Sparkle the Designer Cat's Blog, page 403

My Long Weekend

While most U.S. kitties were taking off the long weekend and eating turkey, I was very busy!

Well, okay, I also had some turkey. My human brought it home from where ever she had Thanksgiving dinner. But I also had to prepare for a cat show on Saturday — my first as an adult!

It was a CFA cat show, and we spayed and neutered breed cats are referred to as Premiers. So I had to have a bath Friday. I also tried something new to get ready for the show. It’s called Primal Scream Therapy. Unlike the human Primal Therapy, we kitties aren’t trying to get rid of childhood trauma. Instead, we are embracing our primal power! You start off by thinking fierce thoughts, like I am doing above.

Then you open your mouth and send all your power out into the universe!

A kitty usually has to do this exercise several times to really get the full benefit.

I think it worked because I was feeling great when I got to the cat show in Glendale! The show had a “Cats In Hats” competition, so my human had me put on my pirate costume that got me first prize in Sammy’s Sam-O-Ween contest. I got Third Prize in the cat show competition! My human had to hold me onstage so she didn’t take any photos, but lots of humans took pictures. Maybe I will be able to dig one up.

I got a new toy while I was there! My human thought it was too pretty for me to destroy. I disagree — I think it looks very killable!

My human brings a lot of toys for me to play with during the show to keep my energy up. All exhibitors (humans who are showing cats) do this. But I have to be really honest — I’m not one of those kitties that plays a lot in the judging rings. I like to just stand there and pose and look pretty! The judges have to hold onto a lot of the more active (or squirmier) cats, but sometimes they just let me stand there, hands free because it is obvious I won’t jump down or try to run away. In fact, the last judge filled out my scoring sheet on the table next to me while I just stood there and looked at the audience with my tail up.

I guess my Primal Scream Therapy paid off because I finaled in 5 out of the 6 rings, and I even got a couple of placements that put me above cats that were already Grands! See, cats doing their first CFA shows as an adult are called Opens, and we are not officially Premiers until we are qualified in 6 rings. I did that at this show, so as soon as the results are entered at the CFA offices, I am officially a Premier. To become a Grand Premier, I need to earn 75 points — so it is kind of a big deal that I got those couple of ribbons when I was still an Open!

When my human and I got home from the cat show, there was a package waiting for me from Layla and the kitties at Cat Wisdom 101. They sent me a very nice gift, and a cute little orange kitty trinket to go with it!

It was a Hello Kitty T-shirt!

I don’t know why Binga wanted to pose with me while I wore it.

Maybe she wanted to try it on? Well, it is a little bit large on me…

I think she feels better now! Maybe she needs some Primal Scream Therapy.
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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!

Sunday Catinee: Killer Kitties

There is always sombody somewhere that is running around saying we cats are trying to kill humans! Can you believe that even Shorty and Kodi’s human is trying to prove it with this video? Although I do believe that he may have a point with #8… it’s something I do frequently. Oh, and make sure you stick around to the very end — the video clocks in at less than two minutes so you won’t have to wait very long.

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

Jackson Galaxy Collection Winners!

I am reporting from the big box that contained my awesome cat toys from the Jackson Galaxy Collection by Petmate! The winner of my giveaway will receive an assortment of fun toys, either those you saw me, Binga and Boodie play with here and here, or maybe something else we didn’t even get!

Concatulations to…

Peggy!

Plus, I have a second winner!

This one was for my newsletter subscribers only… you may have noticed that we got two Motor Mouses (Mice?), so when I emailed my newsletter kitties and humans about the big giveaway, I offered this up as an extra prize! The subscriber who won this toy is…

Marissa E.!

Concatulations! Now everybody make sure to enter my MeowWorld Swag 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!

The Caturday Report: Comic Page Edition

It was just a coincidence that a couple of the news items this week were cartoony in nature, but doesn’t it make for a more entertaining report?

As usual, my blogging pals add the substance to the program.

Who better to comment on why cats rule the internet (other than a cat) than the creator of Garfield? Check out this interview with cartoonist Jim Davis.
Fake cartoon eyes for cats? Where do humans come up with these things? Anyway, here they are — you tell me if they are funny or creepy — or both.
Ever wonder why dogs are such sloppy drinkers, and we kitties are so neat (along with being just all-around awesome)? Someone did research on this, and here is your answer.
Maybe you know the difference, but a lot of humans get FIV and FeLV confused. Kitty Cat Chronicles lays it out so that you can explain it to others.
This is just Part One of a three-part series on Savannah’s blog about why the wolf population and coyotes are inextricably intertwined. You will want to check out the other two blog posts when they are published because this is eye-opening — and it has a direct effect on the safety of outdoor cats!

This may have been a holiday week for many of you, but we were pretty busy around here!

We love our toys from the Jackson Gallaxy Collection! So much so that there were a bunch of outtakes! (I am going to try to post the giveaway winners sometime today.)
November is Adopt A Senior Pet Month, so I let Binga bust some myths about senior cats. I think she did a good job!
I also had a practice therapy cat session… with someone you know! (She is much better now and back to stealing everyone’s food.)
This was my very first Thanksgiving, and I have so many things to be grateful for. I think you will like my list!
My human hasn’t made anything for the Zazzle shop in a while, but she finally created a digital oil “painting” of me and put it on a card! It’s really nice. The postage stamp deal is gone, but there are lots of other discounts there this time of year.
And I am having a giveaway! I finally put together a cool, big box of cat swag from the MeowWorld/ Cat Writers Conference and one lucky winner is going to get it! If you haven’t entered yet, please do.

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!

MeowWorld Swag Giveaway!

Remember all that cat swag my human brought home from the MeowWorld/ Cat Writers Association conference? I’ve been pouring through it, trying to put together a giveaway! Binga and Boodie have been assisting me, but honestly, they have not been much help.

The important thing was making sure everything I picked out was going to fit into a medium sized Priority Mail box! I think I’ve got it worked out, and here’s what is going in it:

A Petstages Catnip Chew Ring toy
A medium sized Litter Lifter litter box scoop (These are awesome! You have to give them a try to really appreciate them.)
Two hardcover Animal Planet Pet Care Library books: Cats and Senior Cats
Flips Eco-Friendly Flying Disc cat toys from Hauspanther.com
Smart N’ Tasty Feline Dental Treats
A pair of Supercat Catnip Markers
A Mojo Maker – Ground Prey Toy from the Jackson Galaxy Collection by Petmate
A Catster business card holder, filled with peppermints
Sentry Hairball Chewables, Malt flavor
ZiwiPeak “Daily-Cat” Cuisine sample, Venison and Fish flavor (I tried to run off with this, so it may have a tooth mark in it!)
ASPCA cat food can cover
Best Friends bag clip
Zukes G-Zees cat treats sample, Tasty Turkey Recipe
A Pawbreaker catnip ball toy (these are staples in our house!)
1.9 oz. sample Petit Cuisine Salmon and Whitefish appetizer
Evercare Travel Lint Roller
Embrace Pet Insurance pet hair brush

Wow, that is a lot of stuff! Because this is a fairly heavy box, my human can only ship it within the U.S. but I will try to think up something good for my international pals sometime soon.

To enter, leave a comment on this blog post and then say you did on the widget below! You will have other options to get more entry points after you do that. Good luck!

MeowWorld cat swag 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!

My First Greeting Card – and $10 Off Postage Stamps TODAY!

My human was feeling inspired, so she whipped up a digital oil painting of me and made it into a card! The smaller photo doesn’t really do it justice, so here is a detail closeup below:

The best thing is that this, and all the cards in my Zazzle shop (and all of Zazzle, in fact) are 50% off right now for Thanksgiving. Just use the code ZWEEKOFDEALS at checkout! Click here to shop for my cards!

Even better, today only (that means November 28), a sheet of postage stamps is $10 off! I have two designs, one of Binga, and a holiday one featuring Sparkle. Just click on either links below and use the same code, ZWEEKOFDEALS, but you will only get the $10 off if you order today.

Tortie Tortoiseshell Cat Stamps by Designercat
Browse other Tortoiseshell cat Stamps

Sparkle's Santa Kitty Somali Cat Postage Stamp by Designercat
Browse more Cats Stamps at Zazzle
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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!

My First Thanksgiving

Honestly, I am one of the luckiest cats in the world and I don’t have to wait for a special day to be grateful. Unlike the majority of cats, I was born into a situation that almost guaranteed that I would have a nice home and good humans to take care of me. I never, ever take that for granted. But since this is my first Thanksgiving, I’ll give you my list of things I’m especially thankful for:

The rescues that bring their adoptable cats to the cat shows where I compete — and that sometimes enter them in the Household Pet competitions. They constantly remind me that all cats are winners, and the important things in life are love and a good home, not ribbons.
The caregivers of feral colonies, who brave all sorts of weather — and sometimes danger — to make sure these cats are fed and cared for. It’s very important to be an advocate for feral cats when it comes to legislation and donations, but the caregivers are on the front lines and fighting the hardest.
The cat blogging community, in the Cat Blogosphere and beyond, who so warmly welcomed me into their family. You guys are the most generous, good-hearted group a kitty could have!
Likewise my blog’s readers, who accepted me and cheered me on when I took it over. I know what a loyal fan base Sparkle had, and I was so worried you were going to think I was an upstart! Instead, you accepted me into your computers, tablets and smartphones. How awesome is that?
My roommates Binga and Boodie, who are two of the youngest senior cats I have ever met! They both are fun playmates, and Binga is a lot less grouchy than when I first met her. I knew we were all going to be pals… and we are!
My breeder, who let me go home with a human who had (and has) some pretty fabulous plans for me! Several humans wanted me (in fact, she considered keeping me herself), and it was up to her to decide who I got to be with.
And especially, I want to thank Sparkle. Even though I never met her, I feel her presence every day. Many of the places I sleep and the toys I play with (and yes, the costumes I wear) belonged to her, and when she left me her blog, she left me a legacy that I wasn’t sure I could handle! But in her will, she gave me the freedom to forge my own way and color her blog with my own personality. I am working very hard to make this blog the best it can be, and I hope I am making her proud!

What are you thankful for?
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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!

Therapy Cat Faux Pas

I tried being a therapy cat the other day and it did not turn out like I expected. I’m kind of embarrassed. Especially since I’m very familiar with who I was trying to be therapeutic to.

It was Binga! She has not been eating well and hasn’t been herself for a few days, so my human took her to the vet. She convinced her boyfriend to come too so she could bring me along in my sling. She tries to take advantage of any chance she has to take me somewhere, especially places that are noisy and hospital like. The vet clinic was perfect. Plus I could keep Binga company, if she wanted it.

It all started off well. I tried to make Binga feel better about being at the vet’s. Don’t tell her, but I was thinking to myself that I was so relieved I did not have to have my temperature taken!

I kept an eye on her for a while.

And then it started going all wrong. Every time somebody new came in — the vet or one of the vet techs — they would look over at me, sitting all politely in my pink harness and make a big deal out of me and tell me how adorable I was! And my human kept having to interrupt and tell them I wasn’t the patient! They were so focused on me, they didn’t even see Binga until my human pointed her out to them. Then they were nice to her too, but the damage had already been done. I totally upstaged the patient, and that is not good therapy cat etiquette.

I felt bad that everybody wanted to talk to me when Binga was the one who was sick. But she did get checked out and tested, and they couldn’t find anything. So they gave her an anti-nausea pill and gave my human some injectable famotidine (because it is easier than trying to get a pill down her) to take home. The famotidine seems to perk her up, but I hope she is lots better soon!
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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!

Senior Cat Adoption Myths, Debunked!

November is Adopt a Senior Pet Month, and while giving a home to a senior cat is a very good thing, you need to understand what you are getting into! There are myths being spread around about senior cats, and I thought the best cat to address these untruths is Binga, who is 14. She knows the most about this.

MYTH: Senior cats are more mature, and less likely to get into trouble than a rambunctious kitten. FALSE!

TRUTH: Senior cats get into better trouble than kittens because they have more experience. For example, a dumb kitten is more likely to cause a racket when she jumps on the kitchen counter. A senior cat already knows she needs to be stealthier if she wants to lick those dirty plates.

MYTH: Senior cats spend all their time napping. FALSE!

TRUTH: Senior cats who nap a lot do it because they have boring humans who don’t think they need to play. You get a senior cat, you load up on cat toys like any other cat! Have you ever seen a 70-year-old human leap up to a second story balcony? Of course not! But a cat that is 70 in cat years makes that type of jump (adjusted for size) all the time. Don’t be boring. Play with your senior cat.

MYTH: Senior cats are already familiar with house “rules” like not scratching furniture, whapping ankles from under the bed and other human-created “infractions.” FALSE!

TRUTH: Senior cats have had enough time to learn how to work around the rules and they are usually smarter than most humans.

MYTH: Senior cats understand they are being rescued, and are more grateful. FALSE!

TRUTH: Senior cats have become crafty with age. If they are acting humble it is to trick humans into not realizing they are being dominated. Then there are some senior cats who don’t even bother pretending and just take over.

MYTH: It is harder for rescues and shelters to find homes for senior cats, and sadly, many senior cats die without ever getting adopted.

Actually, this one is true, which is why you need to adopt a smart, active, trouble-making senior cat right now!
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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!

Crazy Outtakes With the Jackson Galaxy Cat Toys

There were so many photos of us kitties enjoying our toys from the Jackson Galaxy Collection by Petmate that we wound up with a bunch of crazy outtakes! Here are a few of them — make sure you scroll over the photos for the secret messages.

This was my look of surprise when I was told that the box was not part of the Collection.

Confession: at first, I didn’t realize that you were supposed to be in the Comfy Cabana, not on it.

My human almost didn’t get the treats all the way into the Go Fish Slow Feeder… we were too fast for her!

Boodie can’t figure out why the Air Prey toy is so hard to catch! Yes, she is not the brightest bulb…

Did I mention that the Mixed Twisted Kicker has catnip in it? Or that I’m a lightweight when it comes to catnip?

In fact I was so stoned that I invited Binga to wrestle with me! She was incredulous.

I guess she was afraid of my impressive paw waves.

Have you entered my giveaway yet? One lucky winner will get a package containing some of these fun toys!
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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!