Sparkle the Designer Cat's Blog, page 427

An Important Earth Day Message for Humans

On Earth Day, humans pay lip service to the beauty and the wonders of the earth. They talk about environmental concerns and how nature must be preserved. Excuse me for being cynical about all of this, but I say humans will do everything they can to avoid responsibility for the sorry state our planet is in.

How do I know this? It’s very simple: because of human predation, the existence of many lovely songbirds and other wildlife has been threatened… and instead of trying to change this, certain groups of people prefer to blame feral cats! The truth is that our feral brothers and sisters get most of their sustenance from rodents, insects — and garbage. Birds aren’t that big a part of their diet. When they become part of a colony managed by a caretaker, they will continue to hunt, but birds are still not an important part of their catch. The number of birds killed by cats pales in comparison to the bird populations decimated by humans destroying their ecosystems and habitats.

I will believe that humans really want to help renew the earth’s ecosystems and resources when they take honest responsibility for their actions — and work hard to make positive changes. That will be an Earth Day to really celebrate.
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Having problems with your human or the other cats in your house? As the internet’s “Dear Abby With Claws,” I have answers to many annoying problems in my two award-winning books! Visit my author’s page on Amazon to buy one or both of my awesome Dear Sparkle books!

Sparkle’s Human Astrology for Cats: Taurus

Taurus

April 20 – May 20

When it comes to cat companions and caretakers, Taurus humans are very close to perfect. These earthy, grounded individuals are very much rooted in the material world, right where we kitties exist. They understand the value of a good skritch and rubdown, the life-giving necessity of naps and the importance of good food. What makes the Taurean personality even better is they are inclined to let you just be a cat and not over-anthropomorphize you, like some other, more fanciful sun signs enjoy doing.

Unless they are horribly allergic or had a traumatic feline encounter as a child, Taurus humans are naturally cat people. They love beauty and harmony, and quiet evenings at home will refresh and renew them. We cats fit into this scenario quite comfortably, adding to their home’s beauty and keeping cozy company with Taurus humans on their afternoons or evenings in. Like us cats, Taurus people need their rest and make wonderful napping companions. They are also strong and fiercely protective. You will always feel loved and safe with a Taurus human. They will make sure you are far from harm’s way.

Taurus humans also love nature and the outdoors, so they understand that wild side of you that aches to experience the smells and adventures of outside life. This actually causes them inner conflict because while they get your need to explore, they also want you to be safe. If you have a yard where you can be supervised, they will probably let you wander the grounds — under their watchful eye, of course. Or if they are handy (many Taureans are), they will build you a catio or enclosure so you can enjoy the smells and views of the outside world without coming in contact with its dangers.

You may wonder if there are any downsides to life with a Taurus human. There are a few issues, but nothing that takes too much adjustment. One of the main dilemmas actually just boils down to a matter of time passing: many peaceful Taurus people are disturbed by the chaotic and hyperactive nature of kittens. Taurus humans are not fond of surprises or unexpected happenings — and kittens specialize in such things. But kittens eventually become cats, and Taurus has the patience to wait out the kitten crazies, knowing they will be rewarded with a much calmer companion after a period of months. Many Taurus people are wise enough and kind enough to know they do better with adult cats, and will gravitate toward the grown-up kitties when they are looking to adopt.

Taurus humans are extremely practical, and this may frustrate you when you want to beg for some of their dinner — or dessert. If what they are eating is not good for you — the meat is spicy or the dessert laden with sugar — you may not get even the slightest taste. On rare occasions, they may weaken, knowing that just a tiny bit of ice cream won’t hurt. But it probably won’t be a regular occurrence. Another thing — don’t expect to get them up early for breakfast. You can tap them on the nose and meow all you want, but it will just get you locked out of the bedroom until the Taurus human is good and ready to get out of bed. Like I mentioned earlier, these humans really treasure their sleep, and not even a kitty is allowed to disturb it.

Taurus humans may seem easy going, and for the most part they are. But do know that they can brood when they feel things aren’t going their way. That’s when it’s time for you to step in and be a comfort to them. Then there is that Taurus temper, which comes rarely, but when it does, it’s explosive. Just hide until the outburst is over — whatever Taurus is mad at, it is not you. It’s probably something stupid some other humans did. Taurus does have its intense side, which is why those born under this sun sign need so much rest time. And a kitty companion is always welcome then.

While nearly every sun sign cat will get along with the Taurus human, some relationships will be more idyllic than others. Cancer kitties, for example, will love the care and consideration they get from their Taurus human, and so will Capricorns — both signs have a protective outer shell, and you two will be more inclined to trust Taurus before just about any other human. Virgos will also enjoy the patience, comfort and earthy consideration the Taurus human gives them (although they may not be quite as fastidious about the litter box as a Virgo cat might like — but then, few humans live up to a Virgo cat’s expectations in that regard). Leo cats will feel well loved by a Taurus human, although perhaps not as well-worshipped as they might wish. While the impulsiveness of an Aries human might get on a Taurus human’s nerves, the same quality in an Aries kitty will be accepted as cat instinct from Taurus — lucky you! Taurus will never really grasp the depths of a Pisces cat… which suits the Pisces cat just fine. Pisces is more than willing to accept the devotion and care a Taurus humans offers, while keeping her secrets to herself. Scorpio cats will mind a little more that the Taurus human doesn’t delve deeply, but having that powerful Taurus loyalty will almost nearly make up for it. Libra cats will love the pleasant and serene home a Taurus human gives them. Both sun signs enjoy nice surroundings and creature comforts. While Taurus will be accepting of a feline Aquarius’s quirks, you will probably be called “the weirdest cat I’ve ever had.” The two signs that may shake up the normally placid Taurus human are Gemini and Sagittarius — both of you tend to keep your kittenish qualities far longer than most cats and Taurus will keep wondering when you are going to calm down! With Gemini, the answer may be “never,” and while Sag kitties may calm down a bit, they do have a restlessness that stays with them. The answer is for the Taurus human to keep your busy minds (Gemini) and spirit (Sagittarius) occupied. At the very least, a lot of play is in order, along with much window watching. Maybe if you kitties are fortunate, you have one of those catio-building Taurus humans — that would be ideal.

What about the Taurus human and Taurus cat? That’s a match made in heaven! You both enjoy simple pleasures and will love taking long naps together — that’s what Taurus considers quality time.
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Having problems with your human or the other cats in your house? As the internet’s “Dear Abby With Claws,” I have answers to many annoying problems in my two award-winning books! Visit my author’s page on Amazon to buy one or both of my awesome Dear Sparkle books!

Sunday Catinee: Can You Get the Phone?

Sometimes I see a short, funny video that inspires me to do a search for more like it. That’s what happened when I saw this video earlier in the week, of Fred the cat answering the phone:

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

I wondered if there were more videos like that… and of course there were!

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

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

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

As you can see, these are all old videos, or at least old phones. I think the world of YouTube cat videos lost something with the spread of cordless phones and smart phones.
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Having problems with your human or the other cats in your house? As the internet’s “Dear Abby With Claws,” I have answers to many annoying problems in my two award-winning books! Visit my author’s page on Amazon to buy one or both of my awesome Dear Sparkle books!

Caturday Art: Random Painting Edition

My human took it easy this week and decided to just use the AKVIS ArtWork software to try a couple of different painting styles. She picked out this nice portrait of me — this is the cropped and edited version:

It took her a couple of tries to get the Gouache effect the way she wanted. Here is the photo as my human was working on it. The settings to the right are the ones she actually used.

Here is the finished digital painting:

Then she decided to try the oil painting effect.

Once it was done, my human liked it okay but she didn’t think the effect looked enough like a painting, so she took it back into Photoshop and added more effects with the Oil Paint filter. Only versions of Photoshop CS6 and higher have the Oil Paint filter — it was one of the reasons she upgraded. Here is the photo, finished:

And just for fun, here is the AKVIS Artwork tool in action! It actually “paints” the image while you wait!

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

Now, I am kind of insulted about the next part, but my human says she wants to try doing digital art with other kitties! If you want her to play around with one of your photos, contact me at sparkle AT sparklecat.com. A couple of things: 1) it has to be the largest size photo file, like the size that comes right out of your camera, and 2) you will have to give her permission, or a “licensing agreement” to use the photo in case she wants to put it on items in my Zazzle store (which is actually a good thing because then you could get something with your photo art on it!). She probably won’t do every photo that gets sent to me — just a couple to start, and I’ll post them on future Caturday Art posts.

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

More Facebook Funnies

Yep, in spite of all my complaints about Facebook, I’m still posting funny stuff there, and I’m going to share some of my favorites with you today! I hope you are having a good Good Friday!

This kitten is my hero.

Post by Sparkle the Designer Cat.

When she was told “Adopt, don’t shop,” she should have listened.

Post by Sparkle the Designer Cat.

I would love to see this on Binga:

Post by Sparkle the Designer Cat.

How thoughtful!

Post by Sparkle the Designer Cat.

I wonder if Katie has something to say about this one:

Post by Sparkle the Designer Cat.


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

Internet Celebrity Cat Book Gives Up Feline Secrets!

As you can see I am very upset. Somebody has been spilling trade secrets! Author Patricia Carlin got hold of this proprietary information and actually published it for everyone to see in this book, How to Make Your Cat an Internet Celebrity. I was shocked to see my 11 years of hard work, distilled into 127 pages and a bunch of color photographs!

Now any cat with a vague dream of stardom can just pick up a book and learn how to get rich quick.

It has step-by-step instructions, from figuring out your type (even including “morons” and “clinically insane” cats), choosing props for videos (anything from rolls of toilet paper to Roombas), filming and editing tips for the humans — it even looks at marketing! Worst of all, it suggests that cats become authors. Hey, I did that first, with no roadmap! I had to gain my internet fame the hard way, through trial and error.

My only hope is that the majority of cats who read this book wind up doing nothing with all this valuable information, the same way humans are always buying books and then never accomplishing anything.

Seriously, like I need any more competition than I already have.

Well, if you are going to buy this book and give it a try, the least you can do is use my Amazon link below. I should get some sort of compensation for forging the road you are about to tread.

Buy How to Make Your Cat an Internet Celebrity here!

Disclosure: I was comped this book by the publisher. It is the least they could have done!
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Having problems with your human or the other cats in your house? As the internet’s “Dear Abby With Claws,” I have answers to many annoying problems in my two award-winning books! Visit my author’s page on Amazon to buy one or both of my awesome Dear Sparkle books!

MeowBox Mania – and Giveaway!

The MeowBox humans contacted me recently and asked if I would like to review one of their monthly boxes. Of course I said yes! And as you know if you’ve been visiting my blog for any length of time, I can’t do these reviews with some assistance, whether I want it or not.

So I did what any smart kitty would do — I waited until she wandered off. Now all the awesome treats and toys in the MeowBox are mine!

The MeowBox is a monthly subscription box which contains all sorts of fun kitty treats and toys. You can subscribe month to month, or on a three or six-month plan. Each box contains $35–$50 worth of specially-picked goodies and shipping is free. You can visit the MeowBox website for more details.

This particular MeowBox contained:

* Smart N’ Tasty Feline Dental Treats in salmon flavor

* Play N’ Squeak Twinkle Whack and Forth toy

* SuperCat Catnip Markers

* Ethical Pet Skinneeez for Cats Chicken Toy

* Groovy Gravy Paw Lickin’ Chicken Flavored Gravy

* plus a bonus Lavender Hills Aromalettes calming fragrance

My human said that I needed the latter item after this photo! I say, Binga would have stolen all the good stuff if I didn’t keep an eye (and a paw) on her!

The dental treats were a huge hit here! Since they are grain-free and made in the U.S. with all U.S. ingredients, my human did not feel guilty about letting me eat as many as I wanted.

Boodie especially loved the Twinkle Whack and Forth toy. You are supposed to hang it off a door, but she just wanted to play with it on the rug.

Miss Nip Head also was quite intrigued by the magic catnip markers.

Miss Nip Head #2 liked the catnip-filled chicken toy a lot! Only Boodie showed real enthusiasm for the Groovy Gravy, but we enjoyed everything else with abandon. There are different items in the MeowBox every month! What will next month bring? Who knows?

But maybe you will get a chance to find out — because the MeowBox humans said I could give away one month’s MeowBox! All you have to do to enter is comment on this blog post and say you did on the Rafflecopter widget below! There are additional ways to get more entry points too. This is open to U.S. residents only… sorry to my international friends. I will have a giveaway that includes you next time!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The giveaway ends at midnight on Tuesday, April 22 — good luck!

Disclosure: We were provided the Meowbox for free but our opinions are definitely our own, as you can see in the photos.
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Having problems with your human or the other cats in your house? As the internet’s “Dear Abby With Claws,” I have answers to many annoying problems in my two award-winning books! Visit my author’s page on Amazon to buy one or both of my awesome Dear Sparkle books!

Living the Change for Animals

It’s late and my human wasted a lot of time taking photos of the Blood Moon so I am going to make this Blog the Change post quick and to the point. I’ve been telling you now and again about the rescue cat book my human is editing. I’m finally ready to reveal the cover! The cats along the bottom may change — there was one cat in particular my human wanted there but she didn’t have the photo licensing agreement from the photographer at the time (she does now), so she left him off temporarily. Do you recognize the cat in the large photo? It’s Crepes! And you may not recognize the work of the cover designer, but you all know her… it is Glogirly!

What does this book have to do with “living the change for animals?” When my human was putting together the concept for this book, a very important part of it — a crucial part, in fact, was to make sure it did something to help kitties in need. So she decided that each of the 12 authors who contributed to the book would have a rescue they would support, and for the first year, each of those rescues will get a portion of the book’s profits, one for each month. My human is hoping that many of the authors will take advantage of this and work to promote the book for the month their rescue is benefitting. When it gets closer to the fall, 2014 release date, she will be discussing promotion ideas with the authors, and how to make their rescues part of the promotion.

My human believes that supporting causes, whatever it is you believe in, should be more than just donating a few dollars at the end of the year, or going to an annual event, or volunteering now and again. Nearly everyone does most or all of that and that’s great — but how much more awesome would it be if you could make your favorite cause part of your life? That is what my human is trying to do with books. With every book she does from now on, she wants to come up with a way to help a cause related to the subject. Since she does a lot of cat stuff, she will be helping kitties in need frequently, but eventually she will branch out and there will be more causes to help.

If you think creatively, you can find ways to make helping animals in need a part of your life. Even if you don’t do something creative like my human or work for yourself. Maybe you can talk to people at your work and get them or the company involved in a cause. Are you an older person who belongs to a seniors group? Perhaps you all can get together and work on something to help. The possibilities, like your imagination, are unlimited.

What can you do to make helping your favorite cause a part of your life? Please think about that today!

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

Quiz: What Kind of Human Do You Have?

Humans are an unpredictable species and it’s hard to figure out how best to train and manipulate them. To make it easier for my feline readers, I’ve created a quiz that will tell you what kind of human you have — and how best to cope with her. Just answer the simple questions below, and all will be revealed!

(Note: For brevity’s sake, I have referred to humans as “she,” although yours may be a he. Either gender, this still applies.)

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document.getElementById('mlw_error_message').innerHTML = '**Not a valid e-mail address!**';
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What Kind of Human Do You Have?

1) How much does your human cuddle you?
Ugh. WAY too much!
Not enough. I wish she would do more of it.
My human cuddles me at all the wrong times, and never when I want it.
My human is almost a mind reader - she knows exactly when I want it.

2) What does your human do upon returning from work or a day out?
Feeds me immediately.
Crashes on the couch in exhaustion and barely notices when I join her.
Hunts me down and bothers me because I've been missed so much.
Tosses me some dinner before heading out again.

3) What does your human do when you've done something he or she disapproves of?
Gets out that dreaded spray bottle.
Immediately pulls out a camera and starts taking photos to share on Facebook.
Cleans up the mess, if any, and tries to figure out a more entertaining activity for you.
Yells at me, but doesn't actually do anything to stop me.

4) Where do you sleep at night?
Wherever I want - either on the bed with my human or on a cat bed or other favorite, cozy surface.
Wherever I want - she doesn't even notice.
I have to sleep on the bed with her; otherwise she goes looking for me.
As long as I sleep through the night and don't bother her, she doesn't care.

5) How often do you get treats, and what kind?
As often, and as much as I want! Usually the crunchy kind from the supermarket.
Not often enough! Sometimes my human runs out and it takes her forever to get more.
My human brings all sorts of treats home for me, and I get tastes of her dinner too. I don't even have to ask.
I get all sorts of my favorite treats - yes, they are healthy, but they are the kind of healthy that tastes good. Plus sometimes fresh meat. Yum!

6) What happens when you have to go to the vet?
I hide until she has to cancel. This happens a lot.
My human forcibly drags me out from under the bed, and I cry and she cries too.
She just grabs me and stuffs me in the carrier. But usually not without a few scratches.
My human leaves the carrier out all the time, and while she is no-nonsense about getting me in there for a vet visit, she sympathizes with me.

7) What kind of toys do you have?
All sorts of fun toys! Plus an awesome cat tower (or two)! Even better, my human spends lots of time playing with me with interactive toys.
I have more toys than I could ever play with in my lifetime. Unfortunately, I don't like a lot of them. But it doesn't really matter - since there are so many, I can usually find something to play with.
I have a few toys, but none of them are that thrilling. Milk rings and twist ties from the trash are more fun.
My human doesn't bring home many toys for me. I kind of have to make my own fun.

8) You have a hairball that needs to come up so you start hacking. What does your human do?
She circles around me, wringing her hands, thinking I'm going to die! She is kind of a drama queen.
She grabs me and tries to get me to throw up on some surface she deems "appropriate."
My human is more concerned with what I am throwing up. She watches me, and then she stares at the hairball before cleaning it up. It's kind of creepy, but I guess she wants to know if I'm okay.
She usually isn't around, and then she cleans it up without much comment.

9) What is your human's most annoying trait?
She is so practical, especially about things like vet visits and giving me meds.
Sometimes I think she really doesn't get me.
She is so needy.
She can be thoughtless sometimes.

10) How is your human with the litter box?
Meh. She complains about it, but she changes it regularly.
Is it possible to change the litter too often? 'Cause it seems like she is always messing with it.
Ugh! She uses that awful scented stuff. She is always trying to figure out how to make it smell less bad - to her.
She is actually pretty good about keeping my litter well scooped and is on a decent litter changing schedule.

If you are human, leave this field blank or you will be considered spam:

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

Sunday Catinee: The Treat Monster

I would not want to get between Bert and his treats! Maybe my human should try this with Binga.

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

And since today’s video was a quickie, here’s a bonus clip from the makers of the CATastrophes web series, about how to keep your cat from scratching your couch:

If you can’t see the above video, click here to watch it on YouTube!
* * *
Having problems with your human or the other cats in your house? As the internet’s “Dear Abby With Claws,” I have answers to many annoying problems in my two award-winning books! Visit my author’s page on Amazon to buy one or both of my awesome Dear Sparkle books!