Sparkle the Designer Cat's Blog, page 9

About Time I Had a Shopping Day!

I haven’t had a shopping day in a while! That’s mainly because my human bought a bunch of my food in advance. She was worried about tariffs and inflation, so we were pretty well stocked up for a long time. But we were out of some of my brands of food, so we went to buy more.

The first thing I did, of course, was visit with some of the shop employees. They don’t get to see a cat very often in the shop, especially one that is as friendly as me.

After that it was time to go browsing!

They had lots of new cat toys in stock!

And I spent some quality time in the aisle with all the Yeowww! catnip toys.

I even stopped by the dog section to rub on a few things.

Finally it was time to check out…and I got treat samples!

I had such a fun visit!

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My Fun Box-Hoop Trick Challenge!

Yes, we still have this CVS box! There’s no way my human could toss it because I’m still using it. And she decided to use it, too — to give me a new trick challenge.

The first part is jumping out of the box…

And through the hoop!

You can see me learning it (and enjoying every minute) in the video below.

If you have any more challenges for me, let me know!

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Jealous Cat? It’s Not About Love, But Territory – Here’s How You Solve It

Do cats get jealous? It may look like it to you. Everything’s fine, and then you bring home a new cat, dog or baby. Or even a new boyfriend or girlfriend. And next thing you know, your cat is acting out — slapping the new pet, hissing at the baby, or peeing on the belongings of your new squeeze.

Since human relationships function from an emotional level, a lot of people are quick to assume their cat is jealous of the newcomer. But that perspective is completely the wrong way to look at it. And it won’t solve your cat’s behavior.

What’s Really Going On

While you may view human jealousy as an irrational, emotional response, what is going on with a cat goes way deeper. It’s about territory and resources — and survival. Yes, it could be that your cat feels their very existence is being threatened by the object you say they are jealous of!

Jealousy in humans is driven by insecurity, anger, and fear that may not have a basis in what is really going on. Someone who has a level of emotional maturity may be able to step back and come to understand that their emotion is irrational. Maybe they won’t figure it out right away, but they will in time.

Cats, on the other hand, depend on their territory and resources to live, and when that is threatened by the presence of someone or something new, their response is much more primal and can’t be approached rationally. After all, reason and being rational is the terrain of human beings, not any other animals.

Here’s some more perspective from Rover.com

Cats Are Territorial Creatures

Once your cat has established themselves in your home, they stake out their territory. That includes prime sleeping, play, and eating spots — and also where ever their litter boxes are. Oh, and you are also part of their territory.

Maybe you weren’t expecting the last part. But yes, you are part of your cat’s territory. You mean home to them, along with the rooms they are living in. In fact, my human uses that as part of the work she does with me as a therapy cat and for travel. She makes sure that no matter where we go, I’m her home base. That way I feel safer no matter where we are.

A cat will see a threat in anything that infringes on their territory.

Cats Are Also Pretty Exacting About Resources

Once a cat gets used to getting a certain amount of food and water, and have their litter box location and routine firmly established, they settle into a level of security. Any changes to these will result in a negative reaction.

Think about it — if your own personal resources suddenly were reduced, how would you feel? Let’s say, someone took away half the food in your refrigerator, and destroyed a bathroom in your house, wouldn’t that be upsetting? Especially if you had no control or say over the matter. And it’s worse for your cat because they have no way of coming up with a solution on their own.

The Approach to Take for a Seemingly Jealous Cat

As you can see, the motivations behind what is going on with a cat are very different from human jealousy. And the solutions need to be on the cat’s level. Before we discuss these, let’s look at some don’ts.

Don’t

Shrug off or laugh at your cat’s behavior.
Your cat is feeling a very real and visceral threat. If they are behaving in ways that are more funny than threatening, be thankful! But don’t ignore them. And definitely don’t laugh about it. It’s not something they’re taking lightly, so neither should you.

Force interaction between the cat and being or thing they are threatened by.
This will only make the stress and the situation worse — for both parties.

Yell at or punish your cat.
While you may consider the threat frivolous or nonexistent, they don’t. Your cat feels their world has been turned upside down — even if that’s nowhere near the truth. Any type of yelling or punishment will only make them feel more threatened. And it could also damage your relationship with your cat

What to Do Instead

How you work with your cat’s behavior depends a lot on the situation, and your cat. Here are some suggestions to put you on the right path.

Prepare your cat for change
If you know you are bringing something new into your cat’s life, you can prepare them. That will lessen the impact of the change and possibly make their reaction more manageable.

If it’s a new pet, make sure your cat’s favorite spots are a sanctuary that is theirs alone — or create one. And don’t just toss the new pet into the mix and expect things to sort themselves out. Keep the animals separate, and practice scent exchanging and slow introductions, while making sure both of them have ample and familiar resources.

If it’s a baby, start getting your cat adjusted months ahead of time. You’ll be setting up a room or area for the baby, and acquiring baby things. Get them used to all these. Get your cat used to the scent of all these items you’ll be using for the new one. If you can bring home something with the baby’s scent before the baby comes home, even better. Introducing your cat to a baby really needs its own post, but this PDF from the Australian site WeAreFamily is helpful.

Keep your cat’s routines as much as possible
Cats are creatures of routine, so the more you can stick to them the better. It will help them feel more secure. If you can anticipate any changes that will come, then you can gradually adjust your cat’s routine ahead of time to better match what they will have later on.

Praise and reward your cat for good behavior
As you already know, cats respond badly to punishment — but rewards, on the other hand, will help loads. So when your cat acts well around the new person or pet, make sure you reward them. Tell them how great they are doing, pet them in their favorite ways. And of course, treats are almost always welcome!

Include the new person in activities your cat enjoys
If you’re bringing a new grownup into your home, have them take part in your cat’s feeding routine. If your cat sees that they are helping supply their needs, they’ll be less likely to view them as a threat. Also including them in playtime will help your cat associate the new person with fun activities.

Don’t be afraid to take up any problems with your vet
Sometimes your cat’s reactions to a new family member or situation are extreme enough that it disrupts your life. If you’ve tried everything and your cat won’t settle down, ask your vet for a referral to a cat behaviorist. And although it’s not an ideal solution, you could also look into anxiety meds if it’s a situation that can’t change (i.e., a new baby).

I hope you’ve found these helpful! Have you ever thought your cat was jealous over a new pet or person? And what happened? Let’s discuss it in the comments.

The post Jealous Cat? It’s Not About Love, But Territory – Here’s How You Solve It appeared first on Summer’s Fabulous Cat Life.

The Backyard Portraits

Here are the photos my human was taking of me when the peach kitty stopped by. I think they came out pretty nicely, although I think you can tell I was a little distracted in a couple of them! No secret messages necessary.

And yes, he managed to sneak in a solo shot too!

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My Leopard Print Paris Hilton Pet Dress on Video

This video of me modeling my leopard print Paris Hilton pet dress was supposed to be finished a couple of weeks ago. But we had a delay, and it was for kind of a dumb reason.

My human shot the video (well, most of it) as we took the photos. And then she looked back at the clips she shot…and she messed up the second half completely! She had the camera turned off while I was doing some of the modeling, and turned on when we were getting ready to shoot. The exact opposite of what we were supposed to do.

Yes, it was stupid, but she’s not the first person to make that mistake. So we had to reshoot the part with the accessories. And it took a while because we were busy with other things. But once we got back to it, it went smoothly. You can see the result below.

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He Thought He Was Part of the Photo Session

My human took me to a spot in the backyard where we get some pretty nice photos in the afternoon. But as you can see, I was a bit distracted. The reason why is pretty obvious in the photos below. (No secret messages because they clearly aren’t necessary.)

Yes, we did get some nice portraits of me, but that’s for another post.

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My June Compilation – Peach Kitty, Visits, Modeling, and a Variety Show!

It’s time for my June cat video compilation! And it’s a really fun one. I think you’ll agree

You’ll see three of my visits with the peach kitty! And even a little peak at his mom.

And I had another Paris Hilton pet dress to model. (I’ll have yet another one in July too!)

And the best part is my Cat World Domination Day variety show!

You’ll find all that and more below. As always, the videos are divided into chapters so you can skip back and forth to your favorite videos. Enjoy!

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Random Photo Flubs

It’s time for outtakes! And the photo flubs were plentiful, and pretty bad!

As if cutting off part of me wasn’t bad enough, then my human got her whole hand in another shot!

When I’m outside eating treats, my human always tries to get a couple of good photos. This wasn’t one of them.

My human wanted me to pose nicely with my water fountain. But you know I had to stick in a raspberry.

This raspberry’s for the trouble we had with this week’s therapy cat visit!

And that’s the end of this week’s outtakes! If you have a favorite, let me know in the comments.

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My Most Stressful Therapy Cat Visit So Far

My human almost didn’t schedule a therapy cat visit for me at the big hospital because ICE had been reported being seen there a few weeks ago. It’s located in a largely Hispanic part of town.

Although my human was born here, as were her parents, and she is half white, she has a Latin surname. So she’s always nervous going out now to begin with. But she’s especially nervous about going out with me. What would happen to me if she got detained while she had me with her?

But she scheduled our visit anyway because people need to see me, especially in times of stress. So she turned on her app that tells her where ICE has recently been and we headed down there. Then when we arrived and parked, she looked at the app — and it showed that ICE had shown up while we were driving down.

So she took a deep breath, called our therapy organization and the staff member we work with in Behavioral Medicine. She wondered if she should turn around and leave. She almost did. But the truth is, she has something called Privilege. If ICE decided they didn’t like the looks of her and detained her, they would probably release her after a few days because she’s a US citizen. She also can afford an attorney to help make that happen. She’s not what they’re looking for right now.

Meanwhile, there are a lot of people with less privilege who are more stressed out than my human. Some of them are sick and in the hospital. And there are hospital staff that are concerned about protecting those patients.

As my human was thinking about all of this, a car parked next to her, and a guy in scrubs came out. He was on his way in to work, so my human asked him to escort her from the parking lot to the hospital, which he did.

So we did our rounds, and didn’t see any ICE people. If they had been there, it was in the ER, where we don’t normally go. Like I said, it is a big hospital! Pediatrics had patients, but none for me to visit, so we stopped by to see the nurses in Labor and Delivery (I gave a fist bump to a dad-to-be!) and visited some people in the waiting room by the lobby.

Behavioral Medicine had a bunch of people for us to see, though! So I hung out with them all in the activity room, gave out high fives and paw shakes, and had a really nice time with them.

So it ended well, but my human didn’t take a normal breath until we got home.

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Why Cats Love Running Water – But Choose the Bathroom Faucet Over Their Own Fountain

It’s not only common knowledge that cats prefer to drink running water over a still bowl — and science backs up the benefits. And lots of cats enjoy drinking from the bathroom or kitchen faucet.

Over the past couple of decades, pet fountains have become very popular. Most cats are pretty enthusiastic about them — but some stop using them after a period of time. There are a couple of reasons for that, and generally they are pretty easy to solve.

But first let me explain the appeal of running water to cats in the first place.

Cats and Running Water — a Winning Combo

The reasons why cats prefer an active drinking source are partially instinctual, partly biological, and partly, well, just because.

Running water is perceived to be cleaner and fresher than still water.
In the wild, cats have always gravitated toward streams for their hydration. Stagnant water can be loaded with bacteria and slime. The fresh water coming from a stream is cool and refreshing. Which would you choose?
 Running water smells better than still water.
Cats have extremely sensitive noses, so if a water source smells off, even a tiny bit, they won’t want to drink from it. Still water can start smelling bad (especially if you are a cat) pretty quickly. Water that circulates stays fresher longer.
 Running water is more interesting to feline eyes and ears.
In fact, the same can be said for people! Isn’t the sound of a water fountain relaxing? And what about the sight of running water glistening as it falls? It’s like the original meditation tool. No wonder cats like it.
 Running water is just plain fun.
When you were a kid, did you ever like to play in the water? So do some cats! Yes, cats don’t like getting wet, but that’s mostly about being drenched. It won’t stop them from pawing at running water or even sticking their heads underneath a faucet.So What’s the Deal with Water Fountains? Why Would They Be Less Desirable to a Cat?

Actually, most cats love water fountains, if they are assembled and maintained properly. But if your cat has stopped using yours, here are some reasons.

It’s the wrong material.

Cats have preferences when it comes to the fountain they’re drinking out of. And for good reason. Here are the ones you’ll find when shopping for a fountain.

Stainless steel fountains are best.
Stainless steel is the easiest to keep clean, and the least likely to get moldy and icky. It’s also the most expensive. But if you care for it properly, it’ll last the longest.
 Ceramic fountains are prettier, and almost as good.
Like stainless steel, they are easy to keep clean — but they are also a little more fragile. And make sure you get a good quality ceramic fountain from a reputable company. That no-name company’s fountain with the pretty look and low price may contain lead.
 Plastic is the least desirable.
Sure, they’re cheap, but they scratch easily, which could harbor bacteria. And if they are not BPA-free, they could leach chemicals. Plastic fountains are usually the ones to start smelling bad first, and your cat will notice that way before you do.

Ironically, my current fountain is plastic! I got it for a sponsored social media post. But my human asked a lot of questions about it first. It’s actually very sturdy and definitely BPA free, but because of tariffs, it’s currently not available in the U.S. (Apparently it’s the only country where you can’t buy it!) I like it, and it’s the easiest fountain my human has ever cleaned, but I’m pretty sure my next fountain won’t be plastic.

The Main Reason Your Cat Rejects the Water Fountain

It’s very simple — it’s lost its appeal, either because you aren’t properly maintaining it, or the wear over time has turned it a little icky. (The latter is especially true for plastic fountains.)

Regularly maintaining a fountain really matters to your cat. If the water smells a little weird, or tastes a little slimy, it could put them off the fountain, possibly for good. You wouldn’t like it, either! And if you live in an area with hard water, mineral deposits can build up pretty quickly too. That’s another concern.

So it’s important that you clean the fountain and change its filter at least as often as the instructions tell you. In addition, you should check all the moving parts to make sure nothing moldy or slimy has accumulated.

Wash the fountain with soap and water, and use a vinegar and water solution for any buildup. Air drying the fountain, or wiping it dry with a clean soft cloth (not a paper towel) is a good idea.

Other Reasons Your Cat May Dislike the Fountain

These may surprise you — but they could solve your problem!

You’re using the wrong type of water.
My human prefers to drink mountain spring water. I prefer purified water! She discovered this because when she fills up my fountain with mountain spring water, I wait for the filter to cycle through and purify it before really drinking from it. You’d think I’d prefer the mountain spring water, but no. Who knew? So perhaps the same could be true of your cat.
 Yes, whisker fatigue can apply to water fountains.
One of the reasons cats like faucets is because they don’t have to stress out their whiskers to drink. And most water fountains solve this issue with a “fountain” like design. But if yours is like mine, with a flatter surface, some cats may not find that as appealing. Watch your cat when they drink water, because that may help show you the best choices for them when it comes to fountains.

I hope this has helped you demystify pet fountains for your cat! Do I have any recommendations? Other than what I’ve mentioned above as far as the material it’s made of, no. Because all cats are different, and what may appeal to one may not appeal to another.

So what are your cats’ experiences with water fountains? Let me know in the comments!

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