Caturday Night Live!

Welcome to a very special edition of Caturday Night Live, with your guest host, Matilda the (sleepy) Algonquin Cat!

Today I was fortunate enough to attend the Pet Writing Conference in NYC, and meet up with Cat Blogosphere pals such as Ann Dziemianowicz (Careers For Your Cat and paper bag & string), Tamar Arslanian (I Have Cat), and Ingrid King (The Conscious Cat)!

After a long day of informative panels and discussions, Ann and me decided to take a short walk to the historic Algonquin Hotel to meet the new resident Algonqueen, Matilda III! If you remember, just last month it was announced that 15-year-old Matilda II had retired to "a classic pre-war apartment in Brooklyn," and was quietly replaced by a new "Directfurr of Guest Relations."

After entering the beautiful, newly renovated, and gloriously warm hotel lobby, we were quickly seated in the lounge area. After waffling over two drinks - the Pink Pussycat and the Matilda, I decided I had to respect the lady of the house by ordering her signature cocktail.

This is what a $20 drink named after a cat looks like

The pricey concoction features "Belvedere Ponaranza, Cointreau, Freshly Squeezed Lemon & Orange Juice, and a Splash of Perrier Jouet." It was delicious, kind of like Sprite and Orange Juice mixed together, with a kick. My taste buds are currently impaired due to a bad cold, but that will not stop me from proclaiming that the hotel also serves the most addictive snack mix ever (also pictured). Ann can back me up on this.

I eagerly asked our server where Matilda was, and he assured us she was on the premises. This was encouraging, yet slightly disappointing, as I still hadn't recovered from the fanciful vision I had of her sitting on a luggage cart by the door, anxiously awaiting my arrival at the hotel.

I made him promise to send her over before we left. A short time later, the man came back and pointed to a small, dark corner of the lounge where a gorgeous Ragdoll cat snoozed royally upon a velveteen cushion. I jumped up and ran over (I wish I could say this was an exaggeration, but sadly it's not), and interrupted the guests sitting near her to get a better look. The two women asked if I was a crazy cat lady, and I said, "I don't think so," despite authoring a cat blog and wearing a dress with silver sequined cats(!) on it at the time. They proceeded to ask me how many cats I had, and when I replied two, they quickly assured me that crazy cat ladies had at least ten cats. So there.

First glimpse! Is she sleeping, or just shielding herself from the papa-papa-razzi?

After the Matilda hogging patrons left, we hustled over to their open seats and tried to get some quotes from the still slumbering diva. She remained unmoved, and almost doll like. I had to get close to make sure she was still breathing! After confirming that indeed, she was, I did what any self respecting cat journalist would do; I got down on my knees and reached into her dark lair to get get a good pat! I gently stroked her head, and gave her an affectionate chin scritch for good measure.

Zzzzzzzzzz

She was sleeping almost the entire time, and barely opened her eyes, but we got a few glimpses of her face. I can confidently report that her fur is soft and silky like a rabbit, she has a little pink nose, and she possesses some of the he floofiest white kitty toes I've ever seen!

Towards the end of of our visit, a hotel employee came over and signaled it was time for her to eat dinner by tapping a spoon against an unopened can of Fancy Feast. Poor Matilda must have had a rough day entertaining hotel guests (like us), and even the siren song of the 'Feast couldn't rouse her from her slumber.

Ann and I spoke briefly of cat-napping her (now I will never be allowed into the Algonquin again!), before packing up and heading out into the frigid city night.

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We now return you to your regularly scheduled Caturday programming! Put on your coziest jammies and prepare for cuteness overload when you meet Romeo, Buffy, and Calvin!

"O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?"

FIrst up, Amy writes in to tell us the tale of her little ladykiller, the stunning Romeo!

Amy writes, "Romeo, or "Romy" as he is sometimes called, is a seven year old Maine Coon who lives with me in Saint Petersburg, Florida. I first met him almost three years ago when he started hanging out at my father's university after his prior owner callously abandoned him, which shows that Romy is clearly an intellectual cat. Romy's interests include running bathtub faucets, open windows, and being an awesomely friendly cat."

I love big, burly Maine Coons, and Romy is no exception! Just in time for Valentine's Day, I'm ready to meet up with this kitty Casanova for a serious cuddle session! How can you deny the cuteness of this handsome boy's sweet little expression?

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Next up, Chris from Germany gives us a peek at her marmalade colored cutie, named after the title character of one of my favorite television shows of all time - Buffy The Vampire Slayer! We've previously met two of Chris' other other cats, the ever-so-helpful, Bonni and Luna.

Chris writes, "This week, I have a pic from Buffy, my slayer cat, she loves water that's why she always hops into the sink when I am brushing my teeth...she only gets out after I let her drink some fresh water."

Get it, girl! This is one strong willed beauty who knows what she wants, and how to get it! Sarah Michelle Gellar would be proud!

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And finally, we have another Catsparella first! Yes, that's right, this week I received my first ever "Caturday Response" email from Karen and her cat, Calvin.

If you remember, last week I featured Jo's ladycat Calvin, being a very good office assistant.

Karen writes, "Just saw the picture of the female Calvin being an office helper, so I had to share a pic of my male Calvin doing the same thing!"

Am I detecting a trend? Should I have a kitty face-off to determine the best "Feline Administrative Professional"? Karen, how many words can Calvin type per minute?

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As always, very special thanks to everyone who made this week's Caturday post possible, including the fabulous staff of the Algonquin Hotel for putting up with our cat lady antics, and Amy, Chris, and Karen for sharing their divine felines with us!

If you ever want to pay Matilda a visit for yourself (maybe she will have woken up by then), The Algonquin Hotel is located on 59 West 44th Street in Manhattan.

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Want to see your cat(s) on Catsparella? I'm looking for submissions for my weekly Caturday post! Email your best kitty pics to catsparella@gmail.com, and include the cat's name and anything else you'd like to add. I can't wait to hear from you!