Sparkle the Designer Cat's Blog, page 409

Sunday Catinee: DIY Treat Toy for Shelter Cats – or You!

Here is a really cool DIY tip from A Tonk’s Tail! These are easy to make toys to give shelter cats — or to enjoy yourself! All you need are some Dixie cups and some treats!

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!

The Caturday Report: Smart Blogger Edition

There were so many great stories from my fellow cat bloggers this week that most of my Caturday Report comes from them!

Well, except for the first item, but it is something that will definitely make you smile!

Remember the teen who wanted his senior photo with his cat included in the yearbook? Well, his principal got involved… with her dog! Read the heartwarming story here.
We cats are brilliant masterminds! And once you read this blog post on cat intelligence from Playful Kitty, you will never doubt that again!
Is “tortitude” real? If you have ever lived with a tortie, you will laugh at that question, but tortie expert Ingrid King of The Conscious Cat examines it at length.
Last week, the Sometimes Cats Herd You blog examined what to do about shy cats when guests come over. But did you know there are things you should think about if your cat is outgoing? Here is what you need to watch out for!
Lastly, Cat Chat With Caren and Cody invited Nancy Peterson, Cat Programs Manager for The Humane Society of the United States, to write a guest post on preventing common cat behavior problems. My human knows Nancy personally and can vouch for her amazing breadth of knowledge. This one is a must read!

And as always, I have a lot going on here!

Here is how I did at last week’s cat show… and a little bit about how cat shows are run
I am giving away a whiskerslist 2015 boxed calendar! This is a very funny calendar! Have you entered yet?
Wow, there is a new wall here! I give you the grand tour.
On Thursday, I left for Las Vegas for another cat show! But first I had to do some quality control.
I finished up the week by sharing some photo FAILS!

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!

Photo FAILS

We haven’t done any outtakes since I’ve been here, so it’s about time! A few have piled up.

Remember how I said I got treats for getting bathed? Sometimes they are slow in coming and I don’t like to wait!

This is my “Whatevs” look. Hey, I am almost a teenager in cat years (or months).

Binga wanted to help me announce my book giveaway winners. But she couldn’t get her facial expression right.

My human seems to get a lot of tongue shots of me… but not always in focus.

Ah, that’s better! Can you touch your nose with your tongue? Bet you can’t!
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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!

On the Road

My human and I are headed for the TICA cat show in Las Vegas today! Originally we were going to fly, but my human wasn’t happy with the flights available so she decided to drive. Because it is such a long trip, while I’m in the car I’ll have a single version of the double Car-Go shelter I use for my show cage, but going into and out of the hotel, and to and from the cat show this weekend, I’ll be in my new Sleepypod Atom! It’s a small, efficient carrier for small, efficient cats like me. Plus it meets airline standards as an in-cabin carrier, for when I start taking plane trips, which could happen as early as the beginning of December!

I was very excited when the Atom arrived because it was the first package ever addressed to me personally!

I love the instruction card — it is in pictures, so even if you are kitty who can’t read, you can still figure out the Atom. In case you are wondering about specifics, it is 10.5″ high, 8.5″ wide and 17″ long — perfect for kitties up to 12 lbs. or dogs up to 8 lbs. For the record, I am a little over 5 lbs. and probably won’t grow to be much more than 7 lbs.

There are all sorts of cool little details about the Atom, like the way it can be fastened into a car seat with the seat belt, or placed on the handle of a rolling suitcase like you see here.

Of course I had to inspect it thoroughly. This carrier will be a big part of my life on many of my out of town trips!

Can you see how well I fit in here? All I need to do is pull my tail in and I am good to go!

I will have lots to report from my trip to Las Vegas! I will be meeting new friends, and this show has 18 rings over three days. Wish me luck and some finals!

Don’t worry, I will be home on Monday and we can chase each other all over the house again like normal!

Disclosure: The Sleepypod humans sent me this Atom carrier for free as a favor, because I am a blogging kitty with a lot of traveling to do!
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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!

Wall Wednesday

Remember about a month and a half ago Sparkle complained about some wall construction? Well, when I moved in here, I just sort of assumed it was always going to be noisy here, with a bunch of worker humans wandering around outside most days. I wondered why the scratch loungers were placed by these doors, when all you could see was dirt and big sheets of plywood stacked up. Well, eventually it quieted down.

Then eventually, the dirt and boards got taken away from the back and I found out there was a whole patio area out there! With squirrels and birds! And morning sun puddles too. I was really amazed.

My human took me around the side of the house so I could see the new wall. Obviously, it’s not quite done yet but you get the idea. the kitchen and my human’s boyfriend’s office and music room are on the right of this photo. My human latched me into my I-GO2 carrier so that I was more secure. We have coyotes (there was a big one hunting prey a few houses down the other day), and she did not want to take any risks with me getting out of my harness! Maybe she is being over protective, but honestly, I would rather not be eaten by a coyote either.

There used to be steps going up to the left of me, and eventually there will be steps there again. Past the little bridge on the right, and up a little ways more is my human’s office. The living room, where you see most of my photo shoots, is also on that level.

Now that you’ve had a tour of the new wall, I can go back inside and look cute.
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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!

Whiskerslist Boxed Calendar Giveaway!

Do you remember last year, when Sparkle reviewed the book whiskerslist: the kitty classifieds? Well, now there’s a 2015 boxed calendar! Every day you get a dose of feline fun!

From kitty personal ads to services offered to philosophical discussions (“Am I at one with the box or is the box at one with me?”), there’s everything you might find on the human craigslist… only with cats! It was put together by Angie Bailey, who you might know from Catladyland and Texts From Mittens.

So whether you are looking to buy some used pen caps, want to learn how to forge your human’s handwriting or find a cute kitty for playtime, you will want this calendar! There are 313 different ads (every day, Monday through Friday, and one on weekends), so you are guaranteed at least one laugh a day!

Uh-oh. Wait a minute — I know that tortie! I heard a rumor about this ad. Ewwww!

Ahem. Anyhow, I have a whiskerslist boxed calendar to give away to a lucky reader! All you have to do is leave a comment on this blog post and say you commented in the Rafflecopter widget below! (If you have a problem with the widget, just let me know in your comment and I will enter you manually.) After you leave your comment you will have other options to gain more entries. This giveaway is only open to U.S. residents — my apologies to my international pals!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The giveaway ends Monday, October 6. Good luck!

Oh, and I wanted to let you know who the winners were for my book giveaways! Amy J. won a copy of Bailey Boat Cat and Grace won Copycat by David Yow! Concatulations to you both!

Disclosure: I received a free copy of the whiskerslist boxed calendar for review. Link to Amazon is an affiliate link, ’cause a kitty’s gotta earn treats somehow!
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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 Weekend at the Cat Show

I bet you are all wondering how things went at the cat show! It was lots of fun. There were five “rings” each day, for a total of 10 rings. A ring is a bunch of cages surrounding a judging table. The cages are where the cats wait to be judged, once they are called up. When I wasn’t being called up, I mostly hung out in my Sturdi shelter.

I stayed zipped up a lot so my human didn’t have to keep an eye on me all the time. I napped, and I was so relaxed that I flopped over on my back to snooze a couple of times. But when I wasn’t sleepy, I wanted out. And since I’m so good (in other words, I don’t go bolting off the table or get mad at the other cats nearby), I got to be out a lot. I got a quick touch-up groom before being shown in each ring, and I also practiced my facial expressions! It’s important to have a pleasing look for the judges.

My human said this was not a good expression to have!

She also said the judges would not like to be given a raspberry! I think it would be fun. Everyone takes this judging thing so seriously sometimes.

Often cat shows will also feature rescue cats for adoption. There was a whole row of them on Saturday from Hope to Home for Cats (they were also at the LA Feline Film Festival). My human loved these two kitties. The gray one wanted to come home with her.

I thought you might like to get a quick look at my neighbors and fellow competitors. These two blue Somali boys (blue is a dilute version of ruddy, my color) had the cage next to mine. They were not quite five months old, but they were already bigger than me! They are also very handsome.

Here we all are, waiting to be judged in a ring. We were all being judged as Longhair Kittens. (That’s the way it is in TICA. In the other association I’m registered in, CFA, I’m considered a Shorthair because my base breed, Abyssinian, is shorthaired. Weird, I know!) I’m 21. The #20 kitty is a Siberian. The #24 kitten is a baby Turkish Van. He was just barely 4 months old and very cute! My human is hoping he gets shown more so she can watch him grow up.

Being in the ring and waiting to be judged is the boring part because you don’t get to have toys and you aren’t allowed to play with the other kitties in the cages next to you… although some kitties try to break that rule. My human didn’t get photos of me being judged because it annoys the judges sometimes and she wants to stay on their good side. Maybe next week, when I go to Las Vegas for a show there, my human will find someone to take photos of me on the judging table!

So here is how the whole judging thing works. You compete against other cats or kittens of your breed, and the ones who place highest for each breed might get considered for a final, either an Allbreed final (short and long haired) or Specialty (just shorthaired or just longhaired). 10 kittens finaled in each ring for Allbreed, and the couple of specialty rings this weekend had 6 kittens finaling. In this show, there were a total of 47 kittens entered — 24 longhaired and 23 shorthaired (although a couple dropped out along the way).

And here is how I did! Out of the 10 rings, I got first place Somali kitten four times, and was a finalist three times! The same judge gave me 8th Best Kitten two days in a row, and one specialty judge gave me 4th Best Kitten! Plus I was the only Somali kitten to final all weekend. So I did pretty good!
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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: Lil BUB’s Amazing Miracle

Everybody knows Lil BUB, and all the wonderful things she does to help rescue cats. And we all know she is a special needs kitty. But how many of you know what issues she is dealing with? One of her worst problems is a condition called Osteopetrosis, which severely hampers mobility. Specialists told her human Mike that it would only get worse and her life would be short and painful. Well, Mike and Lil BUB rejected this sad death sentence! They worked very hard to get her moving… and one of their fans told them about something called an Assisi Loop, which acts as an anti-inflammatory with the use of Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy (PEMF). It also helps Lil BUB’s bone condition. This short video shows her recovery, and it will make your day to see how active BUB is able to be now!

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

Addendum: I just found out that The Conscious Cat also has a post about BUB and her recovery today! Do read it, because it has some very wise and valuable words about overcoming obstacles.
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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: Whimsy and Reclusiveness

This week I found all sorts of fun kitty news this week, plus something practical!

So let’s get right to it!

This Japanese New Digest show discusses serious issues… and features a cat!
This writer for the Today show website doesn’t offer anything new about living with a cat, but it’s still amusing to see her take such delight in her resident feline, Diego.
Nokia held a contest to see who could make the best short film with just a cell phone. Nobody was surprised that the winner made a cat video — see it here.
Even though I am not in this report about the LA Feline Film Festival, I think it’s cool that it was covered by E! Online. Here’s what they enjoyed about the day.
When houseguests came over, the resident humans of the Sometimes Cats Herd You Blog worked to make things comfortable for their two shy cats… and they tell you how to do it too!

It has been a pretty big week around here! Just wait til you see all that happened!

I explain all that goes into my having a bath in preparation for a show… and yes, I had to have another one yesterday for this weekend’s show too.
I attended the LA Feline Film Festival with my human, at least for an hour, and this is how it went!
After our adventure at the LA Feline Film Festival, my human decided I needed a bigger, more secure harness — and this is how she is acclimating me to the idea.
It was Remember Me Thursday this week, and I explained how to light a virtual candle to remember the shelter pets who never found homes.
I show off something new I got for this weekend’s cat show!
And the biggest news of all… Sparkle won Best Cat Blog in the Petties! I am so honored she left her award-winning blog in my paws.

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!

Sparkle Won Best Cat Blog in the Petties!

Do you know that my human was so crazy busy today that she forgot it was time for the Petties to hand out awards? But it wasn’t long before she started getting messages that Sparkle had won for Best Cat Blog! We are so happy here that Sparkle got one more acknowledgement of her awesomeness… and that Winging Cat Rescue will get the $1000 donation money for her win.

You all were not kidding when you told me that Sparkle would be a hard act to follow! And I am sure, where ever she is, she is happy she does not have to be the one to film the acceptance speech. I thought you might like to see her acceptance speech from 2011, however, when she won for Best Blog Post. Make sure you watch it til the end… there’s a surprise!

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!