Sparkle the Designer Cat's Blog, page 465

Wordless Wednesday: Eye See 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!

Sparkle’s Downloadable Calendar: June 2013

For fan members only — you must login to see this content. My downloadable monthly calendars are one of the perks when you join my fan club!
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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!

Taming Me: Memoir of a Clever Island Cat

Taming Me: Memoir of a Clever Island Cat

By Cathy Unruh

This book is the mostly-true story about Lucy Miracle, a feral kitten who was born on Cat Cay Island in the Bahamas. Lucy began life as one of a hundred or so cats running wild on the islands, the last kitten to remain by her mother’s side after her siblings had gone their own way. Although they do their best to avoid human contact, one day the both of them fall into a trap set by a small but passionate TNR (trap-neuter-release) group. Lucy’s mother is spayed, ear-tipped and released, but Lucy, malnourished and not in the best of health, does not handle the operation well, so she is taken in and nursed back to health by one of the TNR volunteers, Darcie. Through her life with Darcie, Lucy learns to be a housecat, and through Lucy’s eyes, we see the rough and often tragic life of feral island cats — and some of the battles fought by those humans who promote TNR.

Lucy is a real cat, adopted by author, animal advocate and Emmy award-winning broadcast journalist Cathy Unruh, who lives part time on Cat Cay. Released last year on National Feral Cat Day (October 16), Taming Me promotes awareness of the plight of feral cats, and some of the difficulties TNR volunteers have in overcoming prejudice and misguided assumptions about ferals. At $9.99 for a Kindle or Nook copy — more than your average eBook — it is almost as expensive as the paper version, but either way it is a worthy read and a great look at TNR from ground zero, for both feral cats and their supporters.

Note: links to Amazon and Barnes and Noble are Associate links — a kitty’s gotta eat!
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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!

The Kitty-Themed Art Show

My human went to an art opening over the weekend. The show was called “A Point of View of a Cat” and many of the pieces on display paid homage to the feline mystique — introducing “the cat as a narrative form, as well as a vehicle for exploration of material and space.” The show’s art included both cat scenes and cat “artifacts.” The above piece, Cat Walk by Rebekah Clendening, comes under the cat artifact category, as it includes cat toys and cat hair in its makeup.

One of the stranger pieces was called Lost: Human by Tina Marrin. The cats were created on toilet paper! We kitties are really trying to create art when we claw rolls of toilet paper, but I have to say, Ms. Marrin has us beat at this!

There was even a library of cat books and magazines. Sadly, my books were not included. My human was tempted to leave a copy of Dear Sparkle with the others but didn’t. I really think she should have — it would have been an awesome expression of guerrilla art!

Along with these more unusual pieces were some more traditional paintings and prints. My human was enchanted by this digital print by artist and animator Nancy Jean Tucker. It is called Friday, and the eyes you see are actually her cat. I think she should have named the piece Sofa Monster, but that is just me. My human liked this so much that she asked about it, and it was very reasonably priced, so she is buying it! She will probably put it up in our office.

If you want to see more of the art show, you will find additional photographs on my human’s own photo blog.

I wish my human was more well-connected in the art world because I really think I should have been part of this show. Having cat art by an actual cat would have added a whole new dimension!
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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!

On Memorial Day…

Always remember…

Black Cat in a Graveyard by Abe Kleinfeld

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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: Cute Fetching Kitty

For your viewing pleasure, I have a short video of a very cute kitty fetching a toy. She does an impressive job! But she makes one big mistake. Can you guess what it is?

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

Did you guess? Both times, she jumped back onto the desk without leaping on the keyboard and ruining whatever game the human was playing!
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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: Copper

Technically, Abyssinian and Somali cats with my coloring are called “ruddy,” but I think you could call it copper too! Some days my fur glows as bright as a shiny new penny! Although I hear pennies don’t have much copper in them anymore.
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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: Am I Purring or Not Purring?

How well can you humans read kitty facial expressions? I decided to put together a simple quiz to find out. I had my human grab ten random photos from the past year, crop them so you just see my face — and you have to tell me if I was purring or not purring! Sounds easy, right? I bet none of you get 100%!

Purring or Not Purring?



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Question 1APurringBNot purringQuestion 2APurringBNot purringQuestion 3APurringBNot purringQuestion 4APurringBNot purringQuestion 5APurringBNot purringQuestion 6APurringBNot purringQuestion 7APurringBNot purringQuestion 8APurringBNot purringQuestion 9APurringBNot purringQuestion 10APurringBNot purring
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All doneAre you sure you aren't a dog?Grrr, not purr!You need more purractice!Purrty good!Purrfect!












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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!

Why Binga Supports Shelter Adoptions

Maddie’s Fund will present the largest national free pet adoption weekend ever, June 1–2, 2013, and the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals will be presenting this awesome event in the New York City area on June 1 and 2! Thousands of cats and dogs will be available FREE to qualified homes at more than 50 participating shelters and other adoption locations, and at two large, outdoor adoption events in Manhattan.

The Mayor’s Alliance and Maddie’s Fund asked me to blog about this event, and to share the joys of adopting shelter pets. Only one of the three of us was adopted directly from a shelter (Boodie was a foster and her story is here, and I am a breed cat). That leaves Binga, so I thought I would tell you her story, and why shelter cats are awesome family members.

In spite of appearances, trust me, the humans are very happy to have her here — even though they weren’t actually looking for her and were only rescuing her because they did not want to leave her in a kill shelter. The original intention had been to find a home for her.

It was October of 2000, and the humans had befriended a neighborhood cat, a black kitty who seemed to like their house more than his own. He turned up missing for a couple of weeks, and since my human didn’t exactly know who he belonged to, she went to the nearest animal control to see if he had been taken there. She did not see him, but she did see a very friendly young black cat who she fell in love with. The shelter did not allow black cats to be adopted near Halloween, but said she could come fetch him November 1. While she was looking at the cages of cats, there was also a small tortoiseshell kitten who would not leave her alone. She kept begging for attention, sticking her paws through the cage, and grabbing my human’s hand and licking her fingers.

My human did not want to leave this kitten in the shelter, so she asked her boyfriend if he thought the vet clinic where he worked could find a home for her. He figured they could, so they came down to the shelter and got her out. She weighed enough to be spayed, so after her surgery, my human picked her up and drove her to her boyfriend’s work.

She had rescued this kitten with no intention of ever keeping her; she just did it because she couldn’t bear to leave her in a place where her life was in danger. On the drive to the clinic, the kitten was yelling to get out of the carrier, so she pulled the car to the curb, and let her free for a few minutes. The kitten whose life my human had saved happily crawled all over the dashboard and purred playfully. It was a magical moment. My human has, by choice, never had children, and she says this is the closest thing she ever felt to unconditional love.

Two weeks later, on November 1, my human showed up at the shelter, ten minutes after it opened, to adopt the black cat she had seen… and he had already been adopted! The woman who originally brought him in only did so to make sure he didn’t belong to someone else. Since no one claimed him, she came by before the shelter opened, waiting to give him a home. “I’ve never seen two people want the same cat,” said the guy at the desk.

My human went home and called her boyfriend at work. “Bring that kitten home,” she said. And that is how Binga wound up with them. She was tiny — this photo is small, and a terrible scan of a color print, but you get the idea:

A friend of the humans came to visit and he did not think much of tortie cats. He said she looked like a “tore-up kitty,” and Binga bit him on the nose! Her favorite game as a kitten was to wake up the humans by attacking their faces. Eventually she outgrew that. But she has never outgrown believing that the rules do not apply to her.

And except for that one guy, Binga loves everybody and greets all visitors, whether they are friends of the humans, or handymen, or selling something. She is a combination of social butterfly and outlaw… who was once a throwaway shelter cat.

There will be thousands of shelter pets up for adoption at the Maddie’s Pet Adoption Days event June 1 and 2. In addition to New York City, there will also be adoption events in San Francisco, CA; Santa Clara County, CA; Alachua County, FL; Dane County, WI; Alameda County, CA; Contra Costa County, CA; and Washoe County, NV. The goal is to find homes for all the pets from these shelters! If you live in one of these areas, stop by… and tell everyone you know!

Note: This is a sponsored post but it is clearly a topic I am passionate about, and I am more than happy to spread the word.
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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: Fun? With BlogPaws Souvenirs

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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!