Megan Lynn Kott Cat Art Poster Giveaway Winners!

La Laa Laaa - Cat Art Print

Thanks to all who entered the Megan Lynn Kott Cat Art Poster Giveaway! Megan herself picked her three favorite kitten captions to win the "La Laa Laaa" posters, and she painted them too!


"Pssst...you have litter on your paws!" submitted by bluesurly.


"I can see your soul." submitted by Christina T.


"Psst, human..Even though I may ignore you sometimes...I'm thankful you're my mom & you picked me." submitted by Kelly S.

Congrats to the lucky winners!

Be sure to visit the Decisions & Revisions Etsy shop, Big Cartel, and Megan's Tumblr to check out all of her latest and greatest feline-inspired art! 

Order one of her custom pet portraits now through December 6th, and save $25 (plus the cost of shipping). You'll receive a 9x12" watercolor on high-quality Arches Hot Press paper or a 12x12" acrylic painting on stretched canvas of the kitty portrait of your choice!

Megan Lynn Kott Cat Art Poster Giveaway Winners!

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 celebrated turkey day and Black Friday, I moderated an event with Simon's Cat creator Simon Tofield at the Min-Manhattan Branch of the New York Public Library, and the holidays = giveaway mania! There's still time to enter to win the following fabulous prizes:

Your choice of a vintage cat Christmas sweater from The Sweater Store
A Superhero Cat Tote from Messy My 

Also, don't forget to visit the Catsparella shop for the lowest prices of the year! Score the latest in feline finery for just $14.95 or less!

And finally, a bit of personal news: Tomorrow I am moving over 900 miles away to St. Louis, MO for a new job! I plan to write more about this, but I'll need to take some time to settle in first. Posting is probably going to get a lot lighter for a bit, but I hope you'll still check in and follow me as I begin this new adventure!


Tucker

This week's featured feline is a snuggly ginger sweetheart with a heart of gold!

Kristine writes:

I wanted to share some pictures of my orange kitty. His name is Tucker but he goes by many other names such as "luvvie", "boobie" and "bubba" just to name a few. 





He loves his mommy, loves to be talked to. He has a luvvie of his own which is a pink ballet slipper cat toy. I initially bought this girly cat toy for my other cat Emma, but she didn't like it. Tucker loved it right away so every night when I "tuck" him in, I make sure he has his luvvie to keep him safe.





He's very smart and mischievous. He likes to knock items over just because he can and to let me know he wants something. He's my world and I don't know what I'd do without him. He is my best friend. 





He is 10 years old and I got him from a colleague at work. Her car had a bunch of kittens and when I saw this picture of a little orange kitty, I knew he was mine. I asked my work colleague for the photo she used to advertise her attempts to find homes for these kittens because Tucker was in it and he had his arm around one of his sisters. Attached are a few photos of my "luvvie". I hope you like.



Special thanks to Kristine for sharing her handsome boy with us this week! I can't help but fall in love with her little luvvie too! ♥

It's Caturday!

Messy My Superhero Cat Tote Bag Giveaway!

Happy Holidays Greeting Card

I've long admired the work of artist Daphne Sivetidis of Messy My. Her whimsical feline illustrations always bring a smile to my face, and I love how she has her kitties cozied up in hats and sweaters for the holidays! Her Etsy shop is currently filled with goodies like adorable cards, wrapping paper, and brooches, purrfect for holiday gift giving.


Christmas Cat Gift Wrap

If you're looking for a more personalized present, she recently started offering customized cat portraits, done in her signature style. In addition to receiving a mini print shipped in the mail, you'll also get a digital copy of the drawing, which can be printed out anywhere (bags, cards, t-shirts, invitations, mugs, etc.) for an unlimited amount of times! How cool is that?


Custom Cat Portrait



Messy My is having a Black Friday sale to celebrate the season! Use coupon code "BLACK" today at checkout for 15% off everything in the shop!

Enter To Win!


Cat Superhero Tote

Daphne has generously offered one lucky Catsparella reader the chance to win a Messy My Cat Superhero tote bag!

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 Friday, December 6 at 5:00PM EST. This giveaway is open to everyone, so our international friends can participate, too! One entry per person, please.

Good luck, and be sure to visit Messy My on Etsy to check out even more of Daphne's adorable cat art!

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

[Comments are now closed. Thanks for entering!]

Messy My Superhero Cat Tote Bag Giveaway!

Giftskins Customized Cat Wrapping Paper Giveaway Winner!

 
Meowy Christmas Gift Wrap

Thanks to all who entered the Giftskins Customized Cat Wrapping Paper Giveaway! I used Random.org to determine the winner, and it selected comment #6 belonging to Laila and Minchie who wrote: "How cool is that! We love everything with a kitty on it, including our gift wrap!" 

Congrats, kitty friends! They chose the Meowy Christmas gift wrap design, and are purrrsonalizing it with these adorable pics:





Be sure to visit Giftskins.com to order customized cat gift wrap of your own this holiday season!

Giftskins Customized Cat Wrapping Paper Giveaway Winner!

The Sweater Store Vintage Cat Christmas Sweater Giveaway!

Ahh, there's nothing quite like the tradition of the Ugly Christmas Sweater, especially when there are cats involved!



I was first introduced to The Sweater Store a few months back, when I caught wind that they raided the closets of some of the world's most ~*fashionable cat ladies*~ to add a whole new category to their site dedicated exclusively to feline inspired designs. The best part is, all proceeds from sales of these cat sweaters go the ASPCA!



Enter To Win!



Now, just in time for the holidays, they have once again generously offered a lucky Catsparella reader the chance to win the vintage cat Christmas sweater of their choice!

I've posted just a few of my favorites, but you can choose from any sweater available here.

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, Dec. 4 at 5:00PM EST. This giveaway is open to everyone, so our international friends can participate too! One entry per person, please.

Good luck, and be sure to check out The Sweater Store and follow them on Facebook for all of your ugly(ish) sweater needs!

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

[Comments are now closed. Thanks for entering!]

The Sweater Store Vintage Cat Christmas Sweater Giveaway!

Around The World In 80 Cats: Fuerteventura Revisited

Kathy is a longtime Catsparella reader with a cat loving daughter, and her family often takes feline-centric vacations around the globe.

In the past, she has shared their adventures in Cornwall, Belgium, and Japan. Around this time last year, they took a trip to Fuerteventura, one of the Canary Islands located in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa.



The family recently revisited the island on holiday, and sent along some more beautiful photos of the well cared for street kitties they encountered during their stay.

Kathy writes:

We went for a two week holiday to Fuerteventura again last month and you’ll never guess…. we saw more cats! The lady who managed the villa we were staying at still has the same five cats (Ting-Tong, Scary, Dracula, Bitey & Raymond) and they are all still happy and well. 

She continues to be involved with the Twinkle Trust that looks after stray cats on the island. Once again, all of the ‘random’ cats we saw were in good health and some even held still long enough for a photo! Our girl (aside from being in cat-heaven again) kept checking out the cats' ears to see if they had been clipped which indicates that they had been neutered.

Ting-Tong


Scary (who isn’t scary at all, he is a sweetie)


Ray (not the friendliest, but very handsome)


This black cat was at the sea-side. I don’t think they appreciate the view.


He saw something interesting.


These two had their eye on a dog.




This white one was chillin’ in the black sand (makes him easy to spot).  

This one was eating at one of the Twinkle Trust feeding stations.


This one was waiting his turn.

Ones we saw in the vicinity of the feeding station.

Beautiful restaurant cat.


Very tame.


On the rocks!
 

Kathy's daughter is a feline fashionista!


Special thanks to Kathy for giving us yet another glimpse into one of her wonderful family trips. I'm still holding out hope that one day I will be able to visit a few of these fabulous feline travel destinations myself! 

Around The World In 80 Cats: Fuerteventura Revisited

Kaori Mitsushima 2014 "Cats I Know" Calendar Giveaway Winner!

Thanks to all who entered the Kaori Mitsushima 2014 "Cats I Know" Calendar Giveaway! I used Random.org to determine the winner, and it selected comment #21 belonging to Caitlin who wrote: "Those illustrations are just gorgeous."

Congrats, Caitlin!

The Cats I Know Wall Calendar is available now, and as an added bonus, Kaori is offering a 10% off coupon for all Catsparella readers who enter in coupon code "CATLOVE10" at checkout! Visit the Cats I Know Etsy Shop, and like Cats I Know on Facebook to keep up with all of Mitsushima's chic feline designs.

 
2014 Cats I Know Wall Calendar from Cats I Know on Vimeo.

Kaori Mitsushima 2014 "Cats I Know" Calendar Giveaway Winner!

It's Caturday!

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

This week, James Franco offered up an adorable, cat-centric appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," while Catching Fire was recast with an orange kitty. Also, this was a huge week of giveaways, and there are three going right now that you still have time to enter:

2014 Cats I Know Wall Calendar by Kaori Mitsushima
A roll of customized kitty wrapping paper from Giftskins.com
Megan Lynn Kott "La Laa Laaa" Cat Art Poster (3 Winners!)

Elsewhere, I'm going to be at the Mid-Manhattan Branch of the New York Public Library this coming Monday night (Nov. 25th) at 6:30 - 8:30pm to moderate an event with Simon's Cat creator Simon Tofield. If you can make it, I'd love to see you there! (Event details here).

The Catsparella Pre-Holiday Blowout Sale is still in full effect! Get your paws on an "Every Day is Caturday" tee or "If you think I'm cute, you should see my cat" tote for the lowest prices of the year at catsparella.bigcartel.com.

And finally, I want to send purrs and prayers to our furriend Colonel Meow who has been seriously ill at the vet. His master, Anne Marie Avey, has been diligently posting updates on his Facebook page, and as of last night he was hanging in there, and even poop bombed the entire hospital! #MiracleMeow


Jill

This week's featured feline is an inspirational cancer surviving kitty!

Erica writes:

I'd like to tell you about my kitty, Jill.  



Jill is a 9-year-old tuxedo tripawd kitty. In December 2012, she had her right hind leg amputated due to bone cancer (osteosarcoma). She then had four rounds of chemotherapy. 



She recently celebrated her TEN MONTH AMPUVERSARY!  She is quite an amazing survivor and the most snuggly, sweet kitty you'd ever meet.  



She has been through so much this past year, countless trips to the vet for blood tests, procedures, etc. and has purred her way through it all. She never lost her sweetness, her spunk or her desire to be held and cuddled, but she did lose her leg and her whiskers (from chemo)! She is truly a hero and inspires me everyday.



You can read more about her on her blog at jillsjourney.tripawds.com or her Facebook page: JillTheTripawdCancerFightingKitty. 

Special thanks to Erica for sharing her inspirational feline with us this week. Jill ROCKS, and I admire her strength, courage, and fighting spirit that helped her kick cancer's furry butt!

It's Caturday!

Orange Cats Proclaim Victory As Catching Fire Kitty Is Recast At Author's Request

Buttercup Fan Art by Capitol Portraits

Hunger Games fans heading to check out Catching Fire tonight should be on the lookout for one major casting change from the first flick: Primose Everdeen's beleaguered feline, Buttercup, has been replaced by the orange tabby he was always meant to be.


Buttercup #1's reaction to being recast.
(via Cats on Film)

Cat loving critics such as myself were baffled by the casting of a black and white kitty in the first film, due to the book's specific description of Buttercup being golden (In the original book, Primrose insisted that his muddy yellow coat matched the bright flower.)

According to an exclusive interview with io9, Catching Fire director Francis Lawrence revealed that he received the request to recast the feline directly from a producer and Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins herself:

"...They thought the cat from the first movie was not the way he was described in the book. And that had annoyed a bunch of fans, and things like that. But it also just kind of bothered them that Buttercup was not a black and white cat. So I was happy to get one that felt like the Buttercup of the book."

My favorite cat in the world is black and white, but was still ready to protest on behalf of marmalade colored cats everywhere. Now that Buttercup has been restored to all of his golden beauty, I can go back to worrying if Catching Fire is going to give me motion sickness as bad as the first movie did (for real). Happy Hunger Games, y'all!

Via io9

Orange Cats Proclaim Victory As Catching Fire Kitty Is Recast At Author's Request

Megan Lynn Kott Cat Art Poster Giveaway (3 Winners!)

Pizza!!

PIZZA!!! Um, do I have your attention yet? I've been following the work of Megan Lynn Kott since I first came across her feisty felines last July. Since then, she has continued to delight me with a steady stream of kitty illustrations, courtesy of her cute Tumblr page.


HOLIDAY SALE Pet Portraits - Custom Original Paintings

Just in time for the holidays, Megan and her partner, Justin DeVine (the Bay Area art duo-ship know as Decisions & Revisions) are offering a sale on their original pet portraits. Order now through December 6th, and save $25 (plus the cost of shipping), and receive a 9x12" watercolor on high-quality Arches Hot Press paper, or a 12x12" acrylic painting on stretched canvas, of the kitty portrait of your choice!

Sometimes I Get Lonely Kitty - 8x10 Art Print

In addition to their custom paintings, the duo also offers some really cool prints and postcards in their Etsy shop. One of my personal favorites is The Final Countdown: Collection of Nine Watercolor Arrested Development Cat Art Postcards - a must have for the AD obsessed ailurophile in your life!


Watercolor Arrested Development Cat Art Postcards

 
Paws up!

Enter To Win!


La Laa Laaa - Cat Art Print 

Megan has generously offered three lucky Catsparella readers the chance to win her "La Laa Laaa" 11x14 gloss poster!

What is this kitty whispering? We're picking the 3 best captions for the following illustration to win:


Caption this kitty to win!

To enter, leave a comment on this post with your caption, along 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 Friday, Nov. 29 at 5:00PM EST. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. One entry per person, please. 

Good luck, and be sure to visit the Decisions & Revisions Etsy shop, Big Cartel, and Megan's Tumblr to check out all of her latest and greatest feline-inspired art!

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

[Comments are now closed. Thanks for entering!]

Megan Lynn Kott Cat Art Poster Giveaway (3 Winners!)