Say Hello To Zoe The Moustache Cat

Zoe the Moustache Cat

You may already be familiar with Hamilton the Hipster Cat, the mustachioed cat-dude from San Francisco who rose to fame thanks to his undeniable white fringe, but now it's time to meet your newest feline obsession: Zoe, a fierce tortoiseshell kitty who isn't afraid to embrace her inner Frida Kahlo.


I didn't choose the moustache. The moustache chose me.


My moustache is rooted in confidence.

According to her official bio, the hirsute feline is the creation of mythical creatures, who knew just what the world needed was another cat with a mustache:

Not long ago, the Humble Unicorn Guild (HUG) examined the world and noticed that something was missing. Since necessity is the mother of invention, HUG decided to create a lady cat with a moustache whose unconventional beauty, wit and charm would delight the world.

The unicorns placed a single cat whisker and a photo of a famous moustachioed man into a flowerpot. With the help of magic, Zoe sprouted like a kitten camellia. Moustache unwavering and full of pep, young Zoe was excited to explore the world. 


Keep Calm and Enjoy My Moustache


I'm having a bad moustache day. Will stay in bed.

The fashion forward feline, who sees her unique markings as a strength rather than a weakness, also writes blog, where she shares her musings on fashion, beauty, humor, and design. If only we could all be as self-confident as Zoe about a little extra facial fuzz!


In this light, you have a moustache too.



To learn more about this hip kitty, follow her on Facebook and Twitter, and visit her blog at zoethemoustachecat.squarespace.com.

Say Hello To Zoe The Moustache Cat

You Oughta Know: White Cat Kumichan, The Fashionable Feline From Japan

Kumichan

Kumichan is a gorgeous white kitty who lives in Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan. I've been following her on Facebook for a few months now, but I just can't keep this cat in the bag any longer!





The fashionable feline was born on July 7, 2006, and loves taking daily walks with her owner, Akira Murahara. Almost everyday, Kumichan walks around the pedestrian deck between Hyogo Performing Arts Center and Hankyu Nishinomiya-kitaguchi Station, where her extravagant outfits attract a lot of attention!







Akira tells me that Kumichan is her dream kitty, and can wear various outfits very stylishly. In addition to their Facebook page, they also maintain a blog (written in Japanese) called White cat Kumichan's walking diary = 白猫クミちゃんお散歩日記. 







Whether she's enjoying cherry blossom season, sporting a pair of bunny ears, or just plain channeling Snow White, this is one kitty who knows she's a star! For more pictures of Kumichan in action, visit her Facebook page and website. 

Via Facebook (White.CatKumichan) / White cat Kumichan's walking diary

You Oughta Know: White Cat Kumichan, The Fashionable Feline From Japan

Crack A Smile For Pecan The Nut

Pecan

At least one of our feline friends is still reeling from the loss of his beloved 49er's this weekend, but it's hard to stay glum when you're just so darn cute!





Pecan (aka "The nut") is a sports fanatic (he also cheered the SF Giants to a World Series win in October), who enjoys keeping fashionable while staying in touch with fans on his popular Facebook page. 





His human mama, Michelle, tells me that Pecan is a patient, treat-motivated feline, born in Carmel Valley, California. He was adopted from a cat rescue the day after Thanksgiving about seven years ago, and was named after the pie served on turkey day!





In addition to being quite handsome, the former rescue kitty turned fashion chameleon also has a charitable side. His sold out 2013 desk calendar raised $550 for Humane Society Silicon Valley, proving once and for all that being cute pays!



Become a fan of Pecan on Facebook to follow his latest status updates, photos and shenanigans. Word on the street is that he hopes to have some Valentine's Day-themed pics up soon!

Crack A Smile For Pecan The Nut

Meet Snoopy: The Internet's New Favorite Cat, Who Was Named After A Dog

Forget what ya heard: The internet's next feline sensation has already arrived, and his name is Snoopy.

Cat loyalists probably recognize the smooshy-faced cat from Facebook or I Can Has Cheezburger, but who is the real kitty behind those impossibly large eyeballs? Snoopy is an Exotic Shorthair, born on May 11th, 2011 in Beijing, China, before arriving in his permanent home in Chengdu, Sichuan five months later.

According to an interview I found with his owner, the meatball of a kitten spends 17 hours a day sleeping, 2 hours a day playing, 1 hour a day grooming, 2 hours a day eating, and 2 hours in a trance thinking about a cat's life.

An especially comic translation of the interview (which is in Chinese) also has her describing his looks as "the most pleasing is the "pie face" cheeks like two lumps of meat, coupled with a long pair of water droplets eye, so that the eyes seem especially innocent."

Snoopy's owner started microblogging pictures of the exceptionally cute kitty on her own site before giving him his own platform, and was surprised by how quickly he earned a legion of fans. His first notable appearance around the internet was when a series of photos of him getting a bath in a pink bucket emerged in late February, followed by recent LOL-cat takes of him getting comfy in bed and trying on a pair of oversized sunglasses.

Only time will tell if this kitty affectionately known as "Red Chubby" will reach the same stratospheric levels of fame as Maru - but for a cat who's barely a year old, he's off to a pretty good start!

Via http://www.apetguide.com/news.php?id=221

Meet Snoopy: The Internet's New Favorite Cat, Who Was Named After A Dog

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

You Oughta Know: Gymble The Cat

"Bang, Bang!"

While cruising YouTube for cat videos (my life is so exciting, I know!), I came across the channel of Gymble, a delightfully indifferent cat who lives in Taiwan. I don't know what it is, but something about this roly poly guy instantly had me hooked!

"Who is this guy??"

Waddling along in his pink tutu.

Check out more Gymble videos for yourself over on YouTube!

You Oughta Know: Gymble The Cat

You Oughta Know: Squaredy Cats

Always on the lookout for the latest and greatest in the world of kitty-related cuteness, I was very excited to recently come across the wonderful world of Squaredy Cats!

Founded in 2008 by Kurt Marquart and his wife Elaine De La Mata, Squaredy Cats represent self expression, being proud of who you are, and having a positive mental attitude.

The second Squaredy Cats design ever, modeled after Marquart's late cat, BigFoot.

The couple have a small company in Brooklyn, NY doing toy design for several companies, large and small. Much of their work is interconnected with the licensing world, since so many toys are based on characters from television and movies. They realized along the way that their creative concepts were being sold to so many of these other companies through work-for-hire, and thought it was important to look for ways to market some of their own ideas.

And so Squaredy Cats were born!

Kurt explains, "They were originally meant to be a single square cat character, but quickly turned into something bigger. Developing a concept isn't just coming up with a clever name and a cute picture to accompany it, so we had to establish a reason for the idea to exist. We asked ourselves, "What does a Squaredy Cat do?"

"We saw a need for characters who help people express their individuality. Squaredy Cats became graphic images with attached captions that were meant to extend the initial pun on the phrase "scaredy cat." To empower the cats with confidence we applied the captions that normally begin with "not squared of…" or "not squared to…". We now have hundreds of individual images that are meant to be enjoyed by anyone who can associate themselves with a particular Squaredy Cat or identify with a particular expression of self-confidence."

Here are a few of my favorite Squaredy Cats, that I can definitely relate to!

Squaredy Cats currently have an online shop where you can purchase their adorable likenesses on t-shirts, buttons, and magnets. In a very exciting turn of events, this year they also signed a deal with Gund to create Squaredy Cats plushies! The first set, seen below, will be released in February 2011.

It looks like the Squaredy Cats are definitely poised for cute world domination..don't forget you saw them here on Catsparella first! ;)

Very special thanks to Kurt Marquart of Monkey Doodle Dandy Inc. for taking the time to talk to me about the Squaredy Cats. You can learn more about them and check out all of their fun designs on their website, blog, Facebook, and Twitter!

You Oughta Know: Squaredy Cats

You Oughta Know: My Ugly Kitty

Meet Quasi, head cat in charge over at My Ugly Kitty. Quasi was adopted by her owner Renee in October 2005, and is notable for being the cutest "ugly" cat you will ever meet!

According to the official story on her site, "while no one officially knows the origin of my "look", the general theory is that I have a cleft lip that never got corrected and connects to my eye. I can see fine out of one, but not so much out of the other. I also have a difficult time smelling since I have some sinus issue. My hearing though, is excellent - I can hear a crinkly wrapper from two floors up!"

Renee started My Ugly Kitty in June 2006 as a way for her to exercise her creative mind. The original Ugly Kitty Etsy store, with the tagline "Ugly never looked so good!", features Quasi-themed products such as photographs and greeting cards, along with unique (non-cat related) items such as vintage paper journals and custom screen printed wedding invitations.

Sneezin's Greetings - UglyKitty Holiday Cards - $8.00

UglyKitty Photograph - $15.00

Renee also started The Original UglyKitty fund, where you can select to donate amounts of $1.00, $5.00, or $10.00 to Cool Cats Rescue, a no-kill shelter in Annapolis, MD, where she adopted Quasi from. Since the start of the fund in October 2006, she's been able to raise over $3,000 for the organization!

All donations go to funding food, litter, supplies, medical expenses, and general expenses for running the shelter. Everyone who donates receives an UglyKitty button (seen below), along with a Thank You card from Quasi herself!

Very special thanks to Renee for sharing her very beautiful kitty with the world! Please visit her site at MyUglyKitty.com to learn more.

All images via Flickr and Etsy

You Oughta Know: My Ugly Kitty

You Oughta Know: Cat-toure Cat Clothing and Accessories

Wings Tank - Heather Gray, $18.00

Listen up, kitty fashionistas!

Like me, you've probably wondered why dogs get to have all the fun when it comes to clothing and costumes. Well, wonder no more! I've just discovered Cat-toure Cat Clothing, a pet clothing company designed exclusively for cats! Yes, that's right - Cat-toure's comfy designs are made specifically to fit the unique body of a discriminating, fashionable feline (no dogs, allowed!).

I recently got the chance to chat with Cat-toure's co-founder and CEO, Jeff Kastin, about the inspiration behind the line, and its purrfectly pretty spokeskitty. Read on for more!

Please tell us more about the feline face of Cat-toure. What's her name, and how did she come into your life?

At the time my girlfriend, now my wife/Co-Founder & Creative Director was doing research on cats that are more hypo-allergic than others (because of me) and she came across the Devon Rex breed. We came across an ad on Craigslist, so we "adopted" her (Liley). I put "adopted" in quotes because we actually got her from a couple that rescued her from an unethical breeder. We were told that she was perfectly healthy, but when we brought her to the vet we found out that she was really sick. Instead of adopting her, I like to say that we "saved" her.

Basic Hoodie - Turquoise, $20.00

How old is Liley now?

She was 1 when we got her and we were told she was a boy, but when we brought her to our vet we found out that she was a girl. Liley is currently 3 years old and will be 4 on April Fools Day. Her personality is very unique, she is one of a kind. She doesn't see herself as a cat, but rather as part of our family. She greets us at the door when we come home from work and always follows us around the house. She loves to play and help us with our chores.

Peace Tank - Purple, $18.00

What was the inspiration behind starting a clothing line exclusively for cats?

We were inspired to start Cat-toure because of Liley. She never wanted to sleep through the night and she also always wanted to lay under the covers or be wrapped up in a blanket. We thought of putting dog clothes on her to keep her warm. We went out and found a dog tank and put it on her. It didn't fit well at all, but she started purring and that night was the first night that she slept through without waking us up. The next day we went back to the store to find a tank that fit. Nothing fit her correctly. We looked into cat clothes online, but couldn't find anything that was nice. There were many costumes, but none that were practical. That is when we came up with the idea of starting a clothing line for cats. Cat-toure was launched February 1, 2010 and has been receiving orders daily from all over the world.

Our line currently consists of practical tanks and hoodies with robes and accessories to come in the near future. When we think of the design and article of clothing we think what would we wear? If we wouldn't wear it and don't think it's stylish why would a cat?

Basic Tank - Black, $18.00

Wow! I really admire the philosophy of only designing clothing you would wear yourself, and I love the simple, yet stylish designs. Liley is one lucky kitty to have such caring and creative parents!

A very special thanks goes out to Jeff for for taking the time to answer my questions. Please check out a few more of my favorite designs below, and visit Cat-toure.com to shop even more fabulous styles!

Basic Hoodie - Purple, $20.00

Lion Tank, $18.00

Cougar Tank, $18.00

Ultimate Hoodie - Heather Gray, $23.00

You Oughta Know: Cat-toure Cat Clothing and Accessories