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Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Croatian Cat Food Company Thinks "Stronger Cats" Means "More Like Dogs"

(Click images to enlarge)

Croatian cat food manufacturer Hobby Cat has launched an interesting new print campaign, including cats in scenarios traditionally reserved for dogs (a Saint Bernard on a snow covered mountain and English Foxhounds at a fox hunt), along with the tagline, "For Stronger Cats."

While some folks are outraged over the crappy photoshopping of the picture below, with one commenter lamenting, "How many cats in the photo are missing body parts?", I'm a little more offended by the implication that my cats need to be as "strong" as dogs. Maybe I'm being a little sensitive here, but it almost feels a little sexist too, in the sense that cats are usually related to females (the "weaker" sex), while dogs are often seen as being more masculine.

That being said, I must admit the cat in the Saint Bernard picture made me laugh. How cute is that kitty?


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Amazing Treat Machine Presents...Fur In Space!


According to NASA, French scientists launched the first cat into space on October 18, 1963. The cat, named Felix, was "successfully retrieved after a parachute descent," but a second cat that went up just days later wasn't so lucky.

Katie, her husband, and their dog Hustler, the team behind The Amazing Treat Machine (and sponsors of this lovely website you are reading right now!), are also interested in bringing felines into orbit, but their idea involves a lot less risk and a lot more hair. They recently decided that once their Facebook page reaches 10,000 fans, they're going to to launch fur into space. Huh??

Katie says, "We're building a spacecraft from a weather balloon, filling it with fur, and launching it into space. When the spacecraft reaches about 20 miles above the earth POP! The fur will fly!"

The launch will be filmed, and the exact date will be determined once they reach their goal.

Hustler is standing by, waiting for your submissions!

Charlie and Priscilla want to be on that passenger log (Charlie is a bit of a space cadet anyway), so I'll be sending off some tufts of their fur in shortly (you know I've been saving it up for other purposes!). If you'd like to be a part of the fun (and free!) project, you can send your pet's hair to the following address, with your pet's name, location, and type (dog or cat) written on the back of the envelope:

Pomp Productions
Attn: Fur In Space
4570 Van Nuys Blvd PMB 183
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403

(If you'd like to include a link to your pet's Facebook page and/or their photo, you can email those to Katie@AmazingTreatMachine.com).

Sure, it sounds like a wacky idea, but if they end up getting a lot of submissions, it's going to be quite a sight!

For more information on the project visit http://www.furinspace.com, or if you'd like to help out, "Like" The Amazing Treat Machine on Facebook to get them one step closer to meeting their goal.
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Shelter Kitties Enjoy Run on a Life-Sized Hamster Wheel



Catswall Design, creators of supremely awesome cat enrichment products such as the Curvynest and the Modular Cat Climbing Wall, recently posted a video of one of their most titillating inventions yet - The Cat Wheel! The life-sized hamster wheel for kitties looks like a fun and exciting way to exercise indoor cats, and as shown in the clip, is also a fantastic way to stimulate shelter kitties who get little, if any time outside of their cages.

While the Cat Wheel isn't available outside of Taiwan just yet, the company promises that they're working on securing a local dealer to import their products (including the Modular Cat Climbing Wall), and hope to have them for sale in the US by early 2012! In the meantime, you can get your Catswall Design fix with some cool bowls and scratching boards, that are currently for sale in the Catswall Design Etsy shop.


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Tuesday, November 29, 2011

The 6 Ugliest Cat Christmas Sweaters of 2011

Handmade tacky Christmas sweaters are all the rage this year! Whether you're hoping to take the top prize in an ugly sweater contest, or are just looking for a festive feline sweater to keep you warm this holiday season, the good news is that as of this writing, ALL of these one-of-a-kind atrocities are available for sale on eBay or Etsy (Click the link below each one for purchasing info). Happy Shopping!
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Catman Tee is Catwoman's Ultimate Fantasy



"He will become the greatest crime fighter the world has ever known...but first he must feed the kittehs."

If I were Catman, I'd probably stick to black cats. That white fur is going to be tough to get out of his cape.

Catman Tee (Available in Unisex/Men's and Women's sizes) - LOLmart, $15.00 (available through Sunday only!)

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Cat Cupcake Tuesdays


I love these fluffy white kitty cupcakes, created by Katja of Katja's Kupcakes. It feels like they're looking right at me! (love their lil' pink noses too!)

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Have you created or spotted any kitty-themed baked goods (or other foods) lately? If so, please submit your sweet tips for Cat Cupcake Tuesdays to catsparella@gmail.com!
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Monday, November 28, 2011

Advertise on Catsparella this Holiday Season!



The busiest shopping month of the year is almost here, but there's still time to reserve a spot to advertise your online shop, product, blog, or website on Catsparella this holiday season!

By sponsoring Catsparella, you're getting premium ad space on an award winning blog that updates six days a week, with an extremely focused audience, and visitor and page view numbers that continue to grow every month!

I currently offer ads in three sizes (Large, Medium, and Small), that are available in month long increments.

Click here for more information on sizing, and email me at catsparella@gmail.com for pricing, and to reserve your spot today!
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This Woman's Fear of Cats Could be the Saddest Phobia in the World


The Animal Planet show My Extreme Animal Phobia documents the experiences of folks and their abnormal fears of our furry and (not so furry) counterparts. While some of their anxieties are understandable (sharks, bees, cockroaches, rats), an upcoming episode set to air this Friday takes on some more unusual phobias, specifically a woman who is scared of cats.

According to the Animal Planet website, Sandra believes that cats are evil and can change form. It's unclear from the clip whether her irrational fear is the result of a traumatic past experience, or some deeper mental issues, but the show's psychologist, Dr. Robin Zaslo, takes Sandra and a friend to the ASPCA, where the poor woman cries in fear when faced with a room filled with cats and kittens in cages. Even though they are secure behind glass, with basically no chance of getting out, Sandra is convinced they are going to escape, saying of one particularly adorable cow kitty, "He's just staring at me. He would get me if he could."

As ridiculous as her fear seems, I feel really bad for Sandra, and anyone else who goes through life unable to appreciate the joy and sweet innocence a cat or kitten can bring. It remains to be seen if the exposure does anything to help ease Sandra's cat-fueled paranoia, but hopefully one day she'll be able to face her fears and realize that in the world we live in, Fluffy is the least of her worries (also, a lot of people are commenting it must be really hard for her to be online without coming across cat videos!).

Does this look say "Take me home!" or "I'm coming to get you!"?

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Dress Your Cat Like Kanye West


What do Kanye West, William Tell, and Paddington Bear have in common? All three have gotten the cat costume treatment, thanks to NotsoKitty's wacky Etsy shop. The inspired creations join the previously featured Princess Beatrice Fascinator and Solar System Cat Hat, in making the dreams of pop culture obsessed pussycat's everywhere come true.
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Oskar the Blind Kitten Update!

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Fixation: Blind Kitten (Click here if video doesn't load)

Oskar the Blind Kitten's video, which documents him playing with toys for the first time, has gone viral, even garnering the tiny tabby a mention on Good Morning America, where weekend edition co-host Dan Harris named the clip as one of his video obsessions of the week.

Oskar's owners also called in to the show via Skype, where they talked about their decision to adopt a blind cat, saying, "Part of us was definitely attracted to the part that he was a special needs animal and that we had an indoor environment where he would be safe, but at the same time there was some internal hesitation because we had no idea what to expect with a blind cat," adding, "He's just like any other cat. It's amazing. His ability to adapt is remarkable."


In other Oskar news, the new internet darling now has an official Facebook page where fans can keep up with all of his latest updates, plus a Cafepress shop, where you can purchase tees, totes and more, with proceeds benefitting the care and well-being of Oskar and his kitty friend, Klaus.

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A Second Chance For The Formerly Faceless Kitten

(Warning: Parts of this video shows graphic images of the kitten's injuries before and after they were repaired, so if you're squeamish, you may want to get ready to cover your eyes, or skip to the 2:05 mark)

Faris, also know as TheBunnieGirl on YouTube, is a vet technician who happened to be working when a badly injured kitten was brought in for treatment. It had been found as a stray in a garage, with superficial injuries to its face, likely as a result of trying to stay warm in a car's fan blade that was turned on. The kitten's nose was broken, and his lower left tear duct was destroyed.

While the video starts out with some graphic images of the kitten in its wounded state before and after surgery, it also reveals his truly jaw dropping transformation into a happy, healthy, and normal looking kitten thanks to the veterinarian who took the time to suture his face back together. Faris hopes this video will prove that everyone deserves a chance at life, and will likely bring you to tears, so make sure you have your tissues ready before pressing play!

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Saturday, November 26, 2011

It's Caturday!

Welcome back for another edition of Caturday, where we catch up on the week's latest cat news, and get to meet some of your amazing kitties!

This week, Taylor Swift's kitten killed us with cuteness, Flora Davis gave us a cat hair jewelry update, Oksar the Blind Kitten played with toys for the very first time, Simon's Cat starred in Catnap, Interrupted, a cat giving a dog a back massage provided us with a sweet moment of pre-holiday zen, Jane Lynch said goodbye to her beloved cat Greta, a pint sized cat burglar left several UK residents with cold feet, we learned about the history of cat balloons in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and Charlie and Priscilla wished everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Also, don't forget to check out my post about the hottest Black Friday deals from around the web for cat lovers! While some of the sales have already ended, others are still going strong throughout the weekend, and beyond!

Usyaka

This week's featured feline is a gorgeous Oriental Shorthair, whose owner delights in taking stunning photographs of her kitty muse!

Alexandra writes:

“Usyaka is an Oriental Shorthair cat and she is three years old. I met her when she was 5 months old. By that time, I had already been into photography for a while so it was only natural that she became my model when we started living together.


Usyaka at six months old

She figured out that the camera is my important toy, so when I play with it she wants to be a part of it. Whenever I try to take pictures of something else, I end up with photos of Usyaka instead because she wants to be in front of the camera. Eventually I created a blog where I publish her photos.



She talks a lot and she has a range of tones and voices. She recently mastered a question intonation. Maybe she learned that she gets a more interesting response when her 'mew' sounds like 'mew???'



Most of the time she plays and researches. Even now while I'm typing this she's pressing the keys together with me. She is interested in everything I do and she tries to do it with me. When she's interested in things, she touches them with her "hands."


When she wants to play but I don't, she follows me around the flat with her toy in her mouth. She's extremely affectionate. She purrs when she's petted or when she's just talked to. She purrs when she simply finds something amusing about her humans.


She is an amazing creature and we treat her like a real person."

Special thanks to Alexandra for sharing the beautiful Usyaka with us this week! I must say I've fallen in love with this chocolate colored kitty's elegant face, and am in awe of her fierce modeling poses! To see even more pictures of this bewitching feline, you can visit her blog at http://usyaka.wordpress.com/.

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Want to see your cat(s) on Catsparella? I'm always accepting submissions for my weekly Caturday post! Just email your best kitty pics to catsparella@gmail.com, and include your cat's name and anything else you'd like to share! I can't wait to hear from you!
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Friday, November 25, 2011

15 Hot Black Friday Deals For Cat Lovers! (Updated for Cyber Monday!)

15% off any purchase with coupon code Catsparella at checkout (through the holidays)

Cyber Monday Sale! 20% off your purchase with coupon code PDXETSY2011 at checkout (Monday only)

20% off any purchase with coupon code CYBERMEOWDAY at checkout (Monday only)

Hey Chickadee (Nyan Cat, Pusheen, Gemma Correll and more!)
20% off any purchase with code blackfriday at checkout (Friday through Monday)

Save 10 - 20% off select items, including 10% off Tote Bags and 20% off Christmas Stockings, plus FREE gift wrap on all purchases made between 11/25 - 11/28 (Friday through Monday)

25% off your order plus free shipping with coupon code CYBER at checkout (Monday only)

15% off any purchase with coupon code BLACK15 at checkout (Friday through Monday)

30% off select Halo and Petlinks System products for cats with coupon code 30DEAL at checkout, plus up to 35% off other selected items here. (Through Monday)

10% off any purchase with coupon code GOBBLE2011 at checkout (Friday through Monday)

20% off your entire order with code CYBERMONDAY11 at checkout (Monday only)

Black Friday Black Tie-Day Special: Any orders of a point or round collar and bow tie set will receive a free interchangeable Black Cotton or Black Taffeta or Dark Navy Cotton Bow Tie with their order (Friday through midnight on Monday)

25% off any purchase with coupon code 25OFF at checkout (sale runs Monday 11/28 - Wednesday 11/30)

10% off your order with coupon code MEGAMONDAY at checkout (order before December 8th in the US to ensure delivery by Christmas!) (Monday only)

Entire Cyber Monday section (totes and tees) (Monday only)

25% off your order with coupon code GFCYBER11 at checkout

Completed Sales:

10% off any purchase with coupon code BLACKFRIDAY10 at checkout (Friday only)

20% off any purchase with code ohmeowitsBLACKFRIDAY at checkout (Friday through midnight only)

10% off your entire online gift shop purchase with coupon code blkfuriday at checkout (Friday only)

Hello Kitty T-Shirt and Plush set only $15 in-store and online while supplies last (Friday only)

30% off greeting cards (excluding Christmas box sets) with coupon code BLACKFRIDAY at checkout (Friday through midnight on Sunday)

15% off any purchase with coupon code ADVENT2011 at checkout (through Sunday)

Know of any other cat friendly deals I missed? Let me know! Also check out Moderncat for their roundup of even more great Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals!
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