaway! I kept back just a few things, but I am giving away the scratcher, the tunnel, the treats, two of the toys, the food and the silver collar! You can enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. If you have a problem with the Rafflecopter widget, let me know and I will enter you manually. The giveaway ends next Wednesday, November 4 — good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Although this is a U.S. only giveaway, I will have one that includes my international readers soon… and there will be something special included for my newsletter subscribers!

You probably noticed I kept back the festive Halloween collar. I did that as a favor to the kitties that read my blog, since I know most of you would not want to wear it! I don’t mind it, and I love going places — and I know I’m the exception to the rule. In fact, my human was concerned I was getting bored in my sling and left the party soon after I got my prize… but I could have totally stayed longer! I kept looking out the car windows before she put me in my carrier for the drive home, and was bummed when both humans went to another party without me the next night! More on that party later — I think you will want to know all about it.
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My 2016 calendars are here! Find my regular calendar on Lulu.com — OR get my calendar of outtakes from Zazzle!

Pirate Selfies

While I was doing my costume test run for the Halloween party the other day, I also took some selfies!

First I needed to set the timer and get in the right position.

Oops! Wardrobe malfunction. Let me fix that.

Better, right?

And here’s a closer one. Can you tell I am smiling? I think I did pretty good today.

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My 2016 calendars are here! Find my regular calendar on Lulu.com — OR get my calendar of outtakes from Zazzle!

Saturday Catinee: More Feline Silliness

Although this Buzzfeed video is called, “Proof You’re Actually a Cat Person,” it is just a flimsy excuse to put together random clips of cats doing silly things. And really, why does anyone need an excuse to do that? Enjoy.

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!

I’m Going to a Halloween Party!

Usually Halloween parties are for humans and they are too noisy and annoying for kitties, but when my human and I were shopping at our local pet store last week, we found out about one I can go to!

It’s being held at a veterinary clinic near our house and it says, “2 and 4-legged friendly monsters” — that includes me! There is a costume contest! My human and I decided I should wear something comfortable and familiar because I will probably be stuck wearing it for more than the length of just a photo shoot.

That’s right — I’m going to be a pirate, again! We had a test run with the costume to make sure I still felt good in it.

The hat part is the most important. Lots of times I can only wear a hat for a couple of minutes before I want it off, or it’s just plain uncomfortable and my human wants me to be happy to be out and about and not pawing at my costume the whole time.

And… it worked! I wore it for a really long time (plus I got treats!) and didn’t act bothered by it. It’s actually one of the most comfortable hats I have. I hope the party is lots of fun and not a dud. Paws crossed that my human gets some photos!
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My 2016 calendars are here! Find my regular calendar on Lulu.com — OR get my calendar of outtakes from Zazzle!

Haunting the Halloween Display

When my human made her monthly run to the vet clinic to get Binga’s lactulose, she brought me along. The little store they have in the lobby had a bunch of Halloween decorations. Apparently they have a pumpkin decorating contest every year.

Here is a better view of some of this year’s entries. I decided that the best way to judge them was to look at them up close. I hope they did not mind my walking all over their displays.

Don’t worry — I knew that this diorama was not full of cat toys!

My favorite entry was this one. It was called “Dental Devil!” Any cat who has had to have a teeth cleaning might relate to that name.

The disembodied hand was awesome for skritches!

Plus the teeth were made out of tasty treats! Yes, one fell off but it was not my fault, I swear! It was already that way before I started exploring. I hope this one wins.
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My 2016 calendars are here! Find my regular calendar on Lulu.com — OR get my calendar of outtakes from Zazzle!

Wake Up, Binga!

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My 2016 calendars are here! Find my regular calendar on Lulu.com — OR get my calendar of outtakes from Zazzle!