Cat Cupcake Tuesdays

Kitty Cat Cupcakes

This week's adorable cat cupcakes come to us from Jen from they say a picture is worth a thousand words, who created these cute kitties for her friend Taryn.

Jen says that Taryn adores cats, especially her ginger cat Harold, which inspired her to come up with such a catabulous birthday treat!



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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

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, Lil Bub enchanted Robert De Niro and charmed the ladies of The View, Charlotte Olympia's cat flats got a punk rock makeover, Fiona shared her pretty in pink cat cupcakes (and the chickens who helped make them), a mischievous kitty got tiny boots to protect his paws in the kitchen, Temptations released a hilarious workout video for cats, Charlie celebrated National Hairball Awareness Day, and I recounted my experience meeting Lil Bub at the Pennsylvania SPCA!

Elsewhere, don't forget to enter for your chance to win an adorable cat note card set from Floof Bug! I'm drawing the lucky winner this coming Tuesday, 4/30!

And finally, I'd like to give a huge thank you to my awesome April sponsors: Tom & Tungsten Custom Pet Portraits, Hey Kitty Kitty, Georgia's Gifts, AmazeCats Personalized Cat Playing Cards, Whoa That's Bright!, Sweet Pickles Designs, and Edgar's Attic Handmade Catnip Toys!

If you've been thinking about advertising on Catsparella, there's still time to book for May!


Taiko

This week's featured feline has been his dad's constant companion ever since he was rescued as a kitten. Who says man's best friend has to be a dog? 

Charles writes:

Feline Greetings, Catsparella!!! Here is my entry for your Caturday post, my deaf, albino boy....Taiko!! As most of my cats were named after space, Taiko is named after a Chinese Astronaut, a Taikonaut!



He came to me as a tiny kitten at 5am on a Halloween morning 7 years ago. I awoke to a cat fight, grabbed my rifle, and headed outside, as I lived on a large farm at the time and coyotes were a concern.



I couldn't find any commotion, and as I shined my 1 million watt flashlight up the nearest tree, I saw what I thought was an opossum, due to the pink eyes staring down at me. As I raised my rifle to dispose of it, it leapt about 20 feet off the tree limb and landed next to me. After it started rubbing against me, I discovered this tiny, white ball of fur at my feet!



Needless to say, he has been my constant companion ever since. The vet told me that poor, deaf Taiko would not have survived out in the wild, and I am so happy to share my life with him!!! 


Nap attack!

Special thanks to Charles for introducing us to his handsome boy this week! Another amusing anecdote he shares: One thing Taiko loves is being vacuumed with my shop vac, being deaf, he doesn't care one bit!

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

This week:
Our 5 Favorite iPhone Covers for Cat Lovers

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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!

Happy National Hairball Awareness Day!

Where's Charlie?

It's the last Friday in April my friends, so you know what that means! It's National Hairball Awareness Day, a time when we "paws" to recognize the hazards of hairballs and take steps to eliminate them, once and fur all!

Once again, FURminator has asked me and several other cat bloggers from across the country to create a project using fur we harvested from our kitties using one of their fine grooming tools. Last year I crafted Katy Perry out of cat hair (and won $1,000 for SPAC!), and this year we were tasked with making a mustache out of our cat's excess fluff.

Charlie went all paws in on the challenge, but opted to keep his identity a secret by donning a pair of disguising shades along with his fur 'stache. (Check out the full gallery of incognito kitties over on the Furminator Facebook page!)

Crafting with cat hair isn't all fun and games though, and as we all know, hairballs can be serious business. Since cats groom themselves with their tongues, they naturally ingest loose hair (up to two-thirds!), which can pack together in their stomach to form a hairball. In most cases, the cat will need to throw the hairball up, which is not good for them...or your carpet!

I support National Hairball Awareness Day because my kitties love getting brushed with their FURminator tool (we use this one), which can help reduce shedding and hairballs by up to 90%. Grooming your cat regularly can help prevent hairball issues, and is more effective then using traditional treatments that only address the problem once the hair is already in your cat's belly.

Now that you've got all the facts, me and Charlie would like to wish everyone a very happy National Hairball Awareness Day! After all, it only comes once a year, so grab your kitties and celebrate!

Disclosure: I received FURminator grooming tools in exchange for my participation in this project, however I have been using their brushes for several years and would recommend them anyway. Also, I can't resist a cat hair crafting challenge.

Happy National Hairball Awareness Day!

Advertise On Catsparella In May!

May is right around the corner, and what better way to boost your biz than by advertising your kitty related shop, product, blog, or website on Catsparella!

By supporting Catsparella, you'll be gaining exposure & attracting new customers through an award winning cat blog, that welcomes thousands of devoted kitty lovers each month! 

I currently offer three size options (Large, Medium, and Small), that are all highly visible on the right hand side of the page. Also, the ads go up on a rolling basis (not just the 1st of the month), so I can work with whatever timeline fits your schedule!


$60/month (Currently booked through July)


$40/month (Available now)


$20/month (Available now)

Ready to get started? Email me at catsparella@gmail.com for more information, and to reserve your spot today!

Advertise On Catsparella In May!

Work It Kitty! Cats Get A Hilarious Fitness Routine In New Temptations Clip

Alex Gaudino ft. Taboo "I Don't Wanna Dance" - Work It Kitty

In the past week you've probably witnessed a cat in a shark costume chasing a baby duckling on a Roomba, and the kitty who gets his kicks by licking the vacuum cleaner hose, but have you seen "Work It Kitty!", the feline fitness tape produced exclusively for cats?



Kate and George, owners of "The Best Little Cat House" cat hotel, came up with the idea after observing one of their charges watching aerobics on TV. After wondering why cats don't have workout videos, the couple set out to make one of their own.



The silly (and endlessly giffable) routine features low impact, cat-friendly moves like the rear leg lift, paw rotation, and a box jumping exercise that even Maru would love.



The fictional feline workout is actually part of a clever ad campaign for Temptations cat treats, featuring the music of Italian DJ Alex Gaudino, featuring Taboo. In addition to the video, there's also a website dedicated to the spirited routine, where you can find bios for each of the cathletes, tips on keeping your cat active, and more digital downloads in the future.

Via Facebook (Temptations Canada) / Work It Kitty!

Work It Kitty! Cats Get A Hilarious Fitness Routine In New Temptations Clip

Anarchy Kitty: Charlotte Olympia's Cat Flats Get A Punk Rock Makeover

Charlotte Olympia Anarchy Kitty Flat

Known for their chic silhouette, exclusive price tag, and celeb status (they've been spotted on Beyoncé, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Anne Hathaway and more), Charlotte Olympia's cat flats have become a covet worthy piece of cat fashion since their debut in Fall 2011.

Most recently, Olympia collaborated with fellow London-based designer Tom Binns, for a punk-inspired collection of accessories, which saw her iconic feline footwear get an edgy new look.



The result is the Anarchy Kitty flat, whose traditional gold stitching has been swapped out with neon pink and green thread, and ears and nose adorned with rebellious safety pin piercings. As StyleBistro puts it, "(the flats have) spent the past six months in their garage, hanging out with older, cooler shoes, learning how to play the bass, and recording two-minute songs with lots of yowls and meows." 

The limited edition collection is in honor of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute’s “Punk: Chaos to Couture” exhibit, opening in NYC next month. The shoes, which will retail for around $800, are sure to be a hot collector's item, and will be available exclusively at Charlotte Olympia stores in London and New York, and on charlotteolympia.com beginning May 2. 

Via StyleBistro / The Backseat Stylers

Anarchy Kitty: Charlotte Olympia's Cat Flats Get A Punk Rock Makeover

Mischievous Kitty Gets Heatproof Boots To Protect His Paws In The Kitchen

If I didn't know better, I'd think this was a late April Fools' Day joke, but a UK-based food takeout delivery company recently commissioned a futuristic pair of protective booties for a cat named Mischief, who has a history of burning himself on the stove.

In honor of National Pet Month, Just Eat commissioned the one-of-a-kind pair of shoes (not to be confused with "Kitten Mittons"), after the cat's owner complained about his antics on their Facebook page. The yellow and red heatproof hooves were custom made to fit Mischief's tiny paws, and stay attached with velcro.

His dutiful owner, Jackie Cable, told Metro that although the cat means the world to her, he makes cooking a "nightmare" because he's always getting underfoot. The 3-year-old has reportedly burned his paw pads on the stove at least three times in the past, with one incident even requiring veterinary care.

While it's anyone's guess if the shoes will actually work, Cable remains optimistic. "I can relax in the kitchen when I’m cooking now and I don’t have to keep looking over my shoulder to check on him," she says.

View more pics of the crazy contraptions over at The Sun.

Via Metro.co.uk 

Mischievous Kitty Gets Heatproof Boots To Protect His Paws In The Kitchen