The 2012 Itty Bitty Kitty Committee Fundraiser!

Purring for your pledges!

It's that time of year again! The Itty Bitty Kitty Committee, the web's premiere source of adorable kitten photographs, is holding their annual drive to raise funds for Dog-A-Thon, the Tacoma & Pierce County Humane Society's annual walk for homeless pets, taking place on July 21st!

As I wrote last year, long before I was blogging about cats, I was visiting the IBKC for my daily dose of cuteness. The blog follows the adventures of families of kittens from the Tacoma & Pierce County Humane Society, fostered by Laurie Cinotto and her husband, Craig Miller. Also part of the mix is the irrepressibly floofy Charlene Butterbean, their six-year-old cat who "lends a paw" in raising the fosters, all of which have sweet names to match their whimsical little personalities. Since beginning the blog in 2007, Laurie and her family have fostered over 100 150 kittens to date!

Charlene Butterbean

The IBKC is an extraordinary website, and as such, this isn't just your run-of-the-mill animal shelter fundraiser, either. Cinotto uses her creativity and enviable crafting skills to turn it into an epic show of adorableless, where her current batch of kittens man the "phones" for your pledges (check out the evolution of the set here). In each of the four years since its inception, Laurie and her kittens have managed to raise increasing number of cash, from an impressive $23,000 the first year, to a staggering $66,000 in 2011. This year, their goal is $75,000 (or squillion, in kitten-speak), and with 19 days left and counting, they are well on their way!

Last year's donations were used to build The Petunia Louise Community Cat Room, with remaining funds going to help fund foster programs, shelter improvements, reduce the cost of spay and neuter surgeries for pets of lower income families, and feed and provide medical care for kittens, adult and senior cats. They are also working on a new program this year to help elderly pet owners on fixed incomes, who can’t afford to feed their beloved companions.

Limited Edition IBKC Poster by Boo Davis

Laurie keeps the fundraiser exciting with lots of pictures and daily posts, so even if you can't make a financial donation, it's still fun to stop by (and share!). There are daily challenges (today's is "Donate $25 if your Facebook profile pic is your cat. $50 if it's your dog."), matching challenges, kitten naming auctions, and more. This year, she will also be selling a splendid limited edition IBKC poster by Boo Davis, that will be available for purchase shortly.

I am so amazed by Laurie's hard work and dedication (and let's be honest, her incredible kitten photography skills!), and see her as a role model in my own life. She is someone who has taken what she is passionate about, and admirably turned it into a vibrant community, and a real way to help homeless cats in need.

Please visit the Itty Bitty Kitty Committee for yourself to peep some cute kitten pics, and learn more!

Update: The posters are now on sale HERE!

The 2012 Itty Bitty Kitty Committee Fundraiser!

The 2011 Itty Bitty Kitty Committee Fundraiser!

Pearla Dearborn is standing by!

It's that time of year again! The Itty Bitty Kitty Committee, the web's premiere source of adorable kitten photographs, is holding their annual drive to raise funds for Dog-A-Thon, the Tacoma & Pierce County Humane Society's annual walk for homeless pets, taking place on July 23rd!

Long before I was blogging about cats, I was visiting the IBKC for my daily fix of cuteness. The blog follows the adventures of families of kittens from the Tacoma & Pierce County Humane Society, fostered by Laurie Cinotto and her husband, Craig Miller. Also part of the mix is the irrepressibly floofy Charlene Butterbean, their five-year-old cat who "lends a paw" in raising the fosters, all of which have sweet names to match their whimsical little personalities. Since beginning the blog in 2007, Laurie and her family have fostered over 100 kittens to date!

Charlene Butterbean, "Kitten Kindergarden Teacher"

During the first year of the fundraiser, they were able to raise $23,000 (that's 23 squillion in kitten-speak!), while last year they upped the ante and hauled in an impressive $48,000 for the kitties. This time around, the goal has been set at $50,000, with monies raised going directly to helping cats and kittens through funding foster and adoption programs, shelter improvements, the emergency food bank, medical care, and reduced cost spay and neuter surgeries for cats from low income families (among other things!).

I've been following the fundraiser closely for the past two years, and it continues to impress me how these amazing little kittens have managed to touch people from all around the world, and inspired so many to donate money to this wonderful cause. I also have a deep respect and admiration for Laurie Cinotto, who not only does an incredible job as a cat foster parent, but has also managed to harness the power of creativity and kittens (she's also an excellent crafter), to maintain a blog that brings happiness to so many people, including myself.

In addition to directly making a tax-deductible donation, which you can do by clicking here, Cinotto also keeps things fun by having daily challenges (yesterday's was "Look under the couch and donate $5 for every cat toy you find"), and there will also be auctions, including one for naming a future IBKC kitten, and another for getting the chance to visit Laurie and Charlene in their Washington state home for a real-life tea and kittens party!

Are you excited yet?! Visit The Itty Bitty Kitty Committee for yourself for more information about Dog-A-Thon, and to see squillions of kitten pictures that will keep you busy all day long!

The 2011 Itty Bitty Kitty Committee Fundraiser!

Kitten Fashion: Before and After Edition

I've been following Abby and her wonderful pet blog minearebetter for awhile now, and am totally in love with her beautiful kitty, Ed! From her gorgeous markings (yes, Ed is a girl!), to her kittenish hijinks, I'm always looking forward to seeing what this tri-colored cutie will do next.

So when I saw this post from last week, I couldn't even take the cuteness of baby Ed rocking a pet tee as a kitten, alongside a shot taken six months later, of the same shirt barely fitting around her big girl head!

As Abby says, "This is what happens when you get clothes for your kitten. Learn from my mistakes. Wait until they're fully grown before you decide to embarrass them." Bling, bling!

Kitten Fashion: Before and After Edition

Shironeko Update

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It's been awhile since I posted an update about Shironeko, the Japanese kitty otherwise known as Basket Cat. His blog has continued to update daily, and more importantly, Love Meow has confirmed that he safe with his family in Japan. With that good news in mind, here are a few of my favorite pictures that have been posted since the last time we checked in with the unbelievably calm cat in January.

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Your moment of Zen for the day:

Shironeko Update

You Oughta Know: Meowoodle

Buffins & Tibbles by Richard Perez / Skinny Ships

"It was lunchtime. I just finished lunch and drew a doodle of my 1 year old cat, Tibbles, and wondered how other illustrators with furry companies capture their cats personality on the page (or screen). So I started Meowoodle, to collect these different feline portraits."

So reads the "About" page for your new favorite Tumblr, Meowoodle, a "collection of drawings, doodles and sketches by designers and illustrators of their cats."

The very first post on the site was an illustration by Meowoodle creator, Richard Perez, of his two cats, Buffins and Tibbles (above). I asked Richard if he'd mind sharing a picture of their real life counterparts, and he was happy to oblige.

Richard says, "Here's a little info about the two, my girlfriend Jen and I got Buffins, a female orange tabby, from a woman who rescues and rehabilitates abandoned cats. About two years later we got her a little buddy to play and boss around. So we went to a San Francisco rescue shelter and adopted Tibbles, a stripy grey boy kitty. And we all live happily together in our little apartment, well apart from the occasional cat fight."

I think the idea behind the site is brilliant, and can honestly say I love each and every kitty portrait that's been featured so far. So what are you waiting for? Go check out Meowoodle today!

You Oughta Know: Meowoodle

Basket Cats Greatest Hits

It's been a little over a month since we last checked in with one of my favorite internet cats, the perpetually meditative Basket Cat. It's comforting to know that amidst all of the chaos in the world, somewhere on the Japanese countryside a serene white kitty with an orange striped tail is hard at work balancing produce on its head.

It's also important to note that Basket Cat does not work alone. He's part of a tight knit passel of pussycats, and the love between them is evident. Whether they're just loafing around in a box, or hanging out on a tree limb wearing soup cartons on their heads, these furry boys like to stay close and have lots of fun.

Want to see more? You can follow the daily adventures of Basket Cat and his friends on his blog, here.

Basket Cats Greatest Hits

Basket Cat Goes Glam

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The infamous Basket Cat, most widely known for sitting in baskets and balancing fruits, vegetables, and other assorted items on his head, has gone decidedly glam in recent weeks with these two photo-shoots straight out of Feline Vogue. From his fierce sunglasses, to his avant-garde floral kitty cap, this is one cat who knows how to work it.

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Basket Cat Goes Glam

You Oughta Know: Kokoro Purrs - The Exclusive Catsparella Interview!

I recently discovered Kokoro Purrs, a super cute blog and webcomic devoted to the adventures of Kokoro the cat. The inspiration behind the comic is the real-life Kokoro, an adorable 9-month old Bicolored Seal Ragdoll kitten, pictured below.

The floofy tailed little boy is inquisitive..

(Click comics to enlarge)

A little naughty..

And always thoughtful!

Catsparella was thrilled to snag an exclusive interview with Kokoro, where we discussed everything from his name and inspiration for his comics, to his favorite kitty treats! Read on for more!

Hi Kokoro and Kokoro's mum! Please tell us a little about yourself!

Well, about 13 months ago mum put an "order" in for a bery sweet kitty who loved to do tricks, likes ebery one and was a boy. Then I was born. The first day mum saw my "mismatched" face, she knew I was perfect for her! She haz dis idea that I would make other people happy too, so she wants me to be part of the pet assisted therapy program at our Humane society. She trains me ebery day, (I love my treats, so training is fine and dandy wid me.)

Kokoro's name is very cute and unusual. Where did it come from? Does it have a special meaning?

Oh, shank you. I need to tell you a thing or too about my mum. In addition to LOVING animals, she is also crazy about everything from Japan. She started giving her feline friends Japanese "names". She had a white kitty named, "Yuki" which means "snow" in Japanese. He was her "fuzzy" heart. Unfortunately he met an untimely death. So in a way, she named me for him, coz my name, kokoro, means "heart" in Japanese. Iz also have a coco coloured tail!

How long have you been blogging/creating comics?

Mum started drawing comics, by doing a daily one frame comic when her little girl started kindergarten. Mum would put the comic, about C Cat Kitty in her lunch bag. (Dat little girl is now 17!) She started my web comic in March of this year.

How is Kokoro involved in creating the webcomic? Is it based on actual things that have happened?

Because mum is at home a lot, and I always follow her where eber she goes, she always has her camera/video camera and a sketch pad wid her. She gets her ideas from watching me and Oogie (big fur sis), as well as from reading stuff on the many social networks we both visit. She also takes me places in her mini.

Kokoro cruising in the Mini. Beep beep!

Tell us a little bit about your big fur sis, Oogie.

OMC, you want to hear about Oogie! OK. She's one tough cookie, rescue kitty. Da humans fink she's a real purr box, and sweetie. I like to stalk her. She ebben showed up in one of MY comics and a video! Mum said I have to share. But she haz such long scary claws and big toofs. She can catch anything and jump super high! Oh she's old, 7 years old. (Iz 9 months).

Nice pouncing action, Kokoro!

What is Kokoro's favorite kitty treat?

Dehydrated Chicken strips!!!!!!!!!!!!! (The ones for goggies, broken up.)

Anything else you'd like to add?

The best part about starting this blog, is being part of the "anipal" pet community on Twitter, and Facebook to a lesser extent. We've met such wonderful amazing supportive pets and people. In addition to the inspiration and ideas mum gets, it's lovely to find people who have a positive passion.

Thank you so much for your time, Kokoro and good luck with everything!

Shank you so bery much.

Kokoro is taking over the world! Be sure to check out his blog and comic, and follow him on Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his latest kitty capers!

You Oughta Know: Kokoro Purrs - The Exclusive Catsparella Interview!

You Oughta Know: Celebrity Pu$$y

Last night I stumbled upon Celebrity Pu$$y, an exciting tumblr dedicated to hosting a definitive collection of celebrities posing with cats. If you ever wondered what stars such as Michael Jackson, Alfonso Ribeiro, Nicole Richie, Karen O, Sean Connery, Zachary Quinto, Snooki, and Danica McKellar have in common, now you know. They all like to strike fierce poses with furry babies.

Highlights below:

Claudia Schiffer, looking radiant draped in mice.

Director Sofia Coppola's kitty looks lost in translation.

Russell Brand cheating on Katy Perry with his cat, Morrissey.

Penelope Cruz and her feline are twins with their matching eyeliner.

Betty Draper (Mad Men's January Jones) lounging at home on a typical Tuesday night.

Many thanks from Betty White and Bob Cat.

Head over to Celebrity Pu$$y for a gazillion more pics!

You Oughta Know: Celebrity Pu$$y