Sparkle the Designer Cat's Blog, page 455

Sunday Catinee: Who’s the Kitty Here?

It seems that this human wants really, really badly to communicate with her kitten, Luna, on Luna’s level. And the ever-obliging Luna is happy to humor her. Silliness ensues:

If you can’t see the video above, 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,” 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: Humble

So I hear this week’s Photo Hunt theme is Humble. Do you see any humble here?

How about you two? No?

Sorry, if you want Humble, you have come to the wrong place!
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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!

Dear Sparkle: My Human Is Boring the Fur Off Me – Help!

Dear Sparkle,

My human has one of those job things she has to go to most days, and while she is gone, I am alone and have nothing to do. It’s boring so I just sleep all day. By the time she gets home I am well rested and ready for action, but all she wants to do is flop on the couch and watch stuff on the TV for hours. Then she goes to bed. Of course by the time she is falling asleep, I am going nuts and start doing sprints all over the apartment just to get rid of my excess energy! But every time I do this, she gets mad and starts yelling at me to “Pipe down!” (For the record, I don’t even know where any pipes are around here.) Look, I gotta blow off some steam somehow — what do you suggest?

Signed,

Bouncing Off the Walls

Dear Bouncing,

Frankly, I don’t see anything at all wrong with your behavior! A kitty can only be bored for so many hours before she wants to cut loose! And if your human has done nothing to engage your interest, either while she is away all day or when she comes home, then she is just getting what she deserves. Lots of humans have to do the job thing most days, but if they don’t want their cats going crazy at night, they need to set up activities for them during the day. Your home should be full of your favorite toys, whether they are crinkly balls, catnip mice, cat kickaroos, a crinkly tunnel or other toys you can enjoy solo. You should have a cat tree placed by a window that has a great view of Bird TV (your human can encourage bird activity with the addition of feeders for them, right near the window). A treat ball would keep you busy too — a plastic ball that contains treats that you have to bat at and roll around before it will expel a treat or two. Then when she gets home, she should spend some time playing with you — you know, toss some toy mice around or fly Da Bird or wave a feathered wand or something that you two can enjoy together. If she really wants to get some peace when she goes to bed, she should have a very active play session with you before she turns in, and save part of your dinner until after you’ve played. That should wear you out for at least a few hours! But yeah, if she isn’t doing any of this, she has no right to complain. It’s the Kitty Law of Cause and Effect at work!
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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!

Accessorizing for BarkWorld

My human has been a whirlwind of activity, getting ready for the BarkWorld Expo and making sure I have posts to carry me through her return on Sunday (oh, and her own photo blog too, but who cares about that?). Already, I disapprove of some of these goings on — look what she brought back from the pet store when she was making sure we had sufficient food.

Ugh! It’s a dog necklace! She got it on sale because spring is long gone. So it has two strikes against it: not only is it for dogs, it’s also last season’s necklace. Oh, and it’s a necklace, period. Make that three strikes.

I really didn’t need this. I’m not even going! Besides, I hear that the BarkWorld humans actually take good care of kitty bloggers. Rumor has it we are getting our own swag bag of cat stuff!

Oh, look who’s here! It’s time for me to take a nap break. Somewhere hidden.

It fits her better anyhow.
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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: Only Boodie Would Make a Cat Bed Out of This

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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!

Tortie Art Tuesday

My human has been playing around with photo effects on her own photo blog and she thought she would take the effect she used on this purple flower photo and try it on a photo of Binga. (She tried it on a photo of me first, but she didn’t like the way it turned out.) It’s pretty easy, and while she did it in Photoshop, if you use different photo editing software, you should be able to figure out how to recreate it there.

After she made the usual color fixes and touchups, my human made two layers of the same photo. On the top layer, she added a sharpening filter and way overdid it on purpose.

This is what it looked like, but it didn’t stay that way for long.

She turned the layer black and white by going to Image->Adjustments->Black & White. She uses that particular way of turning a photo into grayscale because she can play with the colors and make them appear lighter or darker gray. Notice that she lightened the reds and yellows quite a bit, and green too.

After she finished messing with the top layer, she went to the bottom layer and did the opposite — she blurred it up a whole bunch!

So now she had the two layers the way she wanted them, and then she highlighted the top, black and white layer and added the magic effect. Well, it is not really magic, but it seems like it. See the gray window where the layers are? There is a little drop-down menu under the “Layers” tab; it is called the Blend Mode and the default choice is “Normal.” But my human went down to where it said “Multiply.” If you want a technical explanation of what Multiply does, you can go here, but the bottom line in this case is it creates an arty effect by allowing the colors from the bottom layer to show through the top layer. It also makes the photo a lot darker, so she lightened it up a bit. This here is what she wound up with:

She cropped the photo so you could see the effect better, and it looks even more interesting when it is bigger. There are apps that can make arty effects, but my human likes to do it by hand in a photo editing program because she has more control.
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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!

Human Conundrums

Humans can be so confusing sometimes! And while I have spent most of my life deciphering their behavior to help you kitties have better feline-human relationships, there are just some things that will probably always remain a mystery, such as:

Why do humans get so excited over catnip mice and bug toys like Nekoflies and happily use them to play with us, but if a real, tasty mouse or bug comes along they freak out?

Most humans understand that we cats thrive on routine, so why do they change our feeding times by an hour twice a year? Why can’t they keep us on schedule, no matter what they want to do with their own routine for this so-called Daylight Savings Time?

Humans are always so eager to find new ways for kitties to go on diets — portion control, automated feeders, treat puzzles, more play/ exercise, etc. — but why can’t they seem to successfully do the same thing for themselves?

Why must humans go through a lot of paperwork and legal mumbo-jumbo every time they get a new house? Why can’t they just pee to mark where the boundaries are? It would be so much easier for them.

And why all the talking? It’s such a complicated form of communication. Don’t they understand that body language speaks way louder than words?

Oh, and the perfume and smelly soap thing — it’s a terrible way to disguise one’s scent. I don’t know who they are trying to hide from anyway. And isn’t it better to just smell like yourself, so other humans know who they are dealing with?

How about you kitties — are there things your humans do that puzzle you?
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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: More Appreciation for Black Cats

I really don’t think one day is enough to promote black cat adoption so I am devoting today’s Sunday Catinee to my panther brother ands and sisters. Smoky had marked this video as a favorite on her YouTube channel, which is how I found it. Yes, it does get a little “strange” about halfway through… and I think you will like it! Just let me say, black cats have some unexpected talents.

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,” 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!

Black Cat Appreciation Day: An Interview With Smoky

When I was part of the AmazeCats “Next Top Cat” competition, I met many great kitties, but one of my favorites was Smoky, who works very hard to help her fellow black cats, and special needs kitties too. She used the competition as a way to campaign for donations for cat rescue and raised thousands of dollars! Smoky is a very creative and generous cat. Some of you may not know her because she does not blog, but instead uses her Facebook page to campaign for her causes. She also has a secondary Facebook page, and she is on Twitter as @BlackCats_RULE, on Pinterest and has a YouTube account. So even though she does not blog, she is one busy cat! I was lucky to get her to agree to an interview… actually she was more than happy to talk about what she does, and some of the cats she has helped. I think you will like her as much as I do!

Smoky, tell me a little bit about yourself — where you came from and how you came to live with your family.

I was abandoned in a neighborhood when I was approximately one year old. My parents first spotted me on Thanksgiving, 2007. I was wearing a collar, so they did not know I needed a home right away. Since it was a holiday, they gave me some smoked turkey as a treat. My name is Smoky because I am black like smoke and because of the smoked turkey. I am an advoCAT for black cats.

What inspired you to help make a difference for your fellow black kitties?

When I learned the statistics, I knew I had to do something to help. In many cases, black cats are the first to be euthanized and the last to be adopted due to superstitions and stereotypes associated with black cats. Many consider black cats “unadoptable” because of their fur color. When a cat is black and something else — black and a senior, black and special needs, black, senior and special needs, you can imagine the outcome. It is not good. Black cats can wait up to four times longer to get adopted as their lighter colored fur friends.

Meet Cola. Cola is one of my new BFFs (black fur friends). She has been waiting for her furrever home for over 890 days; that is almost two and a half years! Do mew have room in mewr heart and home for a black beauty? If you live in the Sarasota, FL area, stop by the Cat Depot.

Love knows no geographical boundaries. Cat Depot will approve an out of state adoption.

Transportation can be arranged through Imagine Home and the Underground Railroad Rescued Kitty Network.

Please tell humans out there why black cats rule! (Honestly, you are talking to the already-converted here, but it is always good for them to have talking points at their finger or claw tips.)

Black cats have a reputation for being “mean” and “scary.” Just the opposite is true. Black cats tend to be very social and affectionate. Their fur is black, but their heart is pure gold.

You are so right, Smoky! My human has found that black cats tend to be friendlier and more fun than many other kitties. What are the dumbest myths you have heard about black cats?

There are many, but the dumbest of all is that black cats will steal mewr soul. A black cat will only steal mewr heart. I like to focus on the positive. Black cats are thought to bring good luck in many cultures.

Tell me about a couple of your most gratifying moments as a kitty who works to help black cats.

I recently competed in the AmazeCats Next Top Cat Competition. I used this opportunity to help educate the public about black cats. In addition to black cat advocacy, my campaign raised money for three different charities. This was a “bracket style” tournament competition and went on for weeks. The longer I was in the contest, the more people would learn the truth about black cats. Despite the fact, I was the “undercat,” competing against cats that have very large followings in social media, I made it all the way to the “Feline Four” round of the competition. Thousands of people learned about black cats and over $3,600 was raised for charity.

These are the organizations Smoky raised funds for during the AmazeCats competition:

Black Cat Rescue (of Boston, MA)

Black Cat Rescue is dedicated to saving the lives of homeless black cats and kittens by providing quality foster care while actively seeking loving, permanent adoptive homes.

Tenth Life (of St. Louis, MO)

Tenth Life Cat Rescue saves stray cats and kittens in the St. Louis area, prioritizing those with special needs.

Spay the Strays (of St. Cloud, FL)

Spay the Strays works to reduce the feral cat population in Osceola County, FL through TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) and to place the many wonderful cats and kittens left behind into loving homes.

Another gratifying moment is when I learned my BFF (black fur friend) Gentle Ben was adopted because his meowmy learned how difficult it is for black cats through my advocacy work. Gentle Ben is missing an ear in addition to being black.

In addition to the groups above, what are some of your favorite causes/ charities?

So many! I have been impressed with the following:

Forever Home Feline Ranch (of Springfield, IL)

A sanctuary where cats will have a second chance to live a full life in a no-cage, no-kill environment. Forever Home Feline Ranch was an “Achievement” winner in my “2012 Black Cats RULE! Charity Challenge”

The Grannie Project (of Southeastern, PA)

Advocating on behalf of senior pets and helping senior pets find their furrever homes.

Penn Vet (of Philadelphia, PA)

Innovative research into the diseases and conditions that affect companion animals; providing advance treatment options through biomedical research, teaching the next generation of veterinarians. (Full disclosure, my daddy is a Penn Vet grad.)

Do you have any special black cat heroes?

Oh yes, Lincoln. I call him Linky. He is one of my BFFs. Linky was born a quadriplegic. Through a lot of physical therapy and love, he now has use of all four of his limbs and paws. Mew can watch his physical therapy and his first steps on his YouTube channel.

Linky was rescued by Tenth Life and is one of their spokescats. Here is his Facebook page.

Thanks so much, Smoky! You are living proof that Black Cats Rule!
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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!

Halo Healthsome Cat Treats and How to Review Them!

Unless you have “Liked” my Facebook page, you missed the Big Treat Disaster of 2013: a swarm of ants got into the cabinet where our treats are stored and my human wound up having to throw out five whole bags! It was an awful tragedy, but all was not lost because just a day later, this box arrived in the mail! It was from Chewy.com and they sent me some Halo Healthsome cat treats to review!

In addition to the badly-needed treats, the box also contained Chewy.com’s special crinkly packing paper — always a fun extra for us kitties!

I know many of you blogging kitties out there get to review treats too, and this particular photo session reminded me that there are some rules that should be followed… because my human did not follow them this time! Here is the first rule: kitties don’t like to pose with treat bags that are not opened yet.

The next rule: kitties don’t like to pose with opened bags of treats either, unless the human is in the act of actually pouring some out!

Finally, I decided to just help myself.

I got the cat treats with real chicken, which is cool because chicken is my favorite flavor! They are quite tasty, and they have fiber which, to be honest, I kind of need. While there are a lot of ingredients that probably shouldn’t make up the bulk of a cat’s diet (potato flour, tapioca flour and several veggies), there was also no corn, wheat, added sugar or other bad things — and, well, treats shouldn’t make up the bulk of a kitty’s diet anyhow. Best part: chicken was listed right at the beginning of the ingredients list!

Yes, I knew Boodie was sitting there, salivating!

Her patience was eventually rewarded. My human had to lock up Binga while we were taste testing, otherwise Boodie and I would never have gotten any! But she got some later and we all loved these treats. So count that as 12 paws up for the Halo Healthsome treats! You can find more Halo food and treats here.

And if you haven’t yet, you might want to enter Chewy.com’s Faces of Summer giveaway! You just need to post a photo of your cat (or dog) enjoying what’s left of summer, with a short description, to Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #teamchewy, or send it in a message to the Chewy.com Facebook page. You will be entered into the raffle for a special Chewy.com Prize package, and also get a chance to be a featured pet. The contest ends September 30, and the winner will be contacted the first week in September.

There are also more ways to enter and win in the Chewy.com monthly contest with Rafflecopter widget below — the deadline for these entries is August 31.

a Rafflecopter 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,” 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!