Hank, the 9-year-old Maine Coon from Virginia who has taken the media by storm with his current bid for United States Senate, has now inspired a young Russian cat with political ambitions of his very own.
Bublik, a 3-month-old kitten from Yekaterinburg who was named after "a traditional Russian snack that resembles a bagel but tastes more like a cracker," recently threw his tiny hat into the political arena by creating a Facebook page to launch his career. The future fat cat's press secretary, Ivan Kolotovkin, wouldn't divulge the feline's political leanings to The Moscow Times, but did reveal the kitten's youthful slogan to be "For a Fun Future!"
Kolotovkin also tells the paper that Bublik intends to extend a paw of support to Hank within the next week in a show of solidarity with his seasoned American counterpart, saying: "If Hank the cat takes the U.S. Senate seat, cats between different countries could collaborate in productive ways."
Can something be considered art if the creator is an unsuspecting photographer? That's one of the questions that comes up in the short documentary "Cat Cam," a sixteen minute film by Seth Keal, examining the life and times of a famous feline photographer named Mr. Lee.
The stray cat charmed its way into the home of Juergen and his family back in 2006; At first, the German engineer urged his wife not to feed the cat out of fear that it would never go away, until one day he caved and gave the persistent puss some leftover spaghetti. The rest, as they say, is history.
One of the concerns the family had over taking in the street cat was that there was an "old lady somewhere crying every night" because her dear kitty had disappeared. They also noticed that he would sometimes wander off for a day or two and come back not wanting to eat, or leave the house dirty and come back clean. Did their new cat have two homes?
Mr. Lee
To help get to the bottom of the mystery, Juergen created a lightweight digital camera to attach to the wandering kitty's collar. To his surprise, Mr. Lee came back with beautiful images, giving his owners a deeper insight into his daily life. Excited by these discoveries, Juergen published the photographs online, which not only led to international press coverage, but also helped strengthen the bond between Mr. Lee and his once reluctant human owner.
"CatCam" has been showing in several film festivals across the country, and is currently screening as part of the Tribeca Online Film Festival. (You can watch the entire movie for free on their website after registering with an email address). Looking to purchase a cat cam of your own? Mr. Lee's official website offers kits and pre-made cameras to help set you on the path to spying on your own secretive cat.
Also, don't let your cat go naked! Stop by to enter for your chance to win a cat bow tie or a lady cat bow in your choice of colors from our friends at Snoop Catty Catt! Anyone can enter, and I'm drawing the winner this Tuesday, 4/24!
And finally, a huge thank you to everyone who took the time to vote for cat hair Katy Purry as your favorite fur creature to help us win $1,000 for Sayreville Pet Adoption Center! The winner will be announced on National Hairball Awareness Day next Friday, April 27th -- so paws crossed, and stay tuned!
Lily
This week's featured feline is a famous LOLcat, who comes to us all the way from Belgium!
Sara writes:
Lily and her brother Jack were born on September 4, 2007. We found them through an ad in our local paper. It's hard to explain, but as soon as I saw tiny Lily I immediately knew she was the cat for us. It sounds a bit corny, but I guess it was 'love at first sight'. She was such a tiny kitten! I was told by Lily's mom's human, that she was the 'runt of the litter' and her one eye was smaller than the other, but that she was very affectionate. Apparently, they feared she wouldn't make it when she was born, but Lily proved to be a feisty kitty (and still is!). The human seemed relieved we chose her, because no one else wanted her until now! But to us, her wonky eye and tinyness made her irresistible!
Her wonky eye apparently is a condition called 'microphthalmia’. It's a birth defect, but it doesn’t appear to effect her too much, it just makes her supercute. She might have a problem judging length/depth as she is quite famous for missing jumps that most cats could do with their eyes closed! We prefer to think it gives her super powers like x-ray vision or the ability to see in the dark. But in all seriousness, the condition could make her sight in that eye deteriorate so we’re very vigilant.
Lily and Jack
From the beginning, Lily has been the fearless one. She loves being around people and isn't scared by anything, apart from the Hoover. She is the most cuddly cat I've ever known, she loves nothing better but headbutts, hugs and sleeping by our side.
BOOP!
All penguins, all the time
Lily's brother Jack is the original scaredy cat, but as soon as he trusts you he's the sweetest boy - a gentle giant. He has a strange thing for toy penguins, and carries them all over the house in his mouth.
Lily's t-shirt!
Not long after Jack and Lily arrived at their forever home, the picture was taken which would make her somewhat of an internet phenomenon. It first appeared on the worldwide web after I sent the picture to The Daily Kitten in Dec. 2007. Unbeknownst to us, it was transformed into a Lolcat picture on the Cheezburger website, which is now Wonky's profile picture! Soon after that, Christopher Kimball created the 'Wonky Eye Kitty' t-shirt based on the Lolcat. By chance, we stumbled upon it (and couldn't believe what had been going on behind our backs!) The rest is history...
Special thanks to Sara for sharing the real story behind her beloved Lily (and Jack!) with us this week! To keep up with all of their latest adventures, be sure to follow the official Wonky Eye Kitty fan page on Facebook.
p.s. Looking for even more Catsparella? Check out my weekly columns over on Catster!
Want to see your cat(s) on Catsparella? I'm always taking 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!
Using kittens to promote your product is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it's a guaranteed way to get eyeballs on whatever you're shilling. On the other, who's even going to notice what you're selling when it's overshadowed by the presence of fuzzy baby cats?
Nick Knight from SHOWstudio recently flipped his lens on some feline fashionistas for a high fashion Instagram photo shoot inspired by "Internet memes, animal GIFs and Autumn/Winter 2012's taste for grown-up, blown-up overdressing." Model Cara Delevingne looks stunning draped in jewels by Fabergé, Van Cleef and Arpels, and Cartier -- but it's her furry modeling mate that we just can't get enough of!
Click here to check out the rest of the photo series, which also features a lucky Delevingne posing alongside a black and white bunny, baby chick, and a teeny tiny pup, all in the name of fashion.
Sauza Tequila takes aim at the cougar audience who try as they might, cannot resist a kitten in uniform. Or a fireman with a kitten, who is willing to talk to you about the difference between leggings and jeggings while showing you how to make a light margarita.
**It's your last day to vote for cat hair Katy Perry as your favorite fur celeb to help us win $1,000 for SPAC! Click here to vote!**
Sauza Tequila Commercial Aims Straight For The Heart With Booze, Hot Dudes, And Kittens
I recently came across the colorful paintings of Katharina Conrad, a talented illustrator who was inspired to turn her favorite pop culture pussycats into colorful works of kitty art.
The idea for the cat project popped into Katharina's head one day after seeing a human interest piece on Frank and Louie, the world's oldest living two-faced cat.
She tells me: "I thought to myself that it would be fun to do a painting of him, and then wouldn't it be fun to do a whole series of paintings of cats from my personal life, T.V, movies, the internet, books etc. (basically any cat that I had some kind of emotional attachment to), and then to make some kind of self-published book of them in the end. And I've been working on it ever since."
In addition to the famous Janus cat, Conrad has also taken on internet superstar Maru, as well as her own two kitties, P.D. and Hailey. But not all of her subjects can be found in real life. Fictional kitties like The Cheshire Cat, Luna from Sailor Moon, and Mogget from the Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix are also included as part of the collection.
For more information on Katharina and to see additional images of her work, please check out her website at katharinaconrad.com.
Amsterdam is not only one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe, but it's also an extremely cat-friendly area. In addition to a cat boat and a cat museum, you're also likely to encounter kitties working for their kibble in the city's numerous stores, pubs, and cafes.
One must-see attraction while visiting is De Poezenboot (The Cat Boat), a floating sanctuary for stray and abandoned cats, located in Amsterdam's picturesque canal belt. The boat has a long and storied history, beginning in 1966 when Henriette van Weelde found a family of cats living outside of her house and decided to take them in. As other strays followed, van Weelde quickly became the town cat lady, with people dropping off cats they could no longer care for. She soon ran out of space, and with more kitties coming in, decided to purchase a houseboat where she could provide refuge for her rescues. Today, The Cat Boat remains the only floating animal sanctuary in the Netherlands, and a popular tourist destination thanks to its attractive location, and adorable cargo!
After you spend some time with the kitties of De Poezenboot, make sure to leave time to visit KattenKabinet (Cat Cabinet), Amsterdam's very own cat art museum. The museum features the work of Pablo Picasso, Rembrandt, Théophile Steinlen, and more, plus there are real cats who live in the building, providing a bit of purrformance art. Cat Cabinet was founded in 1990 by Bob Meijer, in memory of his red tomcat, John Pierpont Morgan. It reportedly boasts an impressive collection of feline-inspired paintings, drawings, sculptures, and more.
