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, Charlie hosted his First Annual Halloween Round-Up and became the web's first (?) feline music critic, we celebrated the release of the new book, ZooBorns Cats!, Hello Kitty turned 37 and I reminisced about the time I got food poisoning in Japan, lucky schoolchildren attended a cat shaped school in Germany, we got the inside scoop on Smokey, the world's loudest purring cat, The Kitten Covers reimagined classic album art to the delight of cat-loving music fans everywhere, Maru's cuteness was supersized and analyzed, a vintage Woman's Day cover proved that they don't make magazines like they used to, Taylor Swift and Katy Perry talked serious kitten business on Twitter, and we lusted over feline footwear ranging from fleecy slippers to Catwoman's kick-butt boots!

Also, I have a great giveaway going on right now for a 2-In-1 Cat Bed and Feeding Set from Martha Stewart Pets! I can't be held responsible for any dirty looks or withheld cuddles that your cat gives you for not taking the time to enter! Click HERE for all the details!

Finally, I'd like to take a moment to thank and welcome my November sponsors, Amazing Treat Machine, home of the Amazing Treat Machine Rollers that Charlie tested out back in September, RC Tees, where you can get a Real Men Love Cats or Abby Cat Tee of your very own, and Doodlecats, run by the amazing Beth who crafts some of the cutest kitty goodies around! Check 'em out!

Efrem

This week's featured feline comes to us from Kathy, who is no stranger to Catsparella. She's shared everything from her daughter's cat birthday party with us, to her cat sightings in Cornwall and Japan!

Sadly, Kathy and her family lost their beloved cat CC in 2010, but recently felt it was time to open their hearts and their home to a furry new bundle of joy.

Kathy writes:

"After lots of deliberating we finally decided to get another kitten.

We knew that it had to be a Siberian (I have allergies), that it had to be a boy (our last little guy was such a sweetheart) and that he couldn't be red (our previous one was a ginger tabby). So, we got little Efrem from a breeder in Liverpool UK on 11 September 2011. He is a grey/black tabby siberian and just the cutest little thing. I knew that I would compare him to our first cat but I also knew that he would be a different personality and I was looking forward to finding out just how different he would be.

Beautiful boy!

Sadly our last (and first) cat died just over a year ago of pancreatitis and I was so devastated I couldn't even think about another one for months. I had been following Efrem's mother, Dahlia, on the breeder's website because she was so beautiful and when I found out that she was expecting her first litter I kept close watch on the site. She had a litter of SEVEN on 13 June and one boy caught our daughter's eye so we reserved him.

♥ Fast friends ♥

Our girl and I actually went to visit him when he was about eight weeks old. Another one of the breeder's queens had had a litter of five so we were in a room with TWELVE kittens and two adults. It was quite an experience to see so many kittens in one spot. Each time you put a hand down you could pick up or stroke another little fur-ball. Our daughter was in cat-heaven and scooped up one after the other so she could kiss them.

"I wish I could do my eyeliner as well as he does!"

The breeder named him Efrem (he was in the 'E' litter) and we decided to stick with it since he is usually referred to as 'the cat', 'my little sweetie', 'gorgeous little boy' or something nauseating like that. He is a little sweetheart, a real cuddle-bear & purr-baby. He is also an equal-opportunity lap-sitter and spends time on all of us, not just the lap of the one who feeds him. He is also very friendly with strangers and gives their lap a warming-up too.

He is growing well and getting fluffier & cuter by the day (I wish I could do my eyeliner as well as he does!)."

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Special thanks to Kathy for sharing her new kitten with us this week! Of course the loss of CC will always be difficult and he will never be forgotten, but it gives me warm fuzzies to know that little Efrem is helping fill the cat-shaped hole in their hearts. Here's to sending this fabulous family my sincere congratulations, and wishes for a long and wonderful lifetime of happiness together!

p.s. Thank you to all who entered the Splendid Summer Ebook Giveaway last weekend! Everyone who commented will be getting a special email from me! :) For those who missed out, Splendid Summer by Mary Matthews is available now for download on Amazon!

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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!