Sparkle the Designer Cat's Blog, page 470

Celebrate April 15 With My Accountant Kitty Merch!

Tax season is over celebrate with one of my Accountant Kitty items! Even better, if you shop today, April 15, you will get 10.40% off until 11:59 Pacific Time! Use code TAXDAYDEALIO at checkout in the “Zazzle Coupons/Gift Certificates” box!

Thank your accountant or favorite number cruncher with a greeting card!

If they got you a refund, give them a mug!

Or my newest item — an Accountant Kitty magnet! I just gave one of these away to a lucky subscriber to my monthly newsletter!

See these and other cool kitty items at my Zazzle Designer Cat Shop!
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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: Hit Clips

This week I’m featuring a couple of popular clips; some of you may have seen one and some of you may have seen the other, but I bet you have not seen both of them unless you watch a lot of cat videos!

I am kind of bummed about the first one because I found it practically before anyone else and had seen it. But then a couple of other videos seemed more pressing, and a couple weeks later, when I returned to it, it had already been all over the place! But I think it is worth watching this cat walking the dog once again… maybe with time and practice, the kitty can train the dog to dish out her food too:

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

The next video just came out on Friday, but it already has over 800,000 views on YouTube. But that’s what happens when Simon’s Cat has a new video! I think this one is going to become one of my favorites:

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

…and I was wondering, when the humans got their new big-ass (their words, not mine) TV, why they immediately mounted it on the wall.
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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: Scrumptious

This was awesomely scrumptious! What do you think it was I was eating? Leave your guesses in the comments below because I won’t be telling until Monday! That is when I will have an exciting surprise for you — and this scrumptious morsel is part of it! Monday is also the voting day for my clowder in bracket number two of the AmazeCats Next Top Cat race!

There are 16 of us kitties left and second bracket voting happens Monday and Wednesday! Wednesday features my pal from Cat Wisdom 101, Odin! But I have to say, after participating in this competition, all these kitties are my friends now! And while I want you readers to all vote for me in my clowder, I think each one of these cats is a winner!
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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!

Help Helen Brown Find Bono a Home!

When best-selling author Helen Brown landed in New York for an extended stay — part of her work to publicize her latest book, Cats & Daughters: They Don’t Always Come When Called — her publishers convinced her to foster a cat during her stay. So she and her daughter Lydia went to Bidawee and returned to their temporary digs with Bono. Isn’t he handsome?

The rescue gave him a lion cut because his fur was matted. I think it suits him! Bono is a small cat, a rescue from an ACC on Long Island and just four years old! With his good looks, you’d think somebody would snatch him up. And, in fact, humans have asked about him. But then they find out Bono’s catch: even at his young age, he has chronic renal failure and may only have about three years to live.

Now you tell me: with his soulful eyes and friendly personality, wouldn’t you consider every day with Bono a gift? Helen Brown does! She says, “He’s made my stay here so special, I’d take him back to Australia if animal importation rules weren’t so tough. Besides, Jonah (the quirky feline protagonist of her current memoir) would make his life a misery.” She is not looking forward to going home on April 25, because it means Bono will have to return to a cage at the shelter, and there is a very real chance he will have to spend the rest of his life without a home of his own.

For everyone, life here on earth is a temporary ride. For us kitties, it is even more temporary, and no one ever knows when our journey will reach its end. So don’t you think it is unfair for humans to shy away from Bono just because his life span won’t be as long as you would usually expect? So I am sending out a call to all my readers to spread the word about Bono. He is located in New York City, and I know there is someone in the area who would love this little lion-panther for all his days!

Please help a kitty out and share Bono’s plight! If you are interested in Bono, you can contact Bidawee, or send me a message on my contact page (you’ll find the link at the bottom of this page, where it says “About this blog”) and I will pass your info along to Ms. Brown’s publicist. Let’s make sure that Bono never has to return to a cage — his life’s too short to waste time there!
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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!

Binga the Bathroom Boss

My human broke a Cat Rule the other day — she took a bathroom break before feeding us! Binga did not let her get away with it. She let her know she was displeased.

Yes, that is her nose under the door.

She was starting to get desperate! In fact you can see her in action here, telling off my human:

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

Yes, she is being followed by a minion, i.e., Boodie.
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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!

Vote Katie Today!

It’s the last clowder of this bracket of the AmazeCats Next Top Cat competition! So far, Odin and I are moving on to the next bracket. Let’s make it three blogging kitties by voting for Katie today! She just needs to make it to one of the two top slots to move into the next bracket. So let’s rally the troops and get her in there!

Katie’s “good friend,” therapy cat Spaghetti-Bob, is in the other group of four kitties who is up for voting today! They are in different groups, so you can vote for both of them!

Click here to vote for Katie at the AmazeCats Facebook Page… and vote for Spaghetti-Bob too!

After this, the second bracket starts. I will be competing again, and I will have a surprise for everyone!
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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: Late Night Sparkle

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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!

Happy Birthday to Marg!

Binga is celebrating Marg’s birthday… I think she may be celebrating too hard!

Happy birthday, Marg! Have an awesome 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!

Dear Sparkle: Kitten Care Basics

I got an email the other day from a family who is getting an Abyssinian kitten — and they have never had a pet before! So I am going to do something different with this advice column: I am going to give my suggestions, and then I want you to comment below and offer yours! I know I have readers with loads of kitten experience, and I would love to have you offer your wisdom to this nice human and her kids.

Dear Sparkle,

We get to bring our Aby home in the middle of May! We named her Pixel. (We are geeky computer humans.) We brought her a fuzzy mouse, a crinkle pompom and freeze dried chicken. Here’s the thing: I am a 41 year old mother of two. My kids (aged 6 and 9) are healthy and happy. We love to play. Even so, I have never had a pet. Weird, yes. As someone who has never been owned by a pet of any kind, I am feeling a little lost as to how to prepare to care for a living thing with more legs than I have.

After an incredible amount of research we decided that an Aby would be smart enough to train us somewhat. Do you have any advice as to what to have in the house on arrival day and how to handle the first weeks? She will be almost 4 months old when we bring her home. From a cat carrier to litter selection, I am lost. Help?

Signed,

Kitty Newbie

Dear Kitty Newbie,

You are in for a lot of fun! Kittens are always an adventure, and Abys doubly so because they are so active and bright. To prepare your home for your new kitty, you need to think of two things: 1) how to create an awesome kitty playground, and 2) how to kitten-proof your home to keep her from getting into anything that would be bad or dangerous for her. Since #2 is crucial for her safety, I will address that first.

A four-month-old kitten is like a human toddler in curiosity, intelligence and propensity to get into everything! Abys especially because they tend to use their paws like monkey hands. So you should consider kitten-proofing any cabinets containing cleaning materials or anything that would be dangerous for cats, and making sure all your trash cans have lids. Some things are dangerous for kitties that you might not expect, such as dental floss, rubber bands and ribbons — if swallowed, these could harm your kitten and possibly endanger her life. My human always thinks keeping the lid down on the toilets is a good idea so kitties don’t fall in. If you have flowers or plants around the house, be careful because cats often will chew on them, and many of them are deadly poisonous to kitties. Lilies for example, will kill a kitty very quickly. This list from the ASPCA is helpful. And here is a great PDF file from PetCo about common household dangers to watch out for.

As for things like litter, carrier, types of food, etc., the best thing to do is ask the breeder what she is using or suggests. When bringing a new kitten home, it’s best to keep the same brands of litter and food she is used to. Ultimately, an all moist food (i.e., no kibble) diet is best, preferably grain-free or perhaps raw, but start with what the breeder is feeding. The litter pan should be open, without a lid. Why? Imagine having to use an outhouse as your bathroom for your whole life — that is what a covered litter box is like for a cat! Leave her litter box open and scoop daily. For a carrier, get something made out of hard plastic that has openings on the top and in the side, so you have different ways to get her in it. Ask your breeder how large a carrier you should get — she knows about how big your kitten will be as an adult.

Now for the fun part — making your home a kitty playground! Kittens are hyperactive, have ADD and get bored easily. You need fun climbing surfaces — a cat tree in front of a window is always a good idea, especially if the window has lots of birds and other critters running around. If you have the budget, I’d say get more than one tree for different rooms. Your Aby kitten will likely use these as a jungle gym. Little mice, balls and crinkly toys are fun, and some kittens even learn to fetch. Also get some interactive toys — feathers on wands or mice or feathers on strings attached to sticks (like Da Bird). Playing with your Aby is fun for both of you and helps create a human-kitty bond. You should play with her every day, even after she is an adult. We are all over 10 years old here, and we are still maniacs about playing! One note — the stick and wand toys should be put away when you are not using them. Kitties might chew and eat the strings and make themselves sick. Make sure you have a variety of scratching surfaces. They can be cardboard, sisal or carpet, and you should have both vertical and horizontally-oriented scratchers, because scratching is not just for claws — it is also a way for your kitten to stretch and exercise her limbs.

The first few days when you bring your kitten home, you will want to confine her to one room to have her get acclimated. Being free in a whole, big house or apartment might be overwhelming, so introduce her to the rest of the house gradually. Let her call the shots, but keep an eye on her. She will find hiding spots that will frustrate you when you go look for her! So as soon as possible, get her to know her name and come when called. If you reward her with treats or play when you say her name, she will learn.

Never punish a kitten by screaming at her, handling her roughly or even squirting her with a water bottle — it only teaches her to fear human contact, and to save her misbehavior for when you are not around. The best thing to do is distract her with something more interesting if you catch her in the act, or close off the area where she is making trouble and figure out things that are more fun for her to do. If she is constantly getting in trouble, it could mean she is bored and you are not playing with her enough. Play with her until she is exhausted! Vigorous play is good for a kitten.

There are books you may want to get, because living with a kitten — especially when you have never had a pet before — is a big topic that needs more than I can give you in one blog post. I have a list of great kitten books, written by respected experts — I recommend any and all of them.

That’s what I’ve got for you, but I really hope my readers have more tips to add! Because you can never have enough knowledge when you are adopting a kitten! More advice, anyone?
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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!

Recommended Kitten Care Books

 

Bringing home a new kitten? These books are on my highly recommended list:

Amazon.com Widgets

 
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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!