Sparkle the Designer Cat's Blog, page 401
December 18, 2014
Sharing My Instagram Pictures
I have an Instagram account! My human decided I could have one because I go places — since Sparkle only stayed at home, she thought the pictures would eventually get monotonous.
I know only a few of you have an Instagram account, but if you do, you can follow me at @summerstravels. If you have been considering joining Instagram, I think you should! It’s fun, and it’s quick to post photos and like other kitties’ pictures and make new friends. There are loads of cats on Instagram, and some of them have tens of thousands of followers! I’ve been on for just two weeks, so I don’t have anywhere near that many followers (yet).
For fun, I wanted to show you some of what I am posting. If you go to my Instagram page, you may recognize some pictures from the blog, but the ones below have only been on Instagram.
Happy #Caturday! #cats #catsofinstagram #catoftheday #kitty #somalicats #cute
A photo posted by Summer Samba (@summerstravels) on Dec 12, 2014 at 10:58am PST
A photo posted by Summer Samba (@summerstravels) on Dec 12, 2014 at 10:08am PST
A photo posted by Summer Samba (@summerstravels) on Dec 12, 2014 at 4:41pm PST
A photo posted by Summer Samba (@summerstravels) on Dec 12, 2014 at 4:08pm PST
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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!
December 17, 2014
On the Set of Bird TV
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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! 
December 16, 2014
MeowWorld Swag Winner
This is a really belated announcement — so belated, in fact, that the winner has already received the prize! But before the box left, I checked over everything thoroughly to make sure it was all there. I didn’t even chew on anything!
So without further ado, the winner of the MeowWorld cat swag is…
That’s right, Carla S.!
Concatulations, Carla — I know your family, feline and human, are enjoying the prizes.
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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! 
Stepping Up My Cat Show Game
Here I am at my last cat show of 2014! It is my first show in TICA as an Alter, or adult spay breed cat. (The show a couple of weeks ago was CFA. They are two different organizations and I am registered with both.) I was only competing against about 15 shorthaired and 6 other longhaired alters on Saturday, and the longhairs dropped to just 5 others on Sunday. I bet you are thinking that meant I had an easy time competing since there were so few cats, but you would be wrong! Because there were so few cats competing, each ring had only five finalists, not the usual 10. Plus there were amazing world-class Grands in this group, cats that are at the top of their game, and near the top of their standings. I could not find photos of the amazing, ginormous Maine Coon or the pretty little Munchkin who is still young-looking and beautiful at 10 years old, but I did find a photo of the Persian who I was competing against.
Maybe Persians aren’t your cup of catnip tea, but in the world of cat fancy, people love them, and this guy was nothing less than stunning. It takes my human between an hour and an hour and a half to bathe and groom me in preparation for a show. Persians take several hours of work, and must be constantly touched up during the show weekend — and you can’t just let them go between shows either. All that luxurious fur must be constantly maintained, plus taking care of their eyes (and other parts!) to make sure they are always clean. All this work is often rewarded in the judging ring. This guy was fabulously groomed and had a great personality. I always got the cage next to him in the judging rings and I could sense his calm, pleasant energy.
I knew I needed to really step up my game!
Although my weight is fine and I don’t need to diet, there were no treats for me! No human treats at least. Not that I would have gotten the cupcake anyhow, but if the frosting had gotten on my fur, my grooming would have been ruined.
I decided to resort to the super-secret facial exercises that are way more advanced than the ones I showed you before.
I am not even going to explain how to do them — they are too risky. If you are not already used to doing these types of exercises, your face might freeze this way!
I also did some Primal Scream Therapy.
And I took care of my dental health, even though my human said this was not a chew toy.
Most importantly, I rested up between rings.
On Saturday, I only finaled in the two Specialty rings — that meant I was only competing against the other 6 longhaired Alters. Honestly, considering my competition, I thought I did fine. It would have really been hard to make top five amongst all these more experienced, beautiful shorthaired and longhaired cats.
I wasn’t expecting much on Sunday since there was only one Specialty ring, and the rest of the time I was competing against all the Alters… but I got a big surprise! One of the judges who had finaled me the day before was doing an Allbreed (both short and longhair) ring, not only finaled me — she gave me Best Allbreed Alter in her ring! She even said she had been thinking of me the night before and couldn’t get me out of her head. Isn’t that amazing! And Sunday’s Specialty judge gave me Best Longhaired Alter in her ring too. The “Best” cats in each category got these huge ornaments, along with the tab for the ribbon (that’s how they do it in TICA; in CFA, you get separate ribbons for each ring placement).
After all that excitement, I figured I was done, but I was surprised to find out I got one more final in an Allbreed ring (I got fourth place)! My human was amazed and so was I. That was a tough show! And I doubt it will get any easier — next time around, I’ll be seeing most of these same gorgeous cats, and more! So I need to keep up the facial exercises and the hard work!
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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! 
December 15, 2014
Neko Nappers Sleeping Bag Giveaway
Wait, what is she doing there? Before my human even got the Neko Nappers Sleeping Bag properly set up, Binga stepped right over! I am beginning to think she is trying to steal my gig.
Great. I may need help evicting her.
Okay, that’s better. I’m here to tell you all about the Neko Nappers Sleeping Bag and its many uses. I also have one to give away!
You may think that if you have a kitty who likes to burrow or play Bed Monster that the Neko Nappers Sleeping bag would be perfect for him! And you would be right. It’s perfectly built for cozy slumber parties. Plus it makes really cool crinkly noises.
But I’m an active kitten who refuses to sleep under the covers — does the Neko Napper have any appeal for me? The answer would be yes!
That’s because I can do a sneak attack on my favorite toys. They’ll never know what hit them!
Uh-oh, I think I am being watched.
At least this gives me the opportunity to show off how roomy the Neko Nappers Sleeping Bag is. It is 23-1/2″ long, 20-1/2″ wide and the opening is 8″ high. It will accommodate most sizes of kitties.
Binga is just under 10 lbs., and as you can see from this overhead perspective, she fills less than half the sleeping bag! So most of you bigger kitties could still fit in it nicely.
Then there are some cats, like Boodie, who don’t like to burrow at all. Boodie feels safer out in the open so she can keep an eye on things. But out of the three of us, she actually likes the Neko Napper Sleeping Bag best of all… only she likes sleeping on top of it! I can’t blame her — it is plush and comfy on the outside too — but I think she is a little weird. Seriously, she is on top of it all the time. Binga and I have to wait to get a chance to use it.
So as you can see, the Neko Napper Sleeping Bag has something for every kitty! And you can have one of your own — just use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter for a chance to win one. This is for U.S. and Canadian residents only, but international residents can enter and name someone in the U.S. or Canada to receive the Sleeping Bag. The giveaway ends at midnight Christmas Eve — good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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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!
December 14, 2014
Sunday Catinee: Amazing Double Feature!
I have two awesome Catinee videos for you today, an adventure and a sci fi video. I couldn’t decide which one to feature, so I’m running both of them! So grab a tub of chicken-flavored popcorn and enjoy yourselves.
First up, we enter the (possibly) dangerous world of Jurassic Purr, courtesy of our pals at CATastrophes:
If you can’t see the above video, click here to watch it on YouTube!
Next up, in this episode of Super Epic Cats, our favorite feline scientist watches his cloning experiment go haywire:
If you can’t see the above video, click here to watch it on YouTube!
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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! 
December 13, 2014
The Caturday Report: Novelty News Edition
The news this week is mostly fun and a little surprising!
There are also a couple of useful posts from the blogging community.
Rumor has it that Grumpy Cat earns more than some very famous celebrities! Truth or exaggeration? Good Morning America investigates… well, sort of.
What’s better than Fish TV? Kitty TV! A family that has a colony of feral cats has created an enclosure for them that allows humans to watch them whenever they like.
Remember the news item last week about studies into feline kidney disease? Here is another study about CRF, but they are looking into stem cells to help cats suffering from this awful disease.
I confess, my human isn’t the most cautious person when it comes to giving us cat toys… but Ingrid King from the Conscious Cat is, and she offers some tips on making sure cat toys are safe.
Lastly, Playful Kitty has easy instructions on !
This has been quite an interesting week here!
My human got a new app for her smart phone — it tells a story starring your pet and it helps rescue animals!
You know I am a nice kitty who does not like to punish humans… but sometimes it has to be done! Here are some popular feline disciplinary methods, and how effective they are.
Something (or should I say someone) went wrong with a recent photo shoot I was doing!
I have some cool, last minute kitty-themed stocking stuffers for your favorite cat loving human!
And the best news of the week: my human brought a bag of cat toys to Kitten Rescue as part of the Santa Kitty Blog Hop! Find out how they liked them, and add your own link if you participated in your own community!
If you see a good cat-oriented news item around the internet, send me a link and I may include it next week!
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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! 
December 12, 2014
The Santa Kitty Toy Hop Comes to Kitten Rescue
For the past several weeks, my human has been snatching up cat toys — some came from cat shows, some came from pet stores. She mostly got small toys so she could buy lots, but she also got a couple of cool wand toys because she knows how much kitties love them. She also included some sample bags of Zuke’s G-Zees cat treats — the human who was in charge of the Zukes booth at MeowWorld gave her a bunch when she was breaking down the display at the end of the conference.
Boodie helped me do quality control. No, she did not eat any treats she was not supposed to!
As you can see, this bag of toys and treats was meant for good kitties only! But that was okay, because all the cats at the place my human was going to are good kitties.
So where did my human take this awesome bag? To Kitten Rescue! Kitten Rescue was founded in 1997, and it is now one of the biggest rescues in Los Angeles. Every year they find homes for around 1,000 cats and kittens. Most of these live in foster homes, but there is also a facility that is not far from where we live. There is room for about 150 cats and kittens there. Some are cats that people board while they’re out of town (boarding fees go to help pay sanctuary expenses), but mostly there are free-roaming cats who don’t have fosters and who are looking for homes. These are kitties who don’t really get to have Christmas (or Hanukkah) unless someone brings it to them. Which is where my human came in.
One tuxedo kitty got a little bit too excited about the bag of toys and treats! But before she visited the main area where the adult cats were, my human stopped by the kitten room. There were only a couple at the moment, but they were very cute!
This is Serenity
This is Bane. The two of them were a lot of fun and my human spent time playing with them and tossing toys around. But they, and the other kittens that spend time in the kitten room get lots of toys because there’s a kitten cam, and they get lots of fans. My human wanted to visit with the adult kitties because she felt they needed the attention and toys more. And she was right.
There was a lot of excitement the moment my human walked in with the bag. I mean, it’s a bag — how could that not be exciting to a kitty?
Some kitties need some encouragement to join in on the fun.
Some dove right in!
The buildings that house the cats are divided into different sections. One area that was partitioned off was for the cats who were less well socialized. But that doesn’t mean they did not want to play! In fact, my human remembers how she bonded with Boodie (who did not like humans much at first) by playing, so she stepped right in with some toys and one of the wand toys.
They had a great time.
Of course there is always one cat that has to try and steal the toy.
In fact, this guy got so happy, he jumped on the beams and started poking my human on the head.
Kittens are cute and it is very easy to play with them because they are so energetic. But it is the adult cats, especially the shy ones and the ones who are not sure of people who need playtime with humans. This kind of enrichment is good for them because they don’t have to get up too close to humans they don’t know well — but at the same time they realize that humans do good things for them, and give them nice things.
Grown up cats like playing (so do grown-up humans, even if they won’t admit it sometimes), and they are grateful when you are willing to have fun with them.
Look at these faces — don’t you think they deserve homes for the holidays?
My human was so happy she did this! I hope you are inspired to go play with some kitties at your local rescue too, especially the adult kitties. Even if you don’t have room in your house for another cat, you can still bring joy into the lives of some at your local rescue!
If you blogged about your experience playing Santa Kitty to your local rescue, make sure you enter the link to your post 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!
December 11, 2014
Stocking Stuffers for Cat Loving Humans
I know most of you have already finished your kitty Christmas shopping, and you are probably low on funds, but I hope you saved a few dollars for something special for the cat loving humans in your life. You don’t have to splurge on them the way you spend on kitties, but I know they would appreciate a little something. I’ve come up with some ideas, and they are all fun and inexpensive!
Stop Kitty! Wine Stopper
I am certainly not implying that anyone’s kitty might drive them to drink, but those cat lovers who do occasionally have an adult beverage will appreciate this cute little silicone kitty wine stopper. It’ll keep the wine in the bottle, even when your feline decides to join you on the table… in a flying leap!
I Just Had This Re-covered In Cat Hair Pillow
Don’t you love the sentiment on this pillow? The great thing about it is your cat can personalize it by covering it in her very own fur! At 12″x12″ in size, it fits most kitties, and it is made of cotton canvas, which works pretty well at catching fur.
Ceramic Cat Measuring Cups
My human owns a set of these and she loves them! Well, actually she has never used them. Sparkle thought they were cat bowls for her own use… and they actually could be used for that, if you wanted. Or just to admire them, like my human. But they are real 1 cup, 1/2 cup, 1/3 cup and 1/4 cup liquid measures. However you decide to use them, they are very pretty!
Kona Hawaiian Coffee and Treats for Kitty
I think this is my favorite gift out of all the ones I paw-picked today because it is for both kitties and their humans! For the humans, there are three 2-oz. packages of gourmet Kona Hawaiian Blend Coffees, and for the cats, a selection of Zukes Brand All Natural Cat Treats! (The Zukes treats are a staple around here, and we love them.) All of this goodness is nicely gift wrapped and so thoughtful for your coffee-and-kitty loving human pals!
Itazura Coin Bank
I’m not sure a lot of humans save coins these days! And I don’t know any kitties who like to grab them, so I guess that means this bank isn’t really true to life, except for the cat being in the box part. But it looks like a lot of fun! It is approximately 4-3/4″Wx3-1/2″Hx3-3/4″D, and runs on AA batteries, so remember to have a pack onhand Christmas morning.
Leather Cat Change/Credit Card Purse
Maybe this cute little leather wristlet purse could go with the bank! Or if you are like my human and do a lot of shopping with plastic, it’s good for keeping those in one place too. Made of real cowhide (so I bet it smells heavenly!), handmade, and with a wrist strap included, how can you lose? Even better, it also comes in red and orange.
Blue Q Cat Butt Magnet set
C’mon, if you are a cat lover, you know you are also a cat butt lover! You get five different cats’ behinds on extra thick magnets… and a bonus hairball is included! How can you not love this?
Cat-Opoly Monopoly Board Game
My human grew up with Monopoly, and she was thrilled when the game added a cat token (she was also thrilled that they got rid of the iron, since she hates ironing, but that’s another story). But why have just a cat token when you can have a whole Monopoly game that is 100% cats all the time? Invite your other cat loving friends over for a fun night of board games, adult beverages and cats. (The Stop Kitty! Wine Stopper may come in handy.) While it is technically too big to fit into a stocking, it’s still within a stocking stuffer budget.
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December 10, 2014
…And Then This Happened
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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! 
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