Thanks to everyone who entered the Hey Kitty Kitty $25 Gift Certificate Giveaway! I used Random.org to determine the winner, and it selected comment #81, belonging to mmmorgans who said, "Super cute! I especially like the pirate pillow!"
Congrats to mmmorgans, and for those who didn't win, Megan from Hey Kitty Kitty was nice enough to offer my readers a 15% discount until November 15th! Just enter in coupon code catsparella at checkout! :)
Say what you will about Martha Stewart, but one of the many things I love about her is her unabashed love for all animals. While she often appears with her Frenchies Sharkey and Francesca (they even have their own blog!), and her beloved Chow Chow Ghengis Khan (RIP Paw Paw), she also holds a very special place in her heart for fluffy kitties, too! According to her website, she currently shares her sprawling Bedford estate with Persians Empress Tang and Princess Peony who joined her home in 2009, along with Himalayans Electra, Sirius, Vivaldi, and Verdi.
Martha's not afraid to show her feline side!
When Stewart launched her exclusive new pet line at PetSmart earlier this year, cat lovers everywhere were wondering why the collection was for the dogs (literally!), with nary a mouse in sight. Well, I have some good news for the domestic diva wannabes out there, because Martha Stewart Pets for CATS has officially arrived, and felines will not be forced to suffer the indignity of shopping in the dog section anymore! If you've stopped into your local PetSmart recently, you've probably seen a variety of her signature products for sale, including toys, feeding sets, treat jars, beds, and more, all tailored to fit a cat's more discriminating tastes (think more fish and less BONES!)
Enter To Win!
PetSmart has generously offered one lucky Catsparella winner the chance to win a Martha Stewart Pets 2-In-1 Cat Bed and Feeding Set, so your kitty will be the envy of every house cat on the block! The 2-In-1 bed can be pushed down for use as a comfortable sleeping quarters, or popped up to form a luxurious private retreat, and the modern bowls are made of rust proof stainless steel, with a non-skid bottom to help prevent any unsightly faux paws!
To enter, leave a comment on this post with your name and some way for me to contact you if you win (email, link back to your blog or profile, Twitter, etc.).
The winner be will chosen in a random drawing next Monday, November 7th at 5:00PM EST. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. One entry per person, please.
Good luck, and be sure to check out the Martha Stewart Pets collection, available exclusively at PetSmart!
Egyptian God Jake, One-Eyed Pirate Angel, Butterfly Tessie, and Hello Kitty Kylie submitted by Coco of The Daily Abyssinian
Creature of the Night Wally, Pumpkin Zoey, and Pumpkin/Spooky Ernie submitted by The Island Cats
Rocky, Hewey, Sophia, Billy, Carly, Fritz, Gage, Benny, and Gracie submitted by Debi of Arizona RESCUE! ALL of these lovely kitties are all looking for their forever homes, and you can click on the link beneath their picture to find out more information!
And last but not least, sometimes kitties don't even need to wear a costume to get their "Halloween look" on! Check out Miss CAT-O and Igor, submitted by Susi and Mike!
While the website focuses on the newest and cutest (they aren't kidding) exotic baby animals of all kinds, the latest book by ZooBorns founders Andrew Bleiman and Chris Eastland focuses exclusively on wild cat kittens and cubs born at accredited zoos and conservation programs around the world.
Right off the bat, one of the most interesting things I learned was that there are thirty-six different species of wild cat! Sure, everyone knows knows about lions, tigers, cheetahs, jaguars, and leopards, but are you familiar with the Oncilla? Kodkod? Or how about the rare Japanese Irimote Cat?
The book is so in-depth, that it reportedly represents the "largest number of juvenile feline photos from different species ever assembled in one publication," and as I was reading through, I kept "Aww-ing" before exclaiming, "Ok, this one is my favorite!" only to change my mind a few pages later when greeted by Yapahuwa the Rusty-Spotted Cat (as seen on the cover), or Aguapo the teddy-bear faced Jaguarundi. It's also fun to see how some of these baby big cats look A LOT like their domestic cousins, especially the kittenish Black-footed Cat, and the Asiatic Wildcat, whose most significant threat, sadly, is interbreeding with domestic cats.
In addition to featuring beautiful full-page color photographs, the book also includes information about each of the kittens, as well as their breed status throughout the world. Seeing that so many of these amazing creatures are vulnerable, threatened, or near endangered puts a furry face on the serious issues these cats are up against. Not just a cute diversion, the book also serves as an important tool for promoting conservation efforts, and I'm happy to report that every sale of ZooBorns Cats! supports the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Conservation Endowment Fund.
ZooBorns Cats! The Newest, Cutest Kittens And Cubs From The World's Zoos is the purrfect treat for feline lovers of all ages, and is available now for pre-order on Amazon, and in bookstores everywhere tomorrow, November 1st!