Charlie's Second Annual Big Halloween Round-Up!

Starring...


Sophia


Zeus


Jasper


Jack


Kimba


Bean


Bombay


Kokoro


Kiko


Ghato

Kong

Priscilla




Sonny




Cheyenne


Abby


Matilda

Gonzosaurus

Thanks to everyone who submitted their awesome kitty pics this year! Have a safe and Happy Meowloween!

Happy Halloween From Henri, Le Chat Noir

Henri 4, L'Haunting

My favorite internet cat, Henri, le Chat Noir, is back with a new video to celebrate my favorite holiday, Halloween! The philosophical French(ish) feline lambasts the idea of costumes, decorations, and even pumpkins themselves, before suffering the indignity of wearing a costume right next to his nemesis, the white imbecile. 

"They say black cats are bad luck," the tuxedo cat says. "(It is) an obvious ploy to hide their jealousy."

Persian Panda Kitty Gets A Bamboo Treat

Halloween Panda Kitty

Our fluffy friends at SweetFurr have an annual tradition of dressing up in adorable costumes while chowing down on their favorite snacks, and this year they didn't disappoint! 

Persians Mochi and Cooper have dressed up as a banana split, apple, and orange in the past, but this Halloween, cutie Cooper decided to go incognito as a panda in a fuzzy black and white suit. The little bear ventured into the forest to noisily nom on some bamboo (asparagus), before taking a break to pose for some pics. 



Via SweetFurr

Paralyzed Kitty Honored With ASPCA's "Cat of the Year" Award

(Click here to watch if video doesn't load)

Scooter is no ordinary cow kitty. Four years ago he was brought into Harts Run Clinic in Pittsburgh, Pa. after being found by a dog. The tiny kitten showed no visible signs of injury, but was in shock and paralyzed from the waist down.

Veterinarian Betsy Kennon was working at the clinic at the time, and decided to save Scooter instead of putting him to sleep. Clients of Harts Run helped raise $300 to get him a customized wheelchair, which he uses to get around, and visit patients at a local rehabilitation hospital every week.

Dr. Kennon tells CBS Pittsburgh of her cat's incredible impact on a stroke victim who never spoke: “We put Scooter up onto her bed and he snuggled right up to her. And don’t you know, she pet him, she opened her eyes, she was talking to him. And I thought that’s really cool. And when I turned around and looked, the recreational therapist and nurse were both in tears.”

Scooter's story has been featured in Reader's Digest, and the extraordinary feline is now packing his tiny bags for New York City, where he will be honored with ASPCA's "Cat of the Year" award.

"He brings them a little bit of happiness, a little bit of joy, and a little bit of hope that things are going to get better," says Dr. Kennon of the therapy cat.



Via CBS Pittsburgh

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, the Catdance Film Festival announced plans to take over Park City, Brian Kirk recreated classic movie posters with cats, a lost kitten in the UK adorably found warmth inside a bag of freshly baked bread, Litter Genie rolled out a psychedelic new spot starring Walter the cat, we took a look inside Cats Republic, a cat cafe located in St. Petersburg, Russia, and just in time for my birthday, I found cat cupcakes that actually meow!

Elsewhere, don't forget to enter for your chance to win the Academy Award nominated "A Cat in Paris" on DVD! I posted the trailer and a review of the animated French flick earlier this week, and gave it two very enthusiastic paws up!

And finally, does your kitty have a Halloween costume they'd like to share with the world? Email a pic of them wearing it, along with their name to catsparella@gmail.com for a chance to be featured in Charlie's Second Annual Big Halloween Round-up!


T-Bone

This week's featured feline is a luxuriously furred lady, who hopes that one day libraries will grant equal rights to all creatures, great and small.

Rachael writes:

My name is Rachael and here's a candid of my roommate, T-Bone. She has only-child-syndrome occasionally, yet doesn't mind sharing her space. She's quite the storyteller, but I still cannot understand anything she's saying, so I just nod and reply with "that's crazy." 

She's an old soul, way ahead of her time, and she dreams of one day having her own library card.

"Seasonally appropriate pumpkin-head"


"Sears portrait studio"




"Favorite yoga stretches"




"Catback of Notre Dame Edition, a few of many mornings."




"Big brother, always watching. Also, she's the neighborhood catnip dealer."


Special thanks to Rachael for sharing the gorgeous T-Bone with us this week! I hope that one day her library card dreams come true!

p.s. Looking for even more Catsparella? Check out my weekly columns over on Catster!

This week:
Our Latest Obsession: Elaine Cat Slippers Are Cozy and Cute
Japanese Kigurumi Costumes Make All Your Feline Dreams Come True

***
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!

Felines Rule At Cats Republic Cafe In St. Petersburg

(Click here to watch if video doesn't load)

St. Petersburg, Russia, home to the famous cats of The Hermitage Museum, also houses a different kind of feline attraction, in the form of a cafe filled with kitties.

Cats Republic follows in the tradition of Japanese cat cafes, where patrons pay a fee to hang out with cats while enjoying beverages and snacks. Employee Anna Chugunova says that the cafe got its name because its residents are "free and independent cats who cannot be forced to play or be carried around if they don't want to."

All visitors "crossing the border" into Cats Republic must apply for a visa, and have their height measured in cats. The cafe also features a feline-themed library and exhibit area, along with a gift shop.

Cats who live/work in cafes are typically well cared for, and visitors must abide by strict rules to ensure their happiness and safety. There are now over 40 cat cafes in Japan, and the trend has also been spreading across Europe, where the first cat cafe in Vienna opened this spring. 



Via The Daily Mail

Litter Genie Spot Takes Walter On A Trip Down Catnip Lane

Litter Genie: I Haz a Catnip in Mah Head

In the tradition of trippin' cats (inspired, no doubt, by the now classic Friskies "Adventureland" commercial), one groovy kitty takes a trip into his mind's eye after getting a whiff of what must have been an especially potent blend o' nip. The psychedelic music video, which is actually a clever commercial for Litter Genie, includes wizard costumes, cat breading, and gratuitous shots of scooping poop.

When he's not busy making ineffective PSAs against feline drug abuse, Walter, the star of "I Haz a Catnip in Mah Head," dabbles in other musical genres, including hard rock (see I Haz a Pie Row Tek Nik). The multi-talented kitty also has his own Twitter account, where he drops pearls of wisdom such as, "The loff you give me iz so stong! Like diz catnips in mah head. #littergenie #MeowMwahz."

In related news, the folks at Litter Genie are having a Cat Snaps contest with I Can Haz Cheezburger, where you can upload and digitally accessorize a pic of your cat looking like the rock star they really are. Prizes include a Litter Genie litter disposal system (natch) and a grand prize professional feline photo shoot.



(Thanks for the tip, Megan!)

Pussies on Parade $50 Prize Pack Giveaway Winner!

Thanks to all who entered, and congrats to the lucky winner of the Pussies on Parade $50 Prize Pack Giveaway!

I used Random.org to determine the winner, and it selected comment # 41 belonging to Cecilia who wrote, "That t-shirt looks awesome! I definitely want one, and think I want to get my fiancé one too! And of course my four-legged children will LOVE some catnip!"

Congrats, Cecilia! If you're interested in checking out some cool kitty art, apparel, accessories (and more!) of your own, visit Pussies on Parade for more information.

"A Cat in Paris" Movie Review and DVD Giveaway!

A Cat in Paris - Official Trailer

I first heard about "A Cat In Paris" when it was nominated alongside "Puss in Boots" as Best Animated Feature at the 2011 Academy Awards. Unfortunately, both feline-themed films lost the Oscar to a chameleon named Rango, but the critical acclaim led to a U.S. release of the French film, with voiceovers by Anjelica Huston, Marcia Gay Harden, and Matthew Modine.

In a world where digital animation often blurs the lines of reality, it's refreshing to see a hand-drawn film that manages to capture the depth of its characters without using fancy tricks. Director's Jean-Loup Felicioli and Alain Gagnol create a suspenseful feline film noir against the gorgeous backdrop of Paris, where cats and criminals prowl its rooftops together at night.

"A Cat in Paris" is a sophisticated children's film, that deals with themes of parental death, gangsters, guns, and even kidnapping, yet somehow still manages to remain heartwarming, and often funny. The main character is a girl named Zoe, whose beloved black cat Dino leads a double life as a house cat by day, and a cunning cat burglar's accomplice by night. Dino's interactions with the girl are often tender, as he acts as both her companion and protector. Then there's also Zoe's mother, Jeanne, a cop with a taste for vengeance against the man who killed her husband, a bumbling group of gangsters led by a man named Victor Costa, and Nico, the thief with a heart-of-gold, who inadvertently finds himself tangled in their web of intrigue.

The movie is ultimately a fast-paced adventure, with a plot you'd associate with a live-action film instead of an animated children's flick. The beautifully rendered characters and the city, a character in itself, work together to create a colorful tale that's ultimately about love, and the loyalty of one very special cat.

Enter To Win!



Cinedigm Entertainment Group has generously offered one lucky Catsparella reader the chance to win a copy of "A Cat in Paris" on DVD! 

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 Wednesday, October 31 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 a "Cat in Paris," now available on Blu-Ray
 and DVD!

(If you have trouble leaving a comment, please email me at catsparella@gmail.com)

Disclosure: Cinedigm provided a DVD for giveaway, but they did not ask me to review the film, nor did they provide the copy I watched.

[Comments are now closed. Thanks for entering!]

Lost Kitten Finds Warmth Inside A Bag Of Freshly Baked Bread

Deli-cat

Talk about an "in-bread" cat! One industrious kitten who found herself out in the cold, came up with the purrfect solution for staying toasty on a chilly October night.

The adorable kitten took employees of Hickson and Black’s delicatessen in Chorlon (a suburb of Manchester, England) by surprise when she showed up one morning inside a bag of freshly baked bread. 

Deli co-founder Jay Hickson told Manchester Evening News:

“When the bread arrives it’s still warm from the oven, so presumably she must have gone in there for the warmth.

We took her into one of the back rooms, so that she could have a totter about and some food. There was no collar on her, but she’s so small we presume she can’t have got far from her home."

The tiny tabby, who has since been christened "Deli-cat", is already showing signs of star quality based on an adorable series of photographs that have her posing alongside a loaf of bread. She is currently being cared for by one of Hickson's colleagues, and the public are encouraged to stop by the shop for a sandwich (just kidding), and also if they have information about where she came from.

Via Manchester Evening News

Brian Kirk's 'Movie Cats' Replace Celebrities With Kitties

Ghostbusters Cat

Brian Kirk describes his life as, "Cats and movies, all day, every day." Kirk is the illustrator behind Movie Cats, a series of prints that recreates famous movie posters using kitties. No genre is safe from the artist's catty hijinks, as classics such as Jaws and Ghostbusters get remakes, along with modern fare like Miss Congeniality and The Help. Kirk's prints are currently on sale through Fab.com, where you can click over to see even more great moments in feline film history.


Office Space Cat


The Help Cat


Lost In Translation Cat


Jaws Cat


Miss Congeniality Cat

Via Fab.com / Complex Art and Design

Catdance Film Festival Brings Kitty Clips To Park City

2012 has been a breakout year for online cat videos. 10,000 strong showed up to Walker Art Center's first ever Internet Cat Video Film Festival back in August, and Friskies cat food followed suit with their own Oscars-level search for the best online cat video of the year. Now, Fresh Step Cat Litter, purveyors of those coveted Paw Points, is raising the bar yet again, by launching a competition featuring art-house worthy original, scripted shorts that could take you all the way to the bastion of indie cinema, The Sundance Film Festival (well, kinda).

Five finalists will have to pack their most stylish snowbunny gear when they win a trip to see their film screened at The Catdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on January 19. After the screening, fans will have a chance to vote on their favorite original cat short and the viewer's choice winner will receive a $10,000 prize. 


The Trials and Tribulations of Patrick Chesterfield II

To help get your creative juices flowing, the cat litter brand has commissioned their own original videos, including "The Trials and Tribulations of Patrick Chesterfield II." In it, a fluffy tuxedo cat with a British accent bemoans his life in captivity, in a clip that borrows heavily from the oeuvre of Henri, Le Chat Noir. 


A Cat In Love

Elsewhere, "A Cat in Love" tells the tale of a San Francisco feline who uses the Internet to maintain a long-distance relationship with his Japanese girlfriend, Momoko. Tissue box alert: this one just *might* bring a tear to your eye!

To submit your own video for the chance to win the trip and cash, visit the Catdance Film Festival site for more information.

Cat Cupcake Tuesdays

Cat Mini Cupcakes (Plays Music)

My birthday is coming up on Friday, and I would be especially excited to receive these kitty cupcakes that are topped with my favorite candy, and play their own tune!

Kim from Kimagination Cakes writes: 

I was asked to make some cupcakes for a vet, and while I was in the greeting card aisle I found a card that meowed "Happy Birthday" when you opened it. I arranged the cupcakes on the cakeboard and made a hole in it, so I could attach the part of the card that operated the sound to a cupcake. When you pull the front cupcake forward, it meows happy birthday! 

The mini chocolate cupcakes are topped with vanilla icing, orange cat faces made from fondant, and peanut butter cup pieces. 

I have a video of them in action on my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/kimaginationcakes), if you are interested in checking it out!

***
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!