Sparkle the Designer Cat's Blog, page 453

Adventures With Litter One

When my human heard about the Litter One litter system, she thought it sounded like a great idea. From litter to container, it’s completely made of biodegradable material, and it is designed so that when we cats pee, the used litter disintegrates into odor free sawdust and does not need to be scooped. The whole thing can be replaced after four to six weeks.

The Litter One humans sent us a box to try out. I find it funny that it says, “For people who love their cats” on the box. It should add, “Also for people who hate changing cat litter.”

There was some assembly required.

But my human was able to put it together very easily.

We have never had a litter box in the living room and always need to go downstairs to do our business, so my human thought it would be nice for us to have the Litter One up here. She set it up in a place not far from where we get our afternoon sun puddles. It sat there for a couple of weeks and nobody seemed to be using it. My human thought that maybe under the table was too cramped, so she set it up beside the table instead.

Boodie thought it was a cat bed. My human decided that maybe she needed to make its purpose more obvious.

She took the Litter One down to my bathroom and set it right next to my regular litter box, thinking that maybe we would get the hint. She even played a nasty trick on us by letting our regular litter box get a little messier than normal.

Late one night, she thought she had struck pay dirt when she saw Binga digging around in the Litter One! You will have to excuse the picture quality because it was dark and she only had her iPhone.

But after a few minutes of digging and kicking litter around (a Binga specialty), she used the regular litter box instead.

Finally, after a month and a half, my human gave up. She emptied the litter and it looked completely unused. She pried open the false bottom and there was maybe one tiny, tiny pile of sawdust, indicating that perhaps someone had tried it out.

My human was really disappointed because she thinks that the Litter One litter system is a pretty great idea. Mainly, the three of us never really considered the pine pellet litter to be, well, litter! If you have a kitty who might like pellet litter, then this would be a good setup to try out, especially since it is biodegradable and a safe, eco-friendly product.

Note: I was given the Litter One litter system for free to try out.
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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!

Wordless Wednesday: Wellness Check Up

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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!

Extremely Bad Tortie Tuesday

Imagine a cheese cracker… completely made of cheese! That’s what these are, and my human loves them. She saw them at Whole Foods the other day, after not seeing them there for a long time. They were not cheap, but she thought she deserved a treat.

So why are they sitting on the kitchen floor next to the trash can?

Binga might be pretending she knows nothing about this sorry state of affairs, but she is definitely the one who jumped on the counter and stole the almost totally full container of cheese crisps and spread them all over the kitchen!

There were crisps by the kitchen sink.

There were crisps peeking out from near the refrigerator. My human had to throw out the whole container because she figured Binga had probably licked them all. And she had only eaten one before they were stolen! And it was the broken end crisp at that.

Do you think Binga was sorry?

Of course not.
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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!

How to Pick the Right Human

I know there are a lot of kitties out there looking for homes, and many of you are confused. You know you want a place you can call your own, and a human or humans to supervise, but you don’t know how to choose. There you sit in your cage at the rescue, or in the common room with a bunch of other cats, or maybe you are in an enclosure at a pet store, and you see lots of humans walk by. Which one is right for you? This is a crucial decision, and not one to be taken lightly, so I want to offer a few notes about different types of humans and what you might expect out of them.

Young Single Humans

On the positive side, humans who are grown up but still young can be lots of fun. They have loads of energy and will play with you and make your life feel like an adventure. On the negative side, they tend to be less responsible and may not have as much money as older humans, which means you will probably get cheaper food and possibly inconsistent veterinary care. They are also less settled than older humans so they may move around a lot. If you are an older kitten or young adult kitty, you can probably handle the perpetual movement of a young, single human and in return you will get a companion who sees the world in much the same way you do. But be careful how you choose. Make sure the young single human is ready for a lasting commitment! You don’t want to be an impulse acquisition that they may regret later. You also don’t want the type of irresponsible human who will abandon you if he or she has to move and is having a hard time finding an apartment that allows pets. You want a human who is going to be with you for the long haul, because chances are you will be with this human through relationships, maybe a marriage and perhaps parenthood. Looks can be deceiving — a conservatively dressed young human may not be any more responsible than one that wears all black and has piercings. The best way to judge any human, young or old, is to smell them out. There is honesty in scent, and if you smell anything a little off, run in the other direction!

Families

A family can be good if you are an outgoing kitty who likes having lots of human friends. If you are shy or like a lot of privacy, hang back from parents with kids because you won’t get much peace in their household. If the children are young, say five or younger, you may not want to be part of this family if you are a young kitten yourself. You kittens want to be around children that are mature enough to understand when the grown up humans explain how to handle you. Young adult kitties or older, outgoing kitties may enjoy a family with kids of any age. But proceed with caution in any case — make sure you aren’t just a whim. If the parents are looking for a cat only because they are being nagged by one of the kids, that is not a good sign. Again, you want to make sure that this family will be committed to you for life and won’t give you up when the kid grows tired of you (as kids often do). Suss them out, and make sure the parents are as enthusiastic about you as the kids are. Remember, even with families, you will probably have one special human you gravitate towards. If you find yourself drawn to one of the adult humans, and they return the interest, then that is a good sign.

Middle-Aged Humans

These are possibly the best types of humans a kitty could wish for! They are more responsible than younger adult humans, and if they have any kids, they are probably older and don’t need as much attention as school-aged kids — this means more time for you! They usually have more money than young adult humans too, so you will get better food, more regular health care, and perks — lots of toys and treats and maybe some high-end cat furniture! If a middle-aged human is looking for a cat, they generally have given the idea a lot of thought and understand the responsibility and commitment you deserve. While they are not as energetic as younger humans, they can still handle kittens — but they also like older cats too. With middle-aged humans, there are not many downsides — it is more a matter of seeing whether your personalities mesh than anything else.

Senior Humans

These humans are the nicest to have if you are not so young yourself. Seniors are the most understanding of all humans. They will be patient with you if you are shy and if all you want to do is sun bathe most of the day, they totally understand. Senior humans aren’t the best choice if you are a kitten or an active young adult kitty, however — they won’t be able to keep up with your busy, rambunctious ways! Older humans are also more fragile and sharp kitten teeth and claws can hurt them, and they may trip over you and hurt themselves (and you) if you try to ambush them. My biggest caution for senior humans is to really check them over for any health issues. One of the worst things that can happen to a cat is to be with a devoted senior human who dies and who has not made any arrangements for you. You could wind up homeless all over again, and you do not want that to happen! For that reason, cats who are middle-aged or older are safest choosing a senior human. If the older human is accompanied by a younger one (probably a son or daughter) who seems as taken with you as the older human is, then you have less to worry about — you probably have somewhere to go if you lose your human.

No matter which human you choose, remember, it is a lifelong commitment! Picture yourself spending years with that human you are tempted to rub up against. If the thought makes you hesitate, keep looking! The right one will come along.
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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 Begging Twins

I’m glad so many of you thought it was pretty nifty that Boodie and I sat up for treats… but here is a pair of kitties who put us to shame! George and Murphy beg for cheese — and they look ridiculously cute doing it!

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

Incidentally, George and Murphy really are twins, or rather two of three — they have another brother named Spot who you don’t see here. Spot has an amazing and rather magical story. If you are on Facebook, you can read it 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!

Photo Hunt: Fave

Here are my fave cat treats! They are PureBites freeze dried chicken and turkey! I am crazy for them!

In fact, I will do almost anything for them — watch!

Yes, I will even sit up for these treats! What can I say? They are the tastiest things ever.

And I am not the only one. Boodie will sit up for them too. They are that addictive.

My human could not get photos of Binga sitting up because she gets over-excited and tries to take my human’s finger along with the treat! It makes her a little hard to photograph.
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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!

Cat Photo Don’ts

My human tries really hard to have the best photos possible on my blog. She is not always successful! But the ones that don’t make it onto the blog are even worse. So I thought I would put up a few of those today to help you learn what not to do when taking photos of your cats! Take the photo above, for example. It’s a really nice portrait of me… except the messy background ruins it! And even worse, these things can’t be cropped out of the picture.

So rule #1: Make sure your background is not distracting!

I will be honest — my human actually took this photo of Binga on purpose as a “don’t” because she tries to use flash sparingly, and you can see why! Binga looks washed out, and with her squinty eyes and green irises from the flash, she also looks pretty evil. But you know what? I actually think this picture sort of captures her true nature. Still, it is not a good looking photograph.

Rule #2: Use natural light for photos whenever possible.

I know lots of you are tempted to move us more pliable kitties around when you are taking photos, but be careful! My human tried so hard to get me just right on this pillow… that I slid off it! How much do you want to bet I ended the photo session right there? Look, if you are having to poke us, move us or distract us to get your shot, maybe you are trying too hard. Be patient and wait for the right moment instead.

Rule #3: Don’t force a photo. Allow a good picture to happen.

I think I’ll just go straight to the rule with this one.

Rule #4: Make sure your photo is in focus. And properly framed. And the model is making a pleasing face.

I hope you have found these tips helpful!
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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!

Taste Test Thursday

Check out the awesome package I got from Chewy.com! It even has my name written on it in sparkles!

It is four cans of Nature’s Variety Pride by Instinct! I got two different flavors, Sherlock’s Salmon Recipe and Champ’s Chicken Recipe. They want to know what I think of these, especially because I am a very picky eater!

Well, look who is here… a non picky eater! She will have to be locked up in another room so I can do my taste test in peace.

Boodie is allowed to stay because she is polite and won’t try to steal the food while I am testing it out. So far, I like the salmon better than the chicken. All the Pride flavors are grain and gluten free. My human thought they were a little heavy on the veggies, since kitties are obligate carnivores and should eat primarily meat, but she cares even more about whether I will actually eat something.

You know what? I really like the salmon! Boodie is getting bored watching me eat it.

The chicken flavor is all right, but Sherlock’s Salmon Recipe gets my paw of approval for sure! I am not too happy that my human took this photo while I still had food on my nose.

Can you see how much more of the salmon I ate than the chicken?

Don’t worry — Boodie finally got to have some… and she preferred the chicken! Later on, Binga got the other can of chicken for dinner, which she inhaled. My human saved the other can of salmon for my breakfast the next 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!

Wordless Wednesday: I Love My Silver Vine Pillow

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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!

Resting Grumpy Cat Face

I hear that there are some female humans who look kind of grouchy when they don’t mean to. The official term for it is “resting bitch face” or “resting bitchy face.” The Today Show even wrote about it on their website. But who cares about humans? I’m more concerned with the fact that some of us kitties seem to have “resting grumpy cat face”… and I am one of them!

Even if I am just sitting there and not mad, I tend to look sort of annoyed.

I think I actually scare other kitties sometimes. And humans too, although scaring humans is not necessarily a bad thing.

I was even purring in this photo! The handful of you who did well on my Purring or Not Purring Quiz probably know that, but I bet everyone else thinks I am in a bad mood!

At least I do not think I am alone! Kitties, tell me: do you know anyone with a Resting Grumpy Cat Face? Or maybe you are a cat who is similarly afflicted? Let me know!
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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!