Sparkle the Designer Cat's Blog, page 437

Wordless Wednesday: Shadow Play

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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!

Ask My Human a Question Day!

Today, I have a treat for you of dubious value! As you know, tomorrow is “National Answer Your Cat’s Question Day.” This is a day when you can ask your humans anything you want and they are supposed to answer! Well, I have decided (without her consent) to volunteer my human to answer any questions any of you kitties might have! Seriously, ask her anything and if you are a cat, she will have to give you an answer tomorrow!*

Any questions asked before midnight Pacific Time tonight will be answered! Let’s see what you’ve got for her — and no softballs!

* I am not saying her answers will be any 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,” 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: Aquarius

Over the years I’ve seen quite a few astrology books, and some astrological websites, helping humans to better understand the personalities of their cats. In fact, Cat Wisdom 101 has a really good regular cat astrology feature. But nowhere have I seen an astrology column that helps cats understand their humans better! What to do?

Well, it turns out I was in luck! My human learned to make astrological charts back in the 1980s and even did some astrological relationship work. And in the 1990s she had an horoscope column in a West Coast rock magazine. So with her help, I am putting together a monthly feature to help cats better understand their humans from an astrological point of view! I will be focusing on one sun sign each month for the next 12 months. I will describe the personality of humans born during this time, and how a cat can best use these characteristics to his or her advantage! I hope you find these columns useful.

Aquarius

January 20–February 18

Humans born under the sun sign Aquarius are ruled by the planet Uranus, which is the planet of unexpected happenings. Aquarius humans are unpredictable, imaginative, idealistic and sometimes even brilliant! They are also a little bit nuts.

There are a lot of great things about Aquarius humans. If they are cat people, they will learn everything they can about us kitties — and then they will take that knowledge and use it in some very strange and wonderful ways. If they are also computer geeks, they will tinker with some bit of digital paraphernalia to create a new cat toy. If computers aren’t their forte, they will still do some pretty interesting things with twist ties and pipe cleaners. Aquarius humans were probably the first to realize that cats were obligate carnivores and may have been early adopters of raw feeding. Just because something is new, Aquarius humans won’t usually be suspicious of it. In fact, more than likely, they will embrace the new and unusual. This can be lots of fun.

Although the symbol for Aquarius is the Water Bearer, it is not a water sign. It is an air sign. Air signs are ruled by their minds more than their emotions, so if you are a cat who likes cuddling, you may find yourself a little wanting. Aquarians are often so wrapped up in their stratosphere of imagination that they sometimes forget you want physical attention, so you will have to solicit it. On the other hand, if you are a more aloof type of cat, the slightly distant approach of Aquarius will please you to no end. You don’t need lots of cuddles to know an Aquarius human loves you — that funny looking but irresistible toy they made for you says it all. If you do want some petting, rub up against their legs and ankles — many Aquarians adore this.

Aquarians like to think of themselves as innovative, and even rebels. But I have a secret for you: it is not a two-way street. They will admire your misbehavior if it fits in with their agenda (such as jumping on the lap of their cat-hating friend that they don’t really like all that much), but do something that inconveniences them, and they will get quite put out! So don’t be surprised if you get yelled at when you try to steal their lunch. They will not admire your ingenuity just then.

One thing you will have to deal with when it comes to Aquarians: they tend to be very social. They will have lots of people coming over, or they will be going out with big groups of their pals. You may not approve of some of these friends, but Aquarians see something special in just about everybody. They are also spontaneous and not always the best at keeping a routine. All this can really keep a kitty on her toes! You may find you have to nag your Aquarius to get you dinner on time.

Aquarius humans get along the very best with Sagittarius and Gemini cats. They understand the restless nature of these two feline signs quite well. Libra cats will enjoy the fun Aquarius humans make, but will not enjoy sharing them with so many other humans. Aries cats may find the Aquarius human a little on the cerebral side and not quite in tune with their instinctual nature. Surprisingly, sweet, emotional Pisces kitties may have a lot of empathy for the Quixotic Aquarian humans. Not so the Cancerian cat — the Aquarian human’s lack of routine and benign emotional neglect may drive her to tears. Routine will also be an issue with Virgo cats, although they will appreciate all the cool things Aquarian humans think up for them. Earthy Capricorn and Taurus kitties may get annoyed with the Aquarius penchant for lofty ideas that lack follow through — a half-built cat tree in the living room could be a testament to that. Leo cats will have to adjust to the fact that the Aquarian human’s world does not revolve around them. Scorpio cats and Aquarian humans? Watch out! The airy Aquarian may rub the intense Scorpio kitty the wrong way and fur could fly.

Are you an Aquarian kitty yourself with an Aquarian human? Then you may find you have found a fellow traveler in this crazy world. Your Aquarian human will understand your quirks like no other sign would… but keep in mind that as a feline, you will still be more routine oriented than your Aquarius human, and it is up to you to keep him or her on track.

The awesomest thing about Aquarius humans is that they embrace causes and want to help the world be a better place. If they become passionate about cat rescue, they will work hard to save kitties, and will often see the bigger picture when other sun signs are worrying themselves sick over minutiae. They will come up with ways to save cats that no one else would have dreamed of. If you have an Aquarius human, I strongly encourage you to get them to volunteer at a local cat rescue — they will do a world of 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,” 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: Crepes Co-Stars in Catdance Festival Film!

I am so excited! A film co-starring my pal Crepes made it into the finals of the Catdance Festival! You might recall her cameo in last year’s Catdance entry, Catalogue. This time around, she has a larger role, although once again, another family member, Rocky, takes the starring slot.

I am especially excited for Crepes because she is also one of the writers appearing in the cat rescue anthology my human is currently editing! I get the feeling that this is really going to be her year. Watch “The Inheritance” below, or you can watch it on the Fresh Step Catdance Festival page — make sure you vote for it there!

If you can’t see the above video, click here to see its Fresh Step Catdance Festival page!

Voting is open now through February 28, 2014, and you can vote for “The Inheritance” once every day!
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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!

I Spy Caturday

It’s Caturday and I am doing one of my favorite activities: spying on the neighbors!

You mean it is wrong to do that?

Do you have any shady things you enjoy doing on Caturday?
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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: the Blur and Sketch Edition

My human made this in Photoshop with the same technique she used to make this picture of Binga, but she has been working on her technique — more blur, lightening the image layers and messing around with the intensity of the effects. I think it came out pretty well!

You can see the other entries for this week’s Caturday Art Hop here!
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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!

Twenty Years Ago Today

Anybody, human or animal, who lived in southern California in the mid-1990s remembers what they were doing 20 years ago today. On January 17, 1994 at 4:31 A.M., Los Angeles was devastated by the 6.7 Northridge earthquake. My human, who has lived in Los Angeles her whole life, certainly remembers. The only thing is, she was not in L.A. that morning.

It was sometime after 7:30 A.M., Eastern Time, and she was on a couch belonging to a couple she knew who lived in Astoria, New York. She had just spent nine days doing business in New York City, interviewing the metal band Pantera for a magazine cover story, visiting band guys she knew and ending her trip by spending a couple days with her friends Mike and Daina (since divorced). She was waiting for the car to come pick her up and drive her to JFK airport and Mike switched on the TV… and there was Los Angeles in rubble and flames!

My human immediately called to see if her flight had been cancelled. It was still on schedule, customer service told her, so she headed right for the airport… where she found out the flight was cancelled after all. It took eight and a half hours before she was able to get a flight back home. Eight and a half hours of alternately sitting at the bar and trying to call friends, family and coworkers to make sure everyone was all right. (She even called the teachers of the meditation group where she later wound up taking home a foster cat.) Everyone she reached was okay, if shaken up. The only one she couldn’t call, however, was the one that mattered most: the cat before me, Harlot. She had no idea where Harlot was or if she was safe.

Although my human has been a big proponent of indoor-only cats since she can remember, Harlot paid her no heed. She was happiest as a mostly-outdoor cat, having adventures, hunting small game and chasing other cats off her territory. Whenever my human went out of town, whoever was living in the sublet attached to her house would feed Harlot, but she would spend nearly all her time outside, making her rounds and keeping an eye on things. There was really nobody, however, to keep an eye on Harlot, and that’s what worried my human. While she was waiting for a flight home, she did get hold of Pete, a guitar player who was the current sublet resident. He said things were calm at the house, but there was no word about Harlot.

So after an eight and a half hour wait at JFK, then a five hour flight home, my human finally set foot in Los Angeles. A mysteriously dark and quiet L.A. She had possibly the worst shuttle driver of her life taking her home. It took an hour of wrong turns and almost-accidents before she was finally standing in front of her Silver Lake home, suitcase in hand and heart in her throat. She lugged the suitcase up the long, winding walkway, up the hill past the brush and trees up to her house — a familiar post-trip routine under the most unusual of circumstances. The silence was even spookier than the usual rustling of night creatures. Until finally, my human neared the base of the staircase leading up to her door. A sweet and slightly whiny meow called out. It was Harlot, wondering where she had been and what took her so long.

It was possibly the happiest reunion my human had ever had.

The odd thing about that earthquake: up until then, whenever the earth shook, it would send Harlot flying under the bed. She was deathly afraid of earthquakes before the Northridge quake hit. But when my human arrived home that night, she realized that everything was going to be all right. And for the rest of her life, every time there was an earthquake, she stayed by my human. She knew that as long as she was there, she was safe.
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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!

Orijen Cat Treats Are Finger-Biting Good!

It only figures — a package from Chewy.com arrives and you-know-who immediately shows up!

My human had to put her downstairs so she could open the package — it was a sample of Orijen freeze-dried cat treats! What a score! I have been looking forward to these because the Orijen humans have a “Biologically Appropriate” philosophy. In other words, they understand that we cats are obligate carnivores who should be eating primarily meat. The ingredients in their Original flavor freeze-dried cat treats are: chicken liver, turkey liver, boneless chicken, boneless turkey and boneless flounder. That’s it! No carbs of any sort, no weird chemicals. Just meat!

I couldn’t wait to dig in! They were yummy!

I just want to say that even though I was crazy about these treats, I was very polite about eating them! See?

Unlike Binga, who tried to eat my human’s fingers along with the treats! Boodie doesn’t take treats from my human’s hand, but she did get some tossed her way.

As you probably guessed, we all gave the Orijen freeze-dried cat treats four paws (and some fingers) up! Thanks for the sample, Chewy.com humans!

Disclosure: we got this treat sample for free from Chewy.com, but all opinions are our own. No fingers were hurt in the making of this blog post — at least not too badly.
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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!

Being the Change, One Cat and Many Cats at at Time

The great thing about social media is it is an easy way for humans to keep in touch with their friends, even when they live in different cities. In fact, the majority of my human’s good friends don’t even live in our city. They are spread all over the United States, with a few of them sprinkled in other parts of the world. But she knows what’s going on in their lives, when they get a new kitty, or sadly, when they lose a kitty. And when humans want to help out a cat in need, this can be good information to know. This is how my human was able to come to a kitty’s rescue. She will be telling the story somewhere else, so I won’t go into a lot of detail, but I will tell you briefly what happened.

In December, one of my blogging cat buddies, Mr. Black, brought a fluffy black girl named Sadie to our attention in one of his posts. Her human had to leave town for a new job, and because of circumstances, could not take his beloved cat with him. He had made a desperate plea that wound up on Facebook. They were located in San Francisco, and my human knew several cat loving friends there. So she reposted the Facebook note and tagged them, knowing that at the very least, they would share the information about this kitty. But there was one friend in particular she tagged, who she knew had lost a cat recently. Muffin was a senior calico girl who had died some months before and my human was wondering if maybe her friend was ready for new kitty companion.

It turned out she was right. Her friend had even been planning to go to the Humane Society in search of kitties that weekend. But she went to see this kitty instead — and wound up adopting her! The photo above is Cassie (her new name) the first weekend in her new home. My human’s friend adores her “pre-owned” kitty and her personality even reminds her a little of Muffin.

Usually, I’m the one who helps out kitties in need, but this time my human did it all by herself, and I am kind of proud of her! So humans, keep in touch with your friends and family — you never know when one of them may step up when a kitty needs help!

I am all for helping kitties, one cat at a time, but it’s also important to help populations of cats too. I’m talking specifically about community cats — managed feral cat colonies. And right now, the Humane Society of the United States, in association with PetSmart Charities, is launching a series of community cat webinars that are running from January through September. These webinars will be held three times a month and focusing on different aspects of community cats, from the basics about TNR and taking care of the cats to hot topics, including challenging issues facing people who care for about cats. In fact, there is a webinar today at 3 PM Eastern Time — an overview of organizing a community-wide TNR program. To see a list of the upcoming webinars for the next couple of months, visit the Humane Society’s “Supporting Community Cats Webinar Series” page.
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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!

Author Is Wrong: Humans, We Know You Are Not Cats!

This article on CNET drew my attention to a recently released book by anthrozoologist John Bradshaw. In Cat Sense: How the New Feline Science Can Make You a Better Friend to Your Pet, Bradshaw looks back through the history of cat-human relations, examines our biology, and digs deeply into the feline mind in order to bust some longstanding myths about us kitties. But in doing so, he comes up with a myth or two of his own. The most glaring one? That we cats believe humans are big, rather inept cats!

My thoughts on this? Bradshaw, you wish! This guy must think we are as dumb as humans to believe humans bear any resemblance to cats whatsoever! Here are some of the obvious ways humans and cats are different, things that a cat would have to be crazy to overlook:

Humans smell completely different from cats. I sniff Binga, I smell cat. I sniff my human… ewww, it can only be that stinky human smell!

All that weird, bare skin. The texture is completely different from bare cat skin.

The sad inability of humans to walk properly on all four limbs.

Their even sadder lack of feline grace and athleticism. In spite of their much longer legs, very few humans are able to leap onto kitchen counters.

Humans speak a completely different language from cats, and they have a lot of difficulty understanding us.

Humans need metal, wood or plastic utensils to get food into their mouths. Or their hands. The only utensils we cats need are our teeth and our barbed tongues.

Humans look really, really different from cats. In case anyone didn’t notice.

So what we do think humans are? Our servants, duh! We ask for food and we are served. We use the litter box, they scoop. They come home with cool things for us, almost as if they read our minds. And since we cats are not completely authoritarian, we are often pleased to treat our servants as family. But yeah, it is pretty obvious humans are not cool enough to be cats. So don’t believe everything you read.


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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!