Catsparella

Monday, August 8, 2011

Dexter Star Michael C. Hall is a Cat Man

We already know Dexter Morgan has a soft spot for kitties, but did you know that the actor who portrays the sensitive serial killer on the Showtime drama is a real life cat lover, too?

Dexter star Michael C. Hall has reportedly been spending a lot of one-on-one time with his two cats, who are helping him heal from his recent divorce from co-star, Jennifer Carpenter.

Hall, who's currently busy shooting the upcoming sixth season of his hit show, recently told PEOPLE, "I spend a lot of time with my cats. They're both boys, they're both very affectionate. Their names are Preacher and Ford. They're my four-legged friends."

The former couple, who announced their plans to split late last year, adopted the pair from Kitten Rescue in Los Angeles in 2009.

Via PEOPLE Pets

Mark Poulin Jewelry Alley Cat Necklace Giveaway!

Love Kitty Earrings - $48.00

I love Mark Poulin! I was instantly drawn to the sweetness and simplicity of his mouthless cats, and admire the clean look of his clever jewelry designs.

The Oakland, CA based artist loves to draw and create cartoon characters, and combined with his passion for metal work and eye for color, has created a line of modern, adorable (and affordable!) jewelry.

All of his sterling silver pieces, which include necklaces, earrings, rings, cuff links and charm bracelets, are cast from hand-carved wax models, and the enameled pieces, like the Love Kitty earrings (above), feature screen printed images from his original sketches.

Trophy Cat Necklace - $32.00

Tom Cat Charm Ring - $48.00

Cat Fancy Charm Bracelet - $76.00

Enter To Win!

Alley Cat Necklace - $32.00

The kind folks at Mark Poulin have generously offered one lucky Catsparella reader the chance to win one of my favorite items, an Alley Cat Necklace, of their very own! (Sterling Silver charm will come on your choice of a 16 or 18 inch silver plated chain).

To enter, simply leave a comment on this post with your name and some way to contact you (email, link back to your blog or profile, Twitter, etc.).
The winner be will chosen in a random drawing next Monday, August 15th, 2011 at 5:00PM EST. This giveaway is open to everyone, so our international friends can enter, too! One entry per person, please.

Good luck to all, and make sure to stop by Mark Poulin's website to check out his beautiful jewelry (not just cats!), and like him on Facebook for updates on all of his latest designs and offers!

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

[Comments are now closed. Thanks for entering!]

Saturday, August 6, 2011

It's Caturday!

Joey

Recently I was at a flea market (the same flea market where I found Priscilla ten years ago, to be exact), when I ran into a woman who had a gorgeous Maine Coon cat sitting in a kangaroo pouch strapped to her chest.

Now, I can tell you from experience that it's not every day (err..ever) that this happens, so naturally the situation gave me pause. After getting over my initial shock and excitement, I immediately started kicking myself because I didn't have a camera on me to document the momentous occasion.

Luckily, I was able to pass my information along to the woman, named Suzie, and sure enough she emailed me back with a ton of beautiful pictures, along with the amazing story of that very cat, who happens to go by the name of Joey!

How incredible is this photo?? (Click images to enlarge)

Suzie writes:

Joey is a Maine Coon cat, born June 6, 2010. I am a dog person but my boyfriend is a big cat lover. He had Persian cats since he was little but his dream was to have a Maine Coon cat. We were going to Cat shows all over the States and were talking to many breeders. Finally we got Joey when he was 5 months old and we loved him since the first time we saw him in a picture.

He is a very smart, adventurous and gentle cat who has a dog-like personality. Since the first week after we brought him home we trained him on the leash and took him for short walks. He got used to it very fast and loves to go out anywhere with us. He usually walks on his own (obediently like a dog).

We also carry him in a large kangaroo pouch (regular front pouch for dogs) when he is tired or we are in a crowded city or some noisy area (he doesn’t like noise and especially little screaming children). We also take him for all day hikes and he loves it. He is not afraid of anything. He even loves water and doesn’t mined showers, walks in the rain and he loves snow.

As I said I am more a dog person who owned and trained dogs all my life but I love Joey endlessly. I also trained Joey and taught him tricks. He knows how to heel, to sit, to lie down, how to jump, how to meow when asked, give high five, lie on his back when asked, roll around and dance a little dance when I sing “I love Rock ‘n’ Roll”. He is very smart so he does everything when he hears voice commands and also when he sees visual commands.

He loves to play and train all day. Of course he loves my attention and also the treats he gets every time he does something well.

But do not think he isn’t spoiled. He IS spoiled rotten because we treat him like a baby. He has every single toy you can see in the pet stores and we spend every single minute with him. Since we got him we didn’t leave him alone even for a half day. Our sweet baby.... So you can tell we are officially huge and crazy cat lovers.

Any bad experience with Joey: NONE

Funny and unusual things:

1. We go out for a short walks during the day and he relieves himself outside like a dog. When we are too lazy to go out he dutifully uses his litter box.

2. He is very vocal. He is talking (meowing) all day long. He wants to play - he tells us. He goes to the litter box - he tells us ahead. He wants to sleep – he tells us good night before every nap.

***

Wow! Very special thanks goes out to Suzie for taking the time to share Joey's story with us this week! I couldn't believe how calm, friendly and unaffected he was when I saw endless strangers approach to ask about him at the flea market, and now I know why!

And don't you just love that one cat was all it took to transform Suzie into such a dedicated, passionate cat lover? What else can I say except that I foresee many continued fabulous adventures ahead, and hope to run into them again in the future!

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!

Friday, August 5, 2011

Charlie and Priscilla Review Tipsy Nip Organic Catnip Products!

What's in the box?

The folks over at Tipsy Nip Organic Catnip Products out of Burlington, Vermont, recently offered to send over some of their fine merchandise for my discriminating feline product testers to review. With their company mission statement to, "create healthy toys that make cats insanely happy," how could I say no?

Charlie surveying his majestic bounty

They sent over a wonderful selection, that included the following products to sample:

Tickle Pickle: This tummy-hugging toy is stuffed with 100% eye-crossing high potency catnip, with no poly fillers, and comes in regular (6") and XL (woah!)

Tipsy Nip Ball: A nontoxic wooden ball infused with organic catnip, nesting in organic catnip.

Tuna Sushi: A purrlicious treat for cats! Made with Bonito tuna flakes, Nori Seaweed, and Tipsy Nip. Give as a treat or put on their food for added flavor.

Organic Tipsy Nip: A straight up jar of organic catnip!

Now let's hand it over to the professionals to get their opinion!

Priscilla couldn't wait to get the Pickles out of their packaging!

Charlie employs some double paw action with the Tickle Pickle and Tipsy Nip ball!

Two seconds after this picture was taken he knocked the entire jar over with his paw

Tuna Sushi = Kitty Crack

The Aftermath. Nipped out bliss!

Charlie testing out the Tickle Pickle, Tipsy Nip Ball, and Tuna Sushi

The biggest hits in my house were definitely the Tickle Pickle, and the Tuna Sushi. Charlie isn't much of a foodie, but he was going after it likes nobody's business! I also love the idea of the wooden ball, but think it's something they'd have to get used to. I rolled it Charlie's way and he would watch it, or sometimes catch it, but after that, I'm not sure he knew what to do with it!

Overall, I was very happy with the items we received, and believe they stand up to the level of quality that is promised.

Both Charlie and Priscilla send many thanks to Tipsy Nip Organic Catnip Products for providing them with a fun, delicious, and catnip filled afternoon! For more information, or to purchase any items mentioned in this post, please visit their website at http://www.tipsynip.com!

Disclosure: Tipsy Nip Organic Catnip Products provided these items for review, but all of the opinions expressed in this post are my own.

The Catsparella Podcast Episode 2: Exclusive Sarah Donner Interview & Performance!

The Catsparella Podcast: Episode 2, Enhanced Version from Monster Movie Media on Vimeo.

Click HERE to stream the episode online, or right click to download and save!

Welcome back for another edition of The Catsparella Podcast! In this episode, check out my exclusive interview with indie folk pop star Sarah Donner, who has embraced the cat lady inside of her!

Sarah is an animal advocate who fosters kittens when she's not on tour, and even has a hit YouTube video featuring one of the kittens she rescued. Recently James and I sat down to speak with the talented singer, and were also treated to a live performance of two of her songs - "Treeline" (the sleepy kitten tune!) and "Going Under (In A Way)."

Sarah and me!

Links to topics discussed in this episode:

Sarah Donner Official Website
"Don't call me a crazy cat lady" - The Conscious Cat
"Animal Planet's 'Help! I'm Becoming a Cat Lady!' special: 10 pitch-purrrfect sound bites" - EW.com
My Cat From Hell
Douchecat

The Rock-Cats

The Oatmeal

"Going Under" official music video by Sarah Donner

Sarah Donner and the sleepy kitten, the very OFFICIAL 'Treeline' video

The Catsparella Podcast is produced by James H. Carter II for Monster Movie Media. If you are interested in sponsoring a future episode of show, please contact me at catsparella@gmail.com for more information.

Warner Brothers Releases First Image of Anne Hathaway as Catwoman

(Click image to enlarge)

Warner Brothers has just revealed the first image of Anne Hathaway dressed as Catwoman for the upcoming The Dark Knight Rises flick, due out next summer. Her lack of cat ears is disturbing (a poster on Oh No They Didn't commented, "She looks like a random girl biker"), but I'm going to reserve judgement until I see more pics.

Via The Dark Knight Rises: Official Site

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Cat House on the Kings Residents Star in Indie Music Video

Scott Ryan - "Vanishing"

Cats, cats, everywhere! The Cat House on the Kings recently posted this gorgeous video shot last year by musician Scott Ryan for the song, "Vanishing." The clip chronicles the "cathartic journey of a mysterious loner" as he visits the cat sanctuary in Parlier, California, and is surrounded by dozens of its beautiful residents, against the backdrop of the atmospheric indie tune.