Sparkle the Designer Cat's Blog, page 377

Easter in August

What happens after Christmas in July? Easter in August, of course! That is, if you are running late doing photo shoots for next year’s calendar. How do you like my stand in? My human always calls on her when she is setting up lights.

My biggest problem was keeping those floppy ears under control!

My human’s biggest problem was trying not to take photos of me with my eyes closed!

Yes, I got impatient at times… but don’t worry, I was well compensated for every shot!

Even my real ears were a little out of control! I call this my half American Curl pose!

I think I was trying to become airborne in this shot!

I hope you enjoyed my calendar outtakes today! If we get more during shoots for other months, I’ll share those too.
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Having problems with your human or the other cats in your house? As the internet’s “Dear Abby With Claws,” Sparkle had answers to many annoying problems in her two award-winning books! Visit her author’s page on Amazon to buy one or both of her awesome Dear Sparkle books!

Cats Rule the Word

No, that is not a typo! It is true that cats rule the world, but we also rule the word… at least words of the English variety! Do you realize how many English words have CAT in them? There are thousands! It’s yet another subtle way in which we kitties use our powers of domination. I’m surprised that Sparkle never made mention of this.

For fun, here are just a few words containing CAT — and why we happen to be in them.

AdvoCATe — we do have a lot of humans on our side, after all!

CATch — because we are so good at hunting!

CATering — because, well, food!

DediCATed — because we inspire devotion in humans.

DeliCATe — because we do at least give the appearance of being so.

DupliCATe — because two cats are nearly always better than one.

EduCATion — because kitties all have valuable lessons to offer.

EvoCATive — which is why creative humans adore us.

IntriCATe — because cats are complex beings.

LoCATion — because cats are everywhere, watching humans’ every move!

ProvoCATeur — because we are mysterious little troublemakers, aren’t we?

ReciproCATe — because we give as good as we get!

VaCATion — because kitties know how to take it easy.

VindiCATe — because kitties are always innocent!

I bet you can think up a lot more! So just raise your paw, and then leave your word, and why CAT is in it, in a comment below!
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Having problems with your human or the other cats in your house? As the internet’s “Dear Abby With Claws,” Sparkle had answers to many annoying problems in her two award-winning books! Visit her author’s page on Amazon to buy one or both of her awesome Dear Sparkle books!

The Katris Modular Scratching System Just Got Even More Stylish #sponsored

I know a lot of you are already familiar with the Katris modular scratching system. It comes in a variety of cool mix and match shapes to create a unique and stylish scratching and napping area for us kitties. Plus they are eco-friendly, made with top grade 100% natural recyclable cardboard from 90% post-consumer materials. They are also put together to be extra durable!

I’ve got some awesome news for you — Katris is about to become more stylish than ever! Up until now, it’s featured a neutral color for the side covers, but on August 17, the Katris humans will be launching a Kickstarter campaign to add 3 different color designs so that these modular scratchers will be a standout part of any home decor. We kitties don’t notice the home decor thing all that much, but I know it’s really important to you humans! Here is what you can look forward to:

The Wood Collection — there are two tones, made from high quality veneer real wood!

The Mono Collection — a goes-with-everything black and white collection made of 100% recyclable paper, formed to be as strong as wood.

The City Collection — look closely at these and you will notice that the colorful pattern is actually an homage to the Katris headquarters in San Francisco! Printed with non-toxic soybean ink and made from the same material as the Mono Collection.

They are all really easy to add to your Katris modules. Check out this video.

If you can’t see the above video, click here to watch it on YouTube!

We cats love Katris, so you will definitely want to sign up at this link to be one of the first to know when the Kickstarter campaign goes live, and to take advantage of the early bird specials! And share the news with your fellow cat loving pals, so they can get in on it too!

Disclosure: Katris sponsored this post to spread the word about its Kickstarter campaign and new modular covers — but really, I would be remiss NOT to tell you about this. We are big Katris fans and want to spread the word.
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Having problems with your human or the other cats in your house? As the internet’s “Dear Abby With Claws,” Sparkle had answers to many annoying problems in her two award-winning books! Visit her author’s page on Amazon to buy one or both of her awesome Dear Sparkle books!

First Thing I Do in a Hotel Room

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Having problems with your human or the other cats in your house? As the internet’s “Dear Abby With Claws,” Sparkle had answers to many annoying problems in her two award-winning books! Visit her author’s page on Amazon to buy one or both of her awesome Dear Sparkle books!

Awards and Angst in Visalia

The TICA cat show and awards banquet in Visalia turned out to be a roller coaster weekend! At least I enjoyed the hotel room.

I spent a lot of time looking out the window.

Even if the view was just of a parking lot.

This was a huge cat show! Hundreds of people showed up just see all us kitties.

You know how most cat shows have a rescue there with adoptable kitties? Well, this show had the world-famous Cat House on the Kings there! Coincidentally, almost exactly a year ago to the day, my human was up in this area, visiting this sanctuary!

I also had a relative there! My half brother, Tajhara Chill Factor, came up for his very first show as a kitten! He is a blue Somali (I am a ruddy), just a little over four months old, and his birthday is exactly the same as mine — March 19 — only a year later! He and I share the same mother, Bluesette… I wonder if she planned her kittens that way!

He was a little unsure of himself at first, but eventually he caught on that showing was fun and the judges were more than happy to play with him! He actually got several finals… and the last judge on Sunday gave him Best Kitten! Which is a real compliment, because that judge really knows the Somali breed well.

I didn’t have as much fun as my half-brother. Nobody knows exactly what upset me, if it was super-stinky stud spray in one ring, or the really crazy, annoying Norwegian Forest cat I was often caged next to, or something else more mysterious, but I started getting upset and hissing in the rings! Supposedly, I was not “that bad” compared to some other cats, and judges don’t care if you hiss as long as you aren’t mean, but I have a pact with my human that if I don’t want to show anymore, I don’t have to. She also worried a lot about causing damage to my usually easy-going temperament and wound up pulling me from the last ring of the first day, even though that judge has liked me before. The next day, she made sure I was separated from the other cats whenever I went to a ring, and I was better, but still stressed out.

Even though I didn’t enjoy myself in the judging rings like I usually do, I still enjoyed meeting people, and there were a lot of people who came by to see me and visit! I was more than happy to play hostess with everyone. I liked that lots.

Ironically, after my problems in the rings the first day, my human had to pick up some awards for me at the TICA Southwest Regional banquet that night.

I got ribbons for being last season’s 13th Best Alter and 22nd Best Kitten in the region! Plus I got certificates for being the region’s best Somali Kitten and Alter. Even if I wind up retiring from shows, I’ve still done great!

I was better the second day, although I still wasn’t at my best. Even so, I did make five finals! So it was still a good show for me.

Later that night, my human took me on a walk all around the hotel. We sat for a long time on the couches near the entrance and people watched as they came in and out of the automatic sliding doors.

We also went to the show hall, which had been broken down. Everything was gone — the cages, the decorations, the vendors, all the cats and people. The only ones in there were me and my human. But we could still feel the energy.
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Having problems with your human or the other cats in your house? As the internet’s “Dear Abby With Claws,” Sparkle had answers to many annoying problems in her two award-winning books! Visit her author’s page on Amazon to buy one or both of her awesome Dear Sparkle books!

Purina’s Pure Love for Pets – Instant Win Game, Plus Giveaway! #Sponsored

I have something really fun for you today! Purina is purring up a storm this summer with the Pure Love for Pets — Purina Prize Package Instant Win Game, with $45,000 in prizes. All you need to do for a chance to win a Purina Prize Package for your cat (or dog!) is visit www.PureLoveForPets.com to play! You can win a selection of awesome kitty samples and goodies, valued at $20 (you can check out the products here). If you don’t win an instant prize, you can still get coupons on Purina products, so really, you can’t lose! You can enter once a day… or if you have both a cat and a dog, you can enter twice a day, once for each species.

The game and coupons are only available until August 12, so hurry and get started!

Even better, I have one Cat Prize Package to give away to one of my own readers! All you need to do for a chance to win is comment on my blog post and leave an email so I can reach you if you win. There are a couple other entry options too, once you do those. My giveaway ends at midnight on August 11 — US residents only and you must have a physical mailing address, not just a PO box. That’s it — good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: My post today is sponsored by Purina, which means I am being compensated for spreading the word about the Pure Love for Pets Instant Win Game. But remember — I only share information that is relevant to my readers, always!
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Having problems with your human or the other cats in your house? As the internet’s “Dear Abby With Claws,” Sparkle had answers to many annoying problems in her two award-winning books! Visit her author’s page on Amazon to buy one or both of her awesome Dear Sparkle books!

Hotel Room Selfies

Here I am in yet another hotel room. This time I’m in Visalia, CA for a TICA cat show and awards banquet. I have some awards that my human picked up for me — I’ll tell you all about them later. For now, I have selfies to do!

First let me set the timer….

Well, that one was a total misfire!

Hm. I seem to have the camera angle set up all wrong.

The framing is just off with this one. Let me set the iPhone back a little farther and hit the timer again.

Not totally perfect, but lots better!

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Having problems with your human or the other cats in your house? As the internet’s “Dear Abby With Claws,” Sparkle had answers to many annoying problems in her two award-winning books! Visit her author’s page on Amazon to buy one or both of her awesome Dear Sparkle books!

Saturday Catinee: Fiddle Kit

Today’s Catinee is guaranteed to make you smile: it’s a musician playing “Stand By Me” on fiddle… with the help of his cute dilute tortie and white kitten, Stella Blue. You can tell the two of them have a sweet relationship. Enjoy!

If you can’t see the above video, click here to watch it on YouTube!

In case you want to know more about the guy playing, Tom Gunterman is a member of a band called Walking Spanish, based in Sacramento, CA.
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Having problems with your human or the other cats in your house? As the internet’s “Dear Abby With Claws,” Sparkle had answers to many annoying problems in her two award-winning books! Visit her author’s page on Amazon to buy one or both of her awesome Dear Sparkle books!

Catalina and Other Outtakes

You may have been wondering if there were any outtakes from my Catalina Island trip — and the answer is yes! Plus there were a couple of others from recent photo shoots too.

No, this wasn’t really an outtake…

But the photo right after it was!

Confession: I did try some selfies over breakfast on the Island. This is why I wound up dropping that idea.

No, I wasn’t puking here — I was trying not to drop a piece of Canadian bacon!

Back at home… don’t you hate it when the photographer catches you with your eyes closed?

I don’t know why I was waving my paw around like that… all I know is it was not very attractive!

I hope you enjoyed this week’s outtakes!
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Having problems with your human or the other cats in your house? As the internet’s “Dear Abby With Claws,” Sparkle had answers to many annoying problems in her two award-winning books! Visit her author’s page on Amazon to buy one or both of her awesome Dear Sparkle books!

#ThrowBackThursday Featuring Sparkle

Back in September, 2003, Sparkle was almost the same age as me, maybe a month younger. Do you think we look alike? I don’t, really, other than we are the same breed and color. We aren’t even that closely related. Since almost nobody was reading the blog back then, I thought I would feature some of the photos from that time. As you can see the humans were living in a different house, which is actually only about three blocks from the house we are living in now.

That month, the humans went to some big anniversary bash held by the Pet Orphans Fund. It was one of those big, expensive fundraising parties. Ernest Borgnine was there. I think my human and her boyfriend got to go for free because her boyfriend’s boss at the time was being honored. Anyhow, each table had some cheap cat toys on them as party favors, and my human grabbed a few to take home to the cats. Boodie, as you can see, was not that impressed.

Sparkle predictably did not like them.

My human also brought home a Hello Kitty balloon. Binga tried to eat the ribbon.

I’m not sure what Boodie was trying to do with it here.

Eventually Sparkle and Boodie tried playing with the toys.

In fact, Boodie did find one toy she liked… only she lost it under the couch. I hear that every time that couch got moved, there were millions of toys under there! Well, maybe not a whole million, but lots.

This photo did not run in the original post because at the time my human thought it was too risque. Now it seems like lots of kitties let it all hang out!

If you want to see the original post, you can find it here.
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Having problems with your human or the other cats in your house? As the internet’s “Dear Abby With Claws,” Sparkle had answers to many annoying problems in her two award-winning books! Visit her author’s page on Amazon to buy one or both of her awesome Dear Sparkle books!