Sparkle the Designer Cat's Blog, page 38

Check Out My 2025 Calendar!

My 2025 calendar is out! I’m doing something a little bit different this year and offering it in my small Printify shop along with putting it on Zazzle. The great thing about the Printify version is that It includes cat holidays!

Here are a few sample pages from the Printify version.

You can get the Printify version here. I’ll also be offering a few more things that I’ll be adding soon. You can find the storefront here.

The Zazzle version just has regular holidays because I couldn’t change the calendar part. It also costs a little bit more than the Printify version, but Zazzle does have coupons fairly often. You can get the Zazzle version here.

I think it’s pretty cool. Let me know what you think!

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The Peach Kitty Is Back! But Is He Safe?

Well, look who showed up after going AWOL for a couple of weeks!

Of course it was the peach kitty. I haven’t had a visit from him for a while, but my human saw him on the security cameras a few days before he showed up for me.

Clearly, he was ecstatic to see me! But where has he been, and why? It’s probably about time to discuss one of the biggest dangers faced by feral cats — really, any cat that spends time outside in our area. We get coyotes.

The interesting thing about coyotes is that they are a bigger danger for pet cats than they are for ferals. Ferals are hyper aware of other, bigger predators, and they’re pretty good about making themselves scarce. Locally, coyotes spend a lot of time hunting wild game like rabbits and rodents, and sadly, people’s pets. Pet cats and small dogs are very easy prey for coyotes. Because of their pampered lifestyle, they don’t know the smell and sounds of coyotes.

Ferals are a little different. Of course coyotes will catch them when they can, but it’s more likely to be the older, sicker cats, injured cats, or kittens who aren’t yet trained in the ways of outdoor life. Young adult cats like the peach kitty are generally at the top of their health and awareness. They know how to steer clear of coyotes. Which is why the peach kitty and his family have survived in our neighborhood for three years.

Lately we’ve had a pair of coyotes in the neighborhood. My human has done her best to haze them, and chase them away. They are actually pretty scared of her. They probably think she is crazy (and they are kind of right!). She can be pretty fierce. But until life gets too uncomfortable for them on our street, the ferals won’t come around very much.

My human has been keeping me indoors too, even though she always scans the area we’ll be hanging out before bringing me outside. She figures if the ferals don’t think it’s safe to be out and about, I’m not either. Which is why I got to have a visit with the peach kitty this week. She saw him and his other family members on the security cam for a few nights in a row. And no coyotes. So after scanning the area by our bridge, she took me out. And the peach kitty showed up.

He was not only glad to see me, he was happy to get some treats.

I think he was happy to see my human too, if only because she had the treat bag.

He’s also still eating out of her hand. But one thing he still refuses to do is come inside. He won’t even come into the enclosed patio for more than a few steps. Because as friendly as he appears in the photos and video, he’s still wild, and he would not tolerate being picked up or confined inside. Trapping him right now would be crueler than leaving him free. We are encouraging him to consider coming inside, of course. But it’s still a process. It has to be his choice to give up his freewheeling lifestyle in favor of a safer (and duller and smaller) existence.

Consider it: if you had a wild and adventuresome spirit and that was your whole identity, would you be happy confined to a house, never able to leave? That’s why my human won’t force her desires on him.

So that’s where things stand for now. I hope he’s able to come visit me again soon. Meanwhile, you can see the video of our visit below.

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This Therapy Cat Does Tricks!

I got to visit the children’s hospital this week, and I started working even before my human signed us in. A mother walked up to the front desk with a little girl who had her arm in a cast, and I was right there for her to pet!

I saw lots of patients and families in the lobby. Some of them didn’t speak English, which of course didn’t matter because kitties speak all languages. My human brought my bell along and I got to ring it for some of the kids, along with giving out high fives.

I saw a wide variety of kids in the exam rooms. One young disabled boy had his whole family with him. I spent time with all of them, but my human made sure to take a photo for the family of me sitting next to the boy’s wheelchair. Then there was the boy in the middle of getting a cast on his arm. I managed to get in a few pets with his other arm. And I also saw a little girl who fractured her arm when she fell from the monkey bars. She was really delighted to see me.

I have to say, I have mixed feeling about those instamatic photographs my human takes! I mean, you’ve seen my outtakes during my normal photo sessions, right? Well, on this visit, I saw a teenaged girl who wanted a photo with me, and my human took it — she looked nice, but I had my eyes shut and my tongue out! They both thought it was the funniest thing ever.

I still had time so we went up to rehab and did some visits in the waiting room there. One mom had a baby who didn’t react much to me. But she held his hand and rubbed it along my fur so he could feel the texture. The other child I visited with there was the most adorable little girl in a wheelchair. So my human had me perform some tricks, and I touched her hand with my paw. It was a nice way to end my visit.

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Cat-Themed Halloween Decor, and More! From Etsy

It’s time once again for my Etsy Halloween cat picks! And I found all sorts of fun kitty-themed decor, inside and out, and a couple of other items you’ll want to have too. I’m really fond of this year’s choices, and I tried to use the ones that had the fastest shipping.

(Please note that we are Etsy affiliates, and if you make a purchase using the links below, we will get a small commission. Thank you for your support!)

20-inch Crescent Moon Floral Black Cat Wreath
What a stunning crescent Halloween wreath — a black cat encircled by black and orange flowers. Perfect for your front door or wall.

Wooden Ghost Cat Figurine
These whimsical ghost kitties make cute table or shelf decor! They come in 5″ or 7″ — get a few to arrange your own feline trick or treaters!

Black Cats Candle Holder
Handmade using using poly-stone and hand painted, these three black cats will watch over your tea light in the most delightful way. At 3-7/8″x3-7/8″x2″, it makes an adorable small accent.

Suncatcher With Halloween Witch and Black Cat Riding a Broom
This lovely lady and her familiar come in a variety of sizes, from small enough to hang on your rearview mirror, to large enough to send rainbows through your living room window. Printed on two sides and made from transparent acrylic.

Black Cat Fall Window Hanger
I also liked this acrylic suncatcher. And with its colored leaves, you can leave it up through Thanksgiving and beyond. It comes in three sizes, from 3.5″ diameter to 12″.

Booping Ghost Cat Banner
I wasn’t all that excited by a lot of the yard signs and banners…until I came across this one! It’s adorable and charming and something all cat lovers will understand. The flag comes in two sizes, 12″x18″ and 24.5″x32″ (pole hooks and fasteners not included).

Halloween Cats Tea Towel
This kitchen towel features a cute illustration of a group of Halloween cats and is made of 100% fade-resistant cotton.

Mystical Black Cat Journal
Scribble down your latest spells or your deepest secrets on these 150 lined pages. The journal itself is 5.75″x8″ and the full wraparound print design is beautiful and eye catching.

Cute Witch and Black Cat Earrings
No Halloween Etsy collection would be complete without jewelry, and I picked out something a little different — this sweet little witch and her black cat on a non-matching pair of earrings. This enchanting and fun design comes in both pierced and clip on. The earring themselves are 1″ — large enough to draw complements but not overwhelming.

If you want to continue exploring Halloween themed items on Etsy, check out their Halloween Shop!

I hope you enjoyed my picks! Let me know in the comments if you have any favorites.

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Halloween Hoop Jumping

It’s been weeks since I’ve had a good hoop jumping session! So my human decided to do it, with a twist: I practiced wearing a few different Halloween costumes. It is the season, after all!

We didn’t do anything too crazy. I started off with my taco cat costume.

Then I tried jumping while wearing this pirate costume, which has a little secret.

Finally, I did some hoop jumping in this bee costume! I have several others, but my human thought this one would work the best for hoop jumps.

You can see how I did with my hoop practice in the video below. I think I did good!

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Crazy Random Photo Flubs

I had a lot of outtakes this week! And these photo flubs are especially wacky and random.

Like this one, that my human took completely by accident. Obviously.

Then there was this one, where I tried walking off the set, looking a bit nearsighted.

This wig coming off is almost as common as my tiaras falling off!

I hate facing the sun when posing outside for photos. And it shows.

One of my more unflattering looks.

And that’s it, I’m done! I hope you enjoyed these funny photos. If you have a favorite, let me know in the comments.

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Late Afternoon Fall Cat Portraits

After my photo session for an earlier blog post, my human took me out back for a few more portraits. The late afternoon light is especially dramatic in the fall, so she was extra inspired. Here are the best photos from that session. I didn’t think they needed any secret messages, so I didn’t add them.

I hope you liked them! If you have a favorite, let me know in the comments.

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How I Learned to Wave Bye-Bye

Everybody loves it when I wave bye-bye! And I’m surprised more cats don’t know how to do this trick. It’s really easy to learn if you are already having training sessions with your cat. Let me show you how I did it.

It all started when I learned how to give high fives. So I was used to using my paws to do tricks and get treats.

So my human just needed to transfer the movement to the opposite paw. And instead of having me touch her hand with my paw, she had me do an “air high five.” Of course I didn’t understand at first that I wasn’t supposed to actually touch her paw.

Once I got the idea that I just needed to raise my paw when she said “Wave bye-bye” to get the treat, it was only a matter of her moving her hand farther away. And by actually waving her hand as a signal, it encouraged me to move my paw like her. Because the phrase “copy cat” exists for a reason!

You can see a video of my learning process below. Plus some other fun that my human added in so you can see how much I enjoy both my video and my training sessions.

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Surprise Therapy Lap Cat

I had a therapy cat visit at the assisted living residences this week. The first house was quieter than normal. My human and I ran into the nonverbal woman with the heavy hands so I got to visit her for a while. But when we got to the big room, not much was going on. Barry Gibb was singing BeeGees songs on the big TV but nobody was watching it. Mostly people were dozing.

I did get to see the high five lady, and some of my other pals. I saw the red-haired, cat loving lady, and the woman who can’t walk but who loves me. A couple of residents who usually enjoy seeing me weren’t really present, even though they were sitting there or walking around. One of the men I’ve seen before was napping on a sofa. But he woke up when my human gently sat next to him, and he petted me for a while.

I usually don’t talk about the other home we go to on this visit. That’s because usually it’s the quiet one. But this time it was pretty lively. One of the staff in charge took me around to different residents and chatted with them while I visited. She also had the softest, best pet blanket ever, which she gave my human to lay over residents’ laps. I think it’s a magic blanket because normally I’m not a lap cat, but I totally enjoyed snuggling up on it while visiting!

We actually ran a little later than normal at this home because the staff person and my human chatted for a while. But it didn’t matter because I spent the whole time dozing on a resident’s lap. The resident was a very nice, kind of vague lady. When the staff member asked if she knew who I was, she said, “My cat?” I don’t know if she ever figured out I wasn’t her cat, but it didn’t matter.

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If Your Cat Gets Lost, Can They Find Their Way Home?

We’ve all heard stories about cats getting lost and then finding their way home across hundreds of miles. The latest one is Rainbow, who escaped during a camping trip to Yellowstone. His family searched for days before reluctantly returning to their home in Salinas, CA without him. While Rainbow didn’t make it all the way home on his own — he was found and ID’d by his microchip in Roseville, CA, about 200 miles from Salinas — he had traveled 800 miles in the right direction.

What is behind this kind of amazing homing instinct? And if your cat got lost on a road trip, or during a natural disaster, would they know how to come home?

The truth is, no one knows for sure how the feline homing instinct functions. For all the studies that have been done about cats, almost none have been done about this. The most significant one was in Germany, back in 1954. Two researchers placed cats in a circular maze with 6 exits. The cats with homes within a distance of 3.1 miles found the exit in the direction of their homes 60 percent of the time.

While the mystery persists, there are several reasons why cats may know how to find their way home.

Cats are very territorial creatures.

Many cats are attached to their home ground, maybe even more than their humans, and they instinctively gravitate to it. Many of the stories of cats returning home involve them repeatedly returning to their old home after a move.

Cats can use the earth’s geomagnetic fields to help with their sense of direction.

This would make sense, since many other animal species use this to find their way around. Sadly, this instinct has been lost in humans.

Cats are extremely observant creatures.

Sounds, smells, the direction of the sun, landmarks — they take note of all these. Even in a carrier in car, cats are aware of some homing signals.

Here’s an example. When we’ve been on a trip to a cat show, and my human gets near our home, I act differently. I relax in the carrier and stop complaining, if I’ve been fussing. And sometimes on errands or therapy cat visits, she lets me out of the carrier for the last couple of blocks as a treat. And I know all the streets surrounding my home. My favorite part is when she hits the garage door opener a little ways down from the house. Often I’ll stand on my hind legs and look out the window as we drive into the garage.

And of course, I know exactly where all the doors are that lead into my home. When I’m done being outside on my leash, I automatically head for one of them without having to be told.

Cats use their somatosensory system.

This is a complex part of the nervous system that processes all the information gathered from different areas of your body. It helps us perceive all our bodily sensations. And it helps you figure out how you fit spatially in your surroundings. This could help with the homing instinct.

Of course not all cats have a highly developed homing sense. If your cat has lived indoors all their life, they may become disoriented if they get out and wind up lost. So make sure your cat is microchipped, and keep their info current. Rainbow had lost much of his body weight and would not have made those last 200 miles if he hadn’t been chipped.

Also make sure your cat is happy at home with these tips to ensure they don’t want to wander or run away.

Enjoy daily playtime routines with your cat.Create vertical space with cat trees or shelving to broaden your cat’s interior territory.Give them good window views of the outside with perches or furniture.If they’re so inclined, and you have the patience, harness and leash train them so they learn the area surrounding your home.And spay and neuter your cat. This should be a non-negotiable.

I hope your stays safe at home and never gets lost!

Have you ever had a cat display their homing instinct? Or know of one? Let’s discuss in the comments.

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