Grumpy Cat Cheers Up Cancer Patients At Arizona Hospital

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Being sick in the hospital is never fun, but some cancer patients in Arizona had a reason to smile last week after receiving a visit from one of the most famous cats on the internet. 

Patients at Cancer Treatment Centers of America at Western Regional Medical Center in Goodyear lined up for a meet-in-greet with Tardar Sauce, who used her grump for good as she dutifully posed for snapshots with fans.



"Getting five or 10 minutes where you're able to not be a cancer patient and to not be worried about the chemotherapy or the radiation or the surgery, and to just laugh at something inane and silly and goofy is absolutely essential to your survival," says Michelle Hastings, a patient at the hospital who got to pose with the puss.

While the Arizona native didn't exactly look happy about her therapeutic duties, her owner Tabatha Bundesen believes that she's really a people pleaser at heart. 



"It warms my heart to spread joy and I think Grumpy Cat really likes doing it despite her expression about it. But she's really happy about making people happy," she told MyFoxPhoenix.

Via MyFoxPhoenix.com

Grumpy Cat Cheers Up Cancer Patients At Arizona Hospital

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 was a bit of a short week, because I was off at the BlogPaws pet blogging and social media conference, and took the opportunity to step away from my laptop for a few days to reunite with my fellow cat ladies, and meet new blogging friends from across the country. I have to give a big shout out to Purina for being my sponsor, and making it possible for me to attend this year!

I definitely learned a lot, and am excited/nervous to put out there that while I plan to continue blogging, I am also hoping to parlay my experience into a career in the pet industry. It's hard for me to admit that I need a little help, but if you or someone you know is looking to hire a passionate, (award-winning!) blogger with three years of online media experience and proven results, I am interested in exploring positions in content creation, blogger outreach, public relations, and social media. You can read a little more about me here, or contact me directly at catsparella@gmail.com for more information, or with any tips or advice you have to share. Thank you in advance for your help!

And finally, there's still time to enter to win your choice of a Catsparella "Every Day is Caturday" t-shirt, or "If you think I'm cute, you should see my cat" tote! I'm drawing the lucky winners this coming Tues. 5/21! 


Cheech

This week's featured feline is an adorable kitty who is super loved! His Caturday submission was a family affair!

Laurie writes:

Cheech traveled all the way to Maryland from Washington State with my daughter, Chelsea. She found him when she was there for a short stay and couldn't leave without him. She was destined to have him in her life, and he has brought her a lot of joy!





Our whole family loves our fur baby Cheech. He likes lazing around on her T.V. stand, and chasing a laser pointer for hours on end. He also loves his catnip and belly rubs, and has a sister named Violet!





I also heard from Laurie's daughter, Chelsea, who told me a little more about her baby boy!

Chelsea adds:

As my mom told you, he hails all the way from WA state :) So clearly he is my pride and joy. His sister Violet has the COMPLETE opposite personality of Cheech, but that doesn't stop her from loving her brother. They're constantly washing each other, it's absolutely adorable. She follows him everywhere, even to the food dish. 


Cheech and Violet



But back to the star ;) Cheech is almost 5 years old. We believe he is Maine Coon, but we're not positive. I just did a little research and that's what I found to fit him best. Cheech LOVES to play, especially chasing a laser pointer. I've never seen a cat move so fast in a circle, haha. He also loves to jump super high for his toys! 





He is a total people person and lap cat, and he loves having his belly rubbed. I call him my little puppy because he follows me around like a dog :P When we lived in Washington State he was an indoor/outdoor cat. But since moving back to Baltimore if I take him out it's on a kitty leash. 

Cheech loves crab meat, tuna, and just about anything!





Special thanks to Laurie and Chelsea for sharing the incomparable Cheech with us this week!

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

This week:
You Tell Us: Are These 5 Cat Rings Cute or Cray?

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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!

It's Caturday!

TVStoreOnline.com Kitty T-Shirt Giveaway Winner!

Soft Kitty T-Shirt

Thanks to all who entered the kitty-themed t-shirt giveaway from TVStoreOnline.com! I used Random.org to determine the winner, and it selected comment #5 belonging to Valerie, who chose the Soft Kitty t-shirt! 

Congrats Valerie!

Be sure to check out out TVStoreOnline.com for their huge selection of licensed tees and other merch from your favorite tv shows, movies, music, and more!

TVStoreOnline.com Kitty T-Shirt Giveaway Winner!

Catsparella T-Shirt And Tote Bag Giveaway!

Every Day is Caturday Ladies Fit Tee

It's been a little over a month since the Catsparella shop flung open its virtual doors, and I'm thankful for the kind words and cute pics that everyone has sent in so far!


If You Think I'm Cute, You Should See My Cat Tote 

The tees are high quality Gildan Softstyle t-shirts, available in Ladies and Unisex sizes. The totes are sturdy enough for everyday use, and made out of eco-friendly cotton canvas. Both are available now!


Every Day is Caturday Unisex Fit Tee



Enter To Win!

As a thank you for your support, I would like to offer two lucky readers the chance to win! One person will receive a Catsparella "Every Day is Caturday" t-shirt, and another will win the "If You Think I'm Cute, You Should See My Cat" tote! 

*Available shirt sizes include Ladies S, M, L, XL and XXL and Unisex in XL and XXL.

To enter, leave a comment on this post telling me if you would prefer to win a shirt, tote, or either, 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 two winners be will chosen in a random drawing next Tuesday, May 21 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 Catsparella shop to pick up a t-shirt or tote bag of your very own, or for the very special cat purrson in your life!

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

Catsparella T-Shirt And Tote Bag Giveaway!

Cat Cupcake Tuesdays

This week's sweets come to us from Michi, who shares some purrfect feline-themed treats that were part of a recent bake-off.

She writes:

Hi Stephanie!

Your "Cat Cupcake Tuesday" inspired me for my cat cupcakes!



I made them for a baking contest from the Austrian cat rescue organisation, Felidae Austria, and won second prize in the Cupcake category!



At the baking contest there were three categories: Cupcake, Cake, and Vegan. The first place cake was funny.. the cat is eating from it!



 First place in the Vegan category went to a beautiful cake with nine cats.



Special thanks to Michi for sharing these edible works of art! I also want to wish her congrats on her well deserved cupcake win!

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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!

Cat Cupcake Tuesdays

Internet Cat Video Festival Descends On Oakland

(@scottandthesea)

Last summer, Walker Art Center hosted the first ever internet cat video film festival in Minneapolis. The event, where cat lovers converged on the museum's lawn to watch popular videos on a huge screen, attracted 10,000 fans, along with a ton of media buzz. After the festival's success, its creators were inspired to pack up the cats and take the show on the road. This weekend, it arrived in Oakland, California for an "art & cat extravaganza" to benefit the East Bay SPCA.

NPR reports that an estimated 6,000 people showed up to Oakland Cat Vid Fest on Saturday, for an event that was part street fair, part feline film festival. 

Attendees were greeted to aerial performances:

A-Meow-zing aerial cat-inspired ballet on The Great Wall of Oakland at #oakcatvidfest twitter.com/Lbartsch/statu…
— Lynn Bartsch (@Lbartsch) May 12, 2013

People wore their finest feline fashions:

my #oakcatvidfest look twitter.com/haley/status/3…
— ↁᖇᗩᙅᗩᖇᎩᔕ (@haley) May 12, 2013

And did cat yoga:

#cat #yoga for our #yogi alisunnshine #oakcatvidfest @ Oaktown instagram.com/p/ZMIBLFkO0v/
— SYD (@PINA_KITT) May 11, 2013

You could get your face painted:

Cat face painting is a popular attraction at #oakcatvidfest! We love it! #cats #MeowMix twitter.com/meowmix/status…
— Meow Mix (@meowmix) May 12, 2013

Or adopt a kitten from the Island Cat Resources and Adoption booth:

4 week old kitten at the ICRA adoption booth at #oakcatvidfest instagram.com/p/ZMUBDvvcXh/
— Great WallOf Oakland (@GreatWallOak) May 12, 2013

Vendors sold cat art and other kitty related merchandise:

We're ready for you #oakcatvidfest !! twitter.com/p_on_p/status/…
— Pussies on Parade (@p_on_p) May 11, 2013

Pawesome cat printed cards by @foreignspell at #oakcatvidfest! #cats #MeowMix twitter.com/meowmix/status…
— Meow Mix (@meowmix) May 11, 2013

While feline film critics showed up on leashes:

"That's a cat on a leash. OMG THAT'S A CAT ON A LEASH." #quotesfrom #oakcatvidfest twitter.com/avfedorc/statu…
— Alexis Fedorchak (@avfedorc) May 11, 2013

...and in strollers:

Check out Teddy's swank kitty stroller at #oakcatvidfest ! instagram.com/p/ZMROg5vcSu/
— Great WallOf Oakland (@GreatWallOak) May 12, 2013

There was also a celebrity appearance by Dusty the Klepto cat (made famous by Must Love Cats and The Tonight Show):

Dusty the Klepto Kitty chats with KOIT's Charly Kayle at the #oakcatvidfest ! @ OakCatVidFest instagram.com/p/ZMhR5Kvcbz/
— Great WallOf Oakland (@GreatWallOak) May 12, 2013

Although reactions to seeing him were mixed:

Just saw @kleptocatdusty at the #oakcatvidfest so cute!!!! #cats
— Sarah Liller (@sarahliller) May 12, 2013

Dusty stole my wallet.#OakCatVidFest
— Jon Britton (@jonbritton) May 12, 2013

Of course, the main attraction was 70 minutes of curated cat videos, displayed on the side of a building:

Nothing like watching cat videos on a 100 ft wall with thousands of other cat-lovers #oakcatvidfest twitter.com/hana__hou/stat…
— Hana (@hana__hou) May 12, 2013

#oakcatvidfest vine.co/v/b0r5OFFIQmF
— Karen Kiely (@kazkiely) May 12, 2013

Even if some event-goers had to improvise: 

When you forget to bring a blanket/chair and sit on cat food bags waiting for #oakcatvidfest to start.
— Christel Joyce (@OneOddGerbil) May 12, 2013

But in the end, everyone had a great time:

#OakCatVidFest and some people dancing to music in their special headphones? #weirdnight #awesomenight vine.co/v/b0rbU2Z5nmM
— Chelsea Bond (@nomadchelsea) May 12, 2013

It was a dream come true for all cat lovers:

6-second tour of the Oakland Internet Cat Video Festival! #oakcatvidfest #cats #MeowMix #catvine vine.co/v/b0nDiT79KIu
— Meow Mix (@meowmix) May 12, 2013

And the mayor even declared it a very special day!

Oakland Mayor names today Internet Cat Video Day! #oakcatvidfest #catvidfest
— CatVidFest (@CatVidFest) May 12, 2013

In case you missed it, the original Cat Vid Fest is heading back to Minnesota this summer, with an all new curated collection of videos, and a larger venue. Tickets are on sale now for the event, which will take place on Wed., Aug. 28 at the Minnesota State Fair.

Internet Cat Video Festival Descends On Oakland

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, a fortunate feline was reunited with his family six months after Superstorm Sandy, Grumpy Cat inspired an amazing art show in Alabama, I reviewed Henri, le Chat Noir's new book, CCLAS hosted a cupcake wars to benefit homeless kitties, the cat meme to do list served as a cute reminder to get stuff done, a big panther and lil' panther went paw to paw in an amazing slow motion video, we featured the adorable (and adoptable) kitties of Karma Cat + Zen Dog Rescue Society, and met a 22-year-old cat who hasn't left his 21-year-old human's side since birth!

Also, there's still time to enter to win a kitty-themed t-shirt from TVStoreOnline.com! Choose from Grumpy Cat, Soft Kitty (from the Big Bang Theory), Felix the Cat, and Cat in the Hat designs! I'm drawing the lucky winner this coming Tues. 5/14!

And finally, I'm really excited to be heading to the BlogPaws 2013 Pet Social Media Conference in D.C. next week! If you're going to be there, let me know so we can meet up!


Eddy

This week's featured feline is a sweet boy who knows how to work a variety of poses!

Joan writes:

This is Eddy, my handsome rescue boy! 



Eddy is a 4-year-old rescue who selected me the first time we met, by immediately crawling in my lap! He loves boxes, catnip-filled socks, and drinking water from the faucet. He is especially fond of playing with real turkey feathers (from a taxidermist friend).



Here's Eddy in the box! A classic, I know, but one of his favorite things. Every day I pick up a handful of spit-out pieces of cardboard. I just found out recently that he is also fond of paper bags (our county just outlawed plastic bags). I would have taken a picture, but it was destroyed so fast I didn't have time! 





Special thanks to Joan for sharing her fabulous feline with us this week!

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

This week:
Our 5 Favorite Cat-Centric Manicures

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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!

It's Caturday!