Catsparella Store Updates and Customer Pics!

The shipping department is standing by and ready to take your order!*

The Catsparella shop has been open for about two weeks now, and I've started to get some awesome pix! 

Marsha (@littlekatmom) shared this pic of her cat Sonny admiring her "Every Day is Caturday" tee:



Jen (@jenchillla) rocked her Catsparella tee HARD this past Caturday! Here's a pic of her chilling with her cat, Prissy, and modeling the shirt on its own:





Odette (@MissOForYou) snapped a pic of her newly arrived top, saying, "Look what was in the mail! I LOVE IT! Perfect fit! Thank you Priscilla, Charlie & Stephanie."



Amelia from the pawesome cat blog Cat & Birdie shared a very cool post about her kitty Wubbikins, who got the tote as a reward for her kindness to homeless cats! 



She also did some amazing styling, pairing it with a See by Chloe cat cardigan. Me-wow!



And finally, Georgia E. commented on Facebook, "I received my new tote yesterday & love it! The fabric and colors are perfect. Thanks Catsparella!"

Get your paws on a tee or tote of your own by visiting catsparella.bigcartel.com. Shirts are in stock in Ladies and Unisex sizes for $20, and totes are back for $15 each!

Also, if you're worried about getting the right size shirt, have no fear! I've updated the store policy, so all unworn, unwashed tees can be exchanged for a different size within 30 days of purchase. 

*Lucky black cat hairs included with every order at no additional charge.

Catsparella Store Updates and Customer Pics!

Miaow.ie by Telekat: The Cat Video Toy For 21st Century Felines

Rodent Football!

You're probably already familiar with the concept of the "Cat Sitter," a VHS tape (and later DVD) that was basically the equivalent of Sesame Street for felines. Flash forward to 2013, and Miaow.ie by Telekat is a modern take on the cat video toy, designed for the technologically savvy feline who has everything, including a laptop and iPad.


 Priscilla going in for the kill
 
The 88 minute video, designed to entertain and stimulate your cat, includes clips of birds chirping happily in front of a Nyan Cat-inspired screen, hamsters hitting the football field, and butterflies and fish flitting about. There's also a segment featuring sea monkeys flying through space, that's sure to have you questioning your sanity.


Charlie is transfixed!

I set up Miaow.ie on my laptop for Charlie and Priscilla to test out, and they immediately took notice. It was really funny to watch their little heads go back and forth, and observe them peering behind the monitor, trying to figure out where the noises were coming from!


Nyan Birds

You can sample all of the video clips on the Miaow.ie YouTube Channel for free, or download the full 88 minute HD video to the mp4 playing device of your choice for just $5. To learn more about Miaow.ie, visit their website at miaow.ie.

Disclosure: I received a free download of Miaow.ie by Telekat for review, but all curious cats contained in this post are my own.

Miaow.ie by Telekat: The Cat Video Toy For 21st Century Felines

Street Pussy T-Shirt Giveaway!

Our friends Yogi and Simon are still going strong with, Street Pussy, their beautiful street photography blog dedicated to showcasing the beautiful cat pics they capture around London, and beyond. 







When we last caught up with them in January, they explained what inspired them to start a cat blog, the reasoning behind their edgy name, and shared some of the adventures they've gotten into while trying to track down their furry subjects (you can check out the entire interview here).



Recently, the duo littered London with clever kitty "escort cards" to help spread the word about their collection of online cats... and now they're giving away an exclusive tee that you won't find anywhere else!



Enter To Win!


Street Pussy Tee!

Yogi and Simon have generously offered one lucky Catsparella reader the chance to win an limited edition Street Pussy tee! This shirt is a promotional item not currently available for sale, so the only way to get your paws on one is to win!

Note: The tee up for grabs is a Unisex S/M (Width: 20 inches, length 29 inches)

To enter, leave a comment on this post with your name, and some way for me to contact you if you win (email, link back to your blog or profile, Twitter, etc.) The winner be will chosen in a random drawing next Tuesday, April 23 at 5:00PM EST. This giveaway is open to everyone, so our international friends can participate too! One entry per person, please.

Good luck, and be sure to check out Street Pussy on Tumblr, and follow them on Facebook to stay up-to-date on all of their latest feline finds!

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

[Comments are now closed. Thanks for entering!]

Street Pussy T-Shirt Giveaway!

Cat Cupcake Tuesdays

Jacki's Bachelorette Party Cake

This week's sweet cat treat comes to us from Jacki, who shares the heartwarming tale of a childhood friend, a bachelorette (catchelorette?) party cake, and a kitty named Charlie.

She writes:

My friends surprised me with this awesome kitty cake for my bachelorette party. They knew how much I loved my stuffed animal growing up (and didn't hesitate to torment him when we were all college roomies) so the cake features Carmichael, my stuffed cat, as the groom.


Carmichael

I've since adopted a real cat that looks just like Carmichael. His name is Charlie and he's our little buddy, but Carmichael's still floating around too. ;)



My parents and sister also have tabbies so we're also a bit of a crazy cat family!

Special thanks to Jacki for sharing her adorable story with us this week! You can tell from the pictures that both Carmichael and Charlie are very well loved. ;)

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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

Grumpy Cat, Lil Bub, And Henri, le Chat Noir Are Coming Soon To A Bookstore Near You

While you're sitting around trying to write the next Great American Novel, three of the internet's most famous cats are meowing all the way to the bank with their own book deals. Yes, you heard right -- as if it's not hard enough for human writers to get work, now we have to compete with cats, too. 

"Cat Pack" members Henri, le Chat Noir, Lil Bub, and Tardar Sauce have all put paw to paper, as they attempt to translate their online fame into the world of print. It doesn't matter if you're a student of feline philosophy, cute cat pics, or the art of grump, because your cat will be content to nap on all three. 

Which upcoming book are you most looking excited to curl up with?



Henri, le Chat Noir: The Existential Musings of an Angst-Filled Cat

Publisher: Ten Speed Press 

Release Date: April 30, 2013

Description: This gift book is a collection of photos and quotes from Henri, the existential cat whose ennui has captivated people all over the world. Through his series of short films and interactions with an enthusiastic online community, Henri's contemplation and disillusion with the world has struck a chord with millions of fans. Now, finally, we have a collection of Henri's musings in his own words featuring never-before-seen photos and quotes. This book is a window into the tortured soul of the world's first feline philosopher.

Lil BUB's Lil Book: The Extraordinary Life of the Most Amazing Cat on the Planet

Publisher: Gotham 

Realease Date: September 3, 2013

Description: Aided by her human, this celebri-cat is finally satisfying her demanding public with a book. Showcasing one hundred wittily captioned, full-color photos of Lil BUB—sleeping, riding a skateboard, hanging out with her friends, and just simply being adorable—Lil BUB’s Lil Book is exactly what her millions of fans want. Sure to please fans of LOLcats and Boo: The Life of the World’s Cutest Dog, Lil BUB’s Lil Book is the purrrr-fect book for anyone who needs more cute in their lives.

Grumpy Cat: A Grumpy Book

Publisher: Chronicle Books 

Release Date: October 15, 2013

Description: Internet sensation Grumpy Cat's epic feline frown has inspired legions of devoted fans. Celebrating the grouch in everyone, the Grumpy Cat book teaches the fine art of grumpiness and includes enough bad attitude to cast a dark cloud over the whole world. Featuring brand new as well as classic photos, and including grump-inspiring activities and games, Grumpy Cat delivers unmatched, hilarious grumpiness that puts any bad mood in perspective.

Grumpy Cat, Lil Bub, And Henri, le Chat Noir Are Coming Soon To A Bookstore Near You

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, the nation prepared to fall into a cute coma has Hallmark Channel announced Kitten Bowl 2014, Eidé Magazine presented "The Cat Issue", The Cake Mom & Co. shared their awesomely adorable Pusheen the Cat birthday cake, Forever 21 went cat fashion crazy for spring, Taylor Swift's Keds collection included cat inspired sneakers, Brittany serenaded Lord Tubbington on Glee, Simon's Cat released a new video (and Charlie reviewed his new book), and "Ridiculously Happy Cat" hoped that you had a purrfectly wonderful week!

This week's featured felines make their home all the way in Australia, where their owners run a boutique cattery (cat motel)!


ZaZa

Claudia writes:

This is one of our cats ZaZa, an Oriental. He's the first cat I've ever chosen, before that I was always adopted by cats. He's a beautiful Egyptian looking cat and he's very demanding but worth all the trouble. He plays fetch for hours on end with little toy mice. He's only allowed out on a harness due to lack of common sense, and our fear of snakes.


Brooky

We also have a Ragdoll, Brooky, that we adopted because a customer of our cat motel was going to put him down because "she had to travel for six months and couldn't afford boarding".

At the time we had two, 20-year-old girl cats, and I thought they wouldn't accept him, but they did. He's a beautiful natured cat that was unlucky and had three owners before finding a permanent home with us. In this photo his coat is half grown. We live in a subtropical area of Australia and he gets too hot in summer so we clip him at the beginning of December. He is a loner and barely tolerates Za.

Special thanks to Claudia for sharing gorgeous ZaZa and Brooky with us this week! If you'd like to learn more about Aylesham Cattery, visit their website here.

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

This week:
5 Things Made Out of Cat Hair You Can Actually Buy on Etsy

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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!

"Ridiculously Happy Cat" Hopes You're Having A Wonderful Day

♪♫ "When you're smiling, keep on smiling, the whole world smiles with you.." ♪♫

Sure, we all love Grumpy Cat. But every once in awhile, it doesn't hurt to admire a feline who isn't afraid to turn that frown upside down. 

According to Reddit user sketchampm, "Ridiculously Happy Cat" showed up meowing on a friend's porch one day, and they've kept her ever since.

The pretty kitty's unusual markings make her appear to have a permanently upturned grin, that can't help but make you smile. I think we can all agree, though, that those seriously adorable bunny paws are no joke!


Bunny paws!


Like the cat who ate the canary.

Via Imgur / BuzzFeed

"Ridiculously Happy Cat" Hopes You're Having A Wonderful Day